I've been stalking the halls of Computex 2026, the huge computing-focused tech event that's currently running in Taipei, Taiwan, in search of the best laptops that will be coming soon to consumers.

While one of the big themes of this year's event is, inevitably, AI, there's a lot of excitement around new laptops running the latest hardware from Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm (Nvidia's new RTX Spark chip, and the laptops that run on it, are coming later this year).

However, arguably the biggest impact on laptops at this year's Computex comes from a company that isn't even there: Apple and its affordable MacBook Neo.

The Neo's shadow looms large over many laptops at this year's event — and that's great news for consumers. With Apple offering a well-built and great-performing laptop for $599, it's pushed Windows 11 laptop makers to make their own affordable laptops that don't feel cheap or underpowered. Read on to see the best laptops I've seen at Computex 2026 — and you can be sure I'll be calling all of these in (plus lots more) for full reviews when they are available.

1. Dell XPS 13 (2026)

Dell's decision to revive its XPS brand, only a year after it killed it off, has been welcome, and the latest Dell XPS 13 model is particularly exciting, as unlike previous models (many of which dominated our best laptops list for years), which were expensive flagship devices, the new Dell XPS 13 is an affordable laptop aimed to directly compete with the MacBook Neo.

In fact, Dell is so confident about the XPS 13's Neo-killing prowess, it had one of Apple's laptops on hand to help us directly compare the two. From what I've seen and heard, Apple will have a real fight on its hands.

Selling for the same $599 price, the XPS 13 (2026) offers a stunning aluminum chassis, a bright and vibrant touch-screen, and it's both thinner and lighter than the Neo.

It comes with two USB-C ports, and unlike the Neo, both offer the same Thunderbolt 4 speeds. The ports are on either side of the XPS 13, which I think is better than the Neo, which has both ports on the left-hand side, and it makes it more convenient when charging.

Another plus it has over the Neo is that the keyboard is backlit. The MacBook Neo's reign as the best budget laptop could soon be over.

2. Acer Swift Air 14 (2026)

The Acer Swift Air 14 (2026) is another MacBook Neo challenger that will launch at the same $599 price. It comes with an all-metal chassis, so again, this is an affordable laptop that looks and feels more expensive than you might expect.

It runs on the latest Intel Core Series 3 processors and should offer around 19 hours of battery life, which is a similar ballpark to the MacBook Neo.

Its 14-inch WUXGA display features a 120 Hz refresh rate and accurate 100 percent sRGB color reproduction — so I have a feeling it could also give the screen of the MacBook Neo a run for its money. The screen can be pushed back 180 degrees as well, which the Neo can't do.

3. Acer Aspire Go 15

The Acer Aspire Go 15 is the first laptop powered by the Snapdragon C chip, which was also announced at Computex 2026, and this could be incredibly exciting, as it's aimed at the entry-level market, so around the $400 range.

While very cheap, the Acer Aspire Go 15 won't be like previous cheap and flimsy laptops, and will feature an 8-core CPU as part of the Qualcomm Snapdragon C chip, a 1080p 15.6-inch display, and two USB-C ports.

4. MSI Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition Draco Epic

MSI always makes beautiful, if not always affordable, gaming laptops, and the MSI Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition Draco Epic really is a sight to behold, thanks to the stunning artwork that adorns almost every inch of this laptop.

This is a new dragon for MSI (which has an iconic red dragon as its mascot), and is named 'Draco' and is based on the Greek myth about the North Star.

The artwork on the back of the lid is slightly raised and looks gorgeous in person, and it comes with a limited edition coin, mousepad, and gaming mouse, all bundled in a stylish box to celebrate MSI's 40th anniversary.

The hardware inside is no slouch, either — you get an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor, Nvidia RTX 5090 laptop GPU, an 18-inch UHD+ MiniLED screen with 240Hz refresh rate, and a whole lot more.

5. Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra

Nvidia's announcement at Computex 2026 of its RTX Spark 'super chip', which is an Arm-based chip with CPU and GPU, has been one of the biggest bits of news to come out of Taipei this year, and while MSI, HP, and Acer all have RTX Spark-powered laptops coming out later this year, the one that really caught my eye was the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra.

For a start, Microsoft's Surface devices have felt a bit neglected recently. Once flagship devices that were aimed at competing with Apple, the past few years have seen them largely relegated to business products.

While the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra likely won't be a mainstream product, as I have a feeling all RTX Spark-powered laptops are going to be pretty pricey, it's great to see a Surface product once again act as a flagship showcase for the latest software and hardware, and both Nvidia and Microsoft have made a big deal of how their partnership with RTX Spark will transform Windows 11 laptops.

Also, while the other RTX Spark laptops were on display at Computex 2026, we weren't allowed to touch them or turn them on. However, the Surface Laptop Ultra was in use in tightly-controlled demos by Nvidia, so I was able to get a closer look and get an idea of the kind of performance we should expect.

AI tasks, which the RTX Spark has been primarily designed for, were shown off, as well as 3D rendering and creative tasks. I also got to play some games on the Surface Laptop Ultra, including Alan Wake 2, which has been ported to ARM. Impressively, even the games that were running via emulation, such as Marvel Rivals, ran great, and Nvidia suggested we should expect the kind of gaming performance the RTX 5070 laptop GPU provides.

We'll find out more about RTX Spark laptops closer to their launch later this year, but I'm pretty impressed so far. An extortionate price, however, could easily ruin things.

• Check out our Computex 2026 hub for all the latest news out of Taipei.

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. He’s personally reviewed and used most of the laptops in our best laptops guide - and since joining TechRadar in 2014, he's reviewed over 250 laptops and computing accessories personally.