Acer Predator Helios Neo 14impulsado por la CPU Intel Core Ultra 7, se lanzó en India el jueves. La computadora portátil lleva una GPU Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050, 16 GB de RAM LPDDR5X y una batería de 76 WHr. Tiene una pantalla IPS de 14,5 pulgadas y un teclado retroiluminado RGB. La computadora portátil para juegos viene con actualizaciones de gráficos impulsadas por IA, así como un sistema de enfriamiento impulsado por IA y funciones de reducción de ruido. Actualmente, la computadora portátil está disponible para su compra en el país a través de múltiples canales en línea y fuera de línea.
Precio y disponibilidad de Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 en India
El precio del Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 en India se ha fijado en Rs. 1.39.999. Está disponible para su compra en el país. a través de Flipkart, Amazon, Acer India Sitio webY tiendas exclusivas de Acermall, así como otras tiendas minoristas fuera de línea. La computadora portátil aparece en Deep Black.
Especificaciones y características del Acer Predator Helios Neo 14
El Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 cuenta con una pantalla IPS WUXGA (1920 x 1200 píxeles) de 14,5 pulgadas con una frecuencia de actualización de 120 Hz y 300 nits de nivel de brillo típico. La computadora portátil funciona con una CPU Intel Core 7 Ultra 155H combinada con 16 GB de RAM LPDDR5X y 1 TB de almacenamiento interno PCIe Gen 4. Ejecuta Windows 11 Home de fábrica.
Lleva una GPU Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 con 6 GB de VRAM GDDR6 dedicada. La computadora portátil viene con un sistema de enfriamiento impulsado por IA y funciones de reducción de ruido. Los altavoces estéreo del Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 funcionan con DTS Ultra. La computadora portátil tiene un teclado retroiluminado RGB que incluye una tecla Copilot dedicada.
El Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 tiene una batería de carga rápida de 76 Wh que se carga de cero a 50 por ciento en 30 minutos y hasta 80 por ciento en una hora. Las opciones de conectividad para la computadora portátil incluyen Wi-Fi 6E y Bluetooth 5.3. Lleva dos puertos USB 3.2 Gen 2, un puerto Thunderbolt 4 y un puerto USB Type-C. La computadora portátil mide 324,2 x 255,3 x 20,9 mm y pesa 1,9 kg.
Los enlaces de afiliados pueden generarse automáticamente; consulte nuestro sitio web Declaración de ética Para más detalles.
Las computadoras portátiles para juegos están cada vez más disponibles en estos días y todos intentan ofrecer algo único. Acer Predator Helios Neo 16Aunque es largo, no sólo ofrece rendimiento en juegos. La inteligencia artificial es lo único que importa ahora, y la mayoría de los fabricantes están intentando unirse a esta ola poniendo la palabra “IA” junto al nombre del producto. Si bien Acer no ha hecho esto con sus últimas computadoras portátiles Predator Helios Neo 16, sí tiene un conmutador Microsoft Copilot dedicado y puede ejecutar varios programas mejorados con IA.
Utilicé el Predator Helios Neo 16 como portátil de trabajo/juegos diario durante unos días para ver cómo se desempeña en diferentes tareas y ver si vale su precio de Rs 1,74,999. Sigue leyendo para descubrirlo.
Diseño de Acer Predator Helios Neo 16: se ve bien
Logotipo RGB en la tapa
Su peso es de 2,8 kg.
Color – negro intenso
El Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 se parece a la mayoría de los demás portátiles para juegos, con algunos elementos de diseño únicos. La tapa está fabricada en aluminio y tiene un logo RGB de un solo color así como unos símbolos cifrados grabados con láser en las esquinas. Estos códigos básicamente no revelan nada más que “Helios Neo” y “Join Predator Force”. Encontrarás instrucciones sobre cómo descifrar los códigos en línea.
La computadora portátil tiene dos ventiladores de refrigeración.
En la parte posterior, encontrarás una muesca con una parte superior transparente y algunos elementos de diseño debajo, junto con el Helios Neo 16 líder en el mundo. Los lados también tienen muchas opciones de puertos. A la izquierda, encontrará un puerto Ethernet RJ-45, un conector USB 3.2 Gen 1 tipo A, un lector de tarjetas microSD y un conector de audio de 3,5 mm.
El lado derecho tiene dos puertos USB tipo A (uno de los cuales admite la carga cuando está apagado), una ranura de bloqueo Kensington e indicadores de energía y batería. También encontrarás puertos en la parte posterior. Hay una ranura HDMI 2.1, un conector de alimentación y dos puertos USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4. Las entradas de aire están ubicadas en la parte trasera, mientras que las salidas de aire están ubicadas en los lados izquierdo y derecho.
Los puertos en la parte posterior ayudan a crear una configuración de escritorio limpia
La tapa se puede abrir con una mano y encontrará un teclado de tamaño completo y un trackpad lo suficientemente grande. También hay un interruptor de modo en la parte superior izquierda del teclado que le permite cambiar rápidamente los modos de interpretación. También obtienes tres micrófonos en la computadora portátil y una cámara web ubicada en el bisel superior.
Sin embargo, el portátil es grande y pesado, especialmente si se tiene en cuenta el cargador de 330W.
Pantalla Acer Predator Helios Neo 16: brillante y vívida
Pantalla IPS WQXGA de 16 pulgadas
Frecuencia de actualización de 240 Hz
Brillo 500 lúmenes
Encontrarás agradable a la vista la pantalla mate del Predator Helios Neo 16. El panel de 16 pulgadas presenta biseles delgados en ambos lados y una relación de aspecto de 16:10. Admite el modo HDR y cubre el 100 por ciento de la gama de colores DCI-P3. La frecuencia de actualización de 240 Hz y la compatibilidad con Nvidia G-Sync resultan útiles a la hora de jugar. El panel proporciona colores brillantes con buen contraste. Con HDR habilitado, descubrirá que el contenido compatible aparecerá más brillante y con un mejor rango dinámico. Ver películas y programas de televisión en pantalla fue una experiencia agradable.
La pantalla admite HDR y tiene una gran cantidad de brillo.
La pantalla también ofrece una alta tasa de respuesta de hasta 3 ms, lo que resulta especialmente útil cuando se juegan juegos de disparos.
Teclado, panel táctil, altavoces y cámara web Acer Predator Helios Neo 16
Altavoces duales compatibles con DTS:X Ultra
Teclado RGB de cuatro zonas de tamaño completo
cámara web de 720p
Acer ha equipado el portátil con un teclado de tamaño completo, que aunque ofrece una buena distancia entre las teclas, no resulta muy cómodo ya que no hay mucho espacio entre las teclas. Me encontré presionando accidentalmente la tecla equivocada en múltiples ocasiones, incluso después de pasar mucho tiempo usando el teclado. Obtienes personalización RGB de cuatro zonas en el teclado con cuatro niveles de retroiluminación. La luz de fondo se vuelve muy brillante por la noche y puedes jugar con varios efectos de iluminación. El teclado tiene una tecla Copilot dedicada y una tecla para iniciar el software PredatorSense de Acer.
Al pasar al panel táctil, obtienes una gran superficie que admite gestos multitáctiles. Encontré que el clic era preciso y suave al mismo tiempo.
La luz de fondo del teclado se vuelve extremadamente brillante por la noche.
Luego vienen los auriculares. Obtendrá dos parlantes en la computadora portátil ubicados en la parte inferior a ambos lados. Los auriculares son compatibles con la tecnología DTS:X Ultra; Y si bien obtienes una experiencia inmersiva, no hay graves ni agudos. Los altavoces son una de las características más débiles del Predator Helios Neo 16.
Obtendrá una cámara web HD en la computadora portátil, respaldada por tres micrófonos para una mejor grabación de audio. Aunque Acer afirma que la cámara admite una resolución de 1080p, sólo pude hacerla funcionar a 720p. La claridad de la cámara no es muy buena. Hay mucho grano, especialmente con poca luz.
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16: Fácil de usar
Windows Inicio 11
Acer PredatorSense 5.0
Funciones de inteligencia artificial
El Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 ejecuta Windows 11 Home y obtienes herramientas de Microsoft Office, así como compatibilidad con Copilot. Hablando de Copilot, hay una serie de funciones impulsadas por IA en la computadora portátil, como la cámara web Purified View que ofrece modos de encuadre automático, contacto visual y desenfoque de fondo. También obtienes Purified Voice 2.0, que pretende utilizar IA para reducir el ruido. También puede utilizar la tecla Copilot para realizar todo tipo de consultas y también crear imágenes.
Acer PredatorSense 5.0 te permite cambiar las luces RGB y más
Además de las funciones impulsadas por IA y el software Copilot, existen algunas herramientas de Acer. La herramienta más importante y útil es Acer Predator Sense 5.0, que permite cambiar los modos de energía, personalizar la iluminación de la computadora portátil y controlar otros aspectos. Obtiene cuatro modos de rendimiento, una gran cantidad de controles de iluminación, configuraciones de audio y otros controles para administrar el sistema.
También obtienes otras herramientas de Acer, como QuickPanel, que ofrece un panel flotante con cambios rápidos del sistema.
Rendimiento del Acer Predator Helios Neo 16: Rápido y furioso
Procesador Intel Core i9 14900HX de 14.ª generación
Hasta 32 GB de RAM DDR5
Capacidad de almacenamiento de hasta 2 TB
Tarjeta gráfica Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 con 8 GB de VRAM
Nuestra unidad de revisión venía con un chipset Intel Core i9 14900HX de 14.a generación y una GPU Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 con 8 GB de VRAM, pero solo tenía 16 GB de memoria DDR5 y 1 TB de almacenamiento. Sin embargo, la computadora portátil ofreció un rendimiento rápido tanto en el modo de rendimiento como en el modo turbo. El único cuello de botella para mí fue la RAM, lo que provocó cierto retraso al ejecutar varias pestañas en Chrome junto con muchas otras aplicaciones. Afortunadamente, puedes actualizar la RAM hasta 32 GB, lo que debería ser suficiente.
Realizamos algunos puntos de referencia sintéticos en el perfil de rendimiento turbo y los resultados se encuentran a continuación.
estándar
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16
Una CPU Geekbench 6
2,924
Geekbench 6 multi-CPU
13.678
Puntuación de GPU en Geekbench 6
1,18,700
PC marca 10
9.030
Nómada de acero 3DMark
2.833
Tiempo de espionaje 3DMark
12.848
Software multitarea para CPU Cinebench R23
26.950
CPU Cinebench R23 única
2,154
CPU de aprendizaje automático Geekbench
4,103
GPU de aprendizaje automático Geekbench
13.853
En modo Turbo, la GPU Nvidia ofrece hasta 140 W de TGP, que es potencia suficiente para ejecutar todo tipo de juegos AAA. En cuanto a los juegos, el Predator Helios Neo 16 ofrece una experiencia excelente con una alta velocidad de fotogramas y al mismo tiempo gestiona bien el calor. Ejecuté algunos juegos en la computadora portátil para probar su rendimiento.
Juego
Preparando gráficos
Cuadros por segundo
Legado de Hogwarts
Súper
100 – 120
Star Wars Jedi: Superviviente
épico
45 – 55
Forza Horizonte 4
Súper
150 – 160
Como puede ver en las pruebas anteriores, la computadora portátil se desempeña muy bien en todo tipo de juegos y pruebas de rendimiento sintéticas. En la mayoría de los escenarios, no experimentará ningún tipo de retraso o desaceleración.
Puedes jugar casi cualquier juego AAA en tu computadora portátil en configuraciones altas
En términos de rendimiento de refrigeración, la computadora portátil tiene dos ventiladores que desvían el calor lejos del usuario. Sin embargo, noté que el área alrededor de las teclas de flecha se calentaba un poco durante el uso intensivo. Esto no le impedirá usar su computadora portátil, pero es posible que le suden las palmas de las manos después de unas horas.
Batería del Acer Predator Helios Neo 16: alrededor del promedio
Batería de 90 Wh
adaptador de corriente de 330 vatios
Soporta carga rápida
El Predator Helios Neo 16 de Acer ha hecho un buen trabajo en lo que respecta al rendimiento de la batería. En el perfil Quiet Performance, la computadora portátil duró aproximadamente 3 horas con el brillo configurado al 50 por ciento y todas las luces RGB apagadas. Esto durará aproximadamente dos horas, con el brillo configurado al 80 por ciento y todas las luces RGB encendidas. Si cambia al modo de rendimiento, la computadora portátil durará aproximadamente una hora y media jugando. La carga es rápida, tarda aproximadamente una hora y media en cargarse del 10 por ciento al 100 por ciento.
Veredicto sobre el Acer Predator Helios Neo 16
Por Rs 1,74,999, no hay muchas computadoras portátiles con las mismas especificaciones. Si quieres algo con el mismo hardware, puedes elegir Asus ROG Strix G16, que cuesta mucho más. También puedes elegir Lenovo Legión 5 Proque tiene un precio más alto que el Acer Predator Helios Neo 16. Si bien muchas computadoras portátiles para juegos están disponibles con una GPU Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, no ofrecen características como una pantalla de 240 Hz y un chip Intel Core i9 de novena generación. 14, y el TGP es alto.
La Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 es una excelente computadora portátil para juegos, especialmente si puede obtenerla con descuento. Muchas tiendas en línea en la India ya ofrecen un descuento de hasta 10.000 INR en la computadora portátil y puede esperar que el precio baje aún más durante las rebajas. La computadora portátil ofrece una excelente pantalla, un rendimiento de juego de primer nivel e incluso tiene un interruptor Copilot dedicado. Se lo recomendaría a cualquiera que quiera comprar un portátil para juegos potente por menos de 200.000 INR.
These days, huge gaming laptops can be surprisingly thin and light, yet still offer high-end performance. The 18-inch Acer Predator Helios 18 is no exception, and pushes the limits of how much high-performance hardware it can fit inside.
As it suggests in the name, the Helios 18 has a huge 18-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600) mini-LED panel with a fast 250Hz refresh rate, an excellent 3ms GTG refresh rate, but also covers 100% of the DCI-P3 gamut for vibrant, accurate colors.
While the Helios 18 does have more affordable variants with lower-performance parts, I got hands on with one of the highest-end models. Key is the mighty Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU, plus the equally high-end Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU and up to 64GB of RAM.
Wireless connectivity comes in the form of the latest Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7 chipset, as well as 2.5G Ethernet and Bluetooth 5.3. The laptop has a gaggle of USB-A ports, dual USB-C (with DisplayPort and 100W charging), HDMI 2.1, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The Helios 18 is equipped with a controllable LED lighting setup, swappable WASD keys and even customizable fan covers. While a proper headset is better for gaming, the inbuilt speakers are pretty good and well suited to casual use such as watching a movie.
As you might expect, the Helios 18 gives one of the best laptop gaming experiences possible, and can handle the latest games at very high frame rates. Running flat out with the turbo cooling mode turned on, the Helios 18 is hot and impressively noisy, but even the much more well-behaved performance mode only drops performance by about 10% to 15%. Drive speed is excellent, as the dual RAID 0 SSDs push beyond what a single PCIe connection can manage, and help get the most from asset-heavy games like Starfield.
In day-to-day productivity use, the Helios 18 fans are extremely quiet. The keyboard is large and easy to type on, and the trackpad gives good accuracy. And the screen is just as delightful when staring at spreadsheets as it is when gaming. With the RGB lighting scaled back, the Helios 18 also doesn’t look overly gaming focused, and can pass as just a (monstrous) workstation.
Despite the large 90Wh battery, this laptop is not set up for efficiency, and struggles to get past 3 hours of use away from the wall. Helpfully, the 100W USB-C charging is plenty for most productivity use, so you don’t need to carry the charger brick around.
Overall, the Helios 18 is an excellent machine, and offers a great mix of functionality that very few other laptops can compete with.
Where is it available? Available in the US, the UK and Australia
While the US pricing is quite reasonable considering the spec, UK buyers pay a bit extra, and gamers Down Under in Australia are expected to shell out 50% more for the same hardware.
Buying the Acer Predator Helios 18 means paying a premium to get the very best possible laptop gaming performance, and lower-spec models with RTX 4080 or 4070 GPUs generally give better bang for buck.
So is the high end Helios 18 actually good value? Considering all the cutting-edge hardware squeezed inside, as well as the supporting systems that stop it all catching on fire, the laptop costs about what we’d expect. It’s not the cheapest compared to similar high-end gaming laptops, but it’s also not the most expensive.
Even in Australia, the Acer is not more expensive than its closest competition, though we hope to see the pricing drop the longer it is available.
It is definitely worth checking out the lower-end variants if your budget does not stretch to the RTX 4090. The smaller Acer Predator Helios 16 is also a great option, as it can offer more than 50% of the performance of the Helios 18 for less than half the price. But for those who want absolute premium portable gaming power, then the Predator Helios 18 is definitely worth the hit to the wallet.
(Image credit: Future – Lindsay Handmer)
Acer Predator Helios 18 review: Specs
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Component
Acer Predator Helios 18
Price
$3,100 / £3,200 / AU$7,999
CPU
Intel Core i9-14900HX (24 Cores, 32 Threads, up to 5.8GHz, 55W TDP)
Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6e (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be), Bluetooth 5.3
Camera
1080p webcam, Dual Mic
Weight
3.25kg / 7.17lb
Dimensions
404 x 311.6 x 28.9 mm (15.91 x 12.27 x 1.14 inches)
(Image credit: Future – Lindsay Handmer)
Variant availability varies depending on location, but overall the Helios 18 has a decent number of spec options that start from the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060, and go all the way to the RTX 4090. As well as multiple CPU, RAM and SSD fitouts.
For this review, I tested the near-to-premium model featuring a mighty Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU and an equally high-end Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 16GB GPU. The 32GB (2x16GB) of 5,600MHz DDR5 is upgradeable and, at this level, the Helios 18 is equipped with not one, but two 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSDs running in RAID 0 for ultimate speed and 2TB total capacity. The only higher-spec model at the time of writing has an identical CPU and GPU, but 64GB of RAM and 2x 2TB SSDs in RAID 0.
The Helios 18 itself is big enough to need a backpack rather than a shoulder bag. The 330W power brick is a monster, with measurements of 185.0 x 85.0 x 36.0 mm (7.28 x 3.35 x 1.42 inches) and weighing 1.05 kg (g (2.31 lbs) all by itself.
(Image credit: Future – Lindsay Handmer)
Acer Predator Helios 18 review: Design
Customizable options
Fantastic display
Robust aluminum shell
Creating a high-end gaming laptop that can get the most out of power-hungry hardware is no easy feat. At full tilt, the Helios 18 consumes over 300W, which means a lot of heat to get rid of. The large 18-inch form factor is also challenging, and there are a lot of trade-offs to end up with a laptop that is still lightweight enough to be portable.
Overall, the Acer team has done a fairly remarkable job with the Helios 18 and created a very well-balanced laptop. It doesn’t run too hot or too loud, the battery is large, there are no obvious performance bottlenecks, and it has a gaming feel without being over the top.
There are a few minor design niggles of course. While the webcam does Windows Hello, I would have also loved to see a fingerprint scanner in the power button. I also don’t love the overall placement of many of the ports.
One advantage of the Helios 18 is the space for rear mounted ports, which means it is possible to avoid some of the mess of wiring out the side of the laptop. But ports such as the RJ45 Ethernet connections are side mounted, and would be neater at the rear. And the two USB-C Thunderbolt ports are on the rear, whereas I would rather have seen at least one on the side of the laptop. While there are USB-A ports on the side, these only support speeds up to 10Gbps, while USB-C Thunderbolt does 40Gbps. Having a USB-A port or two at the rear would also be useful.
(Image credit: Future – Lindsay Handmer)
On the software side, the Acer control app is well featured and easy enough to use. I wish lighting control was more directly accessible and had some more options for slower fades, but overall it is quite good. The laptop has a pretty clean install of Windows, though I personally could do without the inclusion of a limited trial of McAfee that bugged me till I either paid or uninstalled it.
The Helios 18 is very well put together overall, with little bounce in the keyboard, and smooth, flex-free action when opening the screen. The aluminum clad exterior is rather svelte but does pick up fingerprints at an alarming rate. It also tends to hang onto any marks with more than the average amount of glee, so cleaning it takes more effort than expected.
While we do test how robust laptops are, we don’t typically go to extremes that would cause damage. The Helios 18 gave a unique opportunity for testing durability, when it was inadvertently dropped from desk height onto a hard surface. The Helios18 survived with a dented corner but no other damage. I put it through a second round of vigorous stress testing and confirmed it was fault free, aside from the surprisingly minor cosmetic damage. While not a test I hope to repeat, I can at least report the Helios 18 is built well enough to take an unexpected drop and keep on trucking.
(Image credit: Future – Lindsay Handmer)
Acer Predator Helios 18 review: Performance
High-end portable gaming performance
Impressive CPU capabilities
Glorious RAID 0 SSD speeds
Acer Predator Helios 18: Benchmarks
Here’s how the Acer Predator Helios 18 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
3DMark: Speed Way: 5,534; Port Royal: 13,207; Time Spy Extreme: 10,319; Fire Strike Ultra: 13,346. Cinebench R23 Multi-core: 28,168 points; Single-core: 2,150 PCMark 10: 8,816 CrystalDiskMark 8 NVMe: 12,793 MB/s (read); 11,788MB/s (write) Red Dead Redemption II: (Ultra 1080p) 132 Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 151 fps, (QHD+) 191 fps F1 2022:(1080P Ultra): 148 fps Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm: 191fps PCMark 10 Battery Life: 2 hours and 52 minutes 1080p video playback battery life: 3 hours and 2 minutes
For a laptop trying to maximize gaming performance, balance is key. If any one component creates a bottleneck, then overall frame rates can suffer. On the flip side, you don’t want any one part of the hardware to be much more powerful than the other, as the extra performance costs more but goes to waste.
The Helios 18 does a pretty good job of getting the most from the hardware, and maximizing gaming frame rates. When running flat out, the system tends to end up limited by heat. This isn’t a huge surprise, as a GeForce RTX 4090 can use up to 175W, and the CPU not much less. This means that gaming performance is ultimately often limited by the cooling system, which itself is limited by what is physically possible in a laptop form factor. Still, how a manufacturer implements their cooling system can make a big difference.
Maximum cooling is in turbo fan mode, which makes the 18 sound like an angry stick vacuum, but gives the hardware a little more scope to push harder. In my testing, the Helios 18 nudged up against thermal limits even in ideal conditions, and even just gaming in a hot environment can slow performance in demanding games. So if you are chasing every last drop of performance, make sure you don’t accidentally impede the laptops airflow, and crank up the AC in summer or open up the windows in winter. Dropping back to performance fan mode means about 10% to 15% lower frame rates (depending on the game), but it is a lot cooler and quieter.
(Image credit: Future – Lindsay Handmer)
The Helios 18 has plenty of grunt to get excellent frame rates from the latest games, but in very demanding titles, you will need to drop back the detail, or the resolution, if you want to hit the 200+ fps the display can handle. Generally though, 100+ fps is easily achievable in games such as Red Dead Redemption II and F1 2022 without reducing quality or resolution settings. In testing, the demanding Cyberpunk 2077 could do 91fps (DLSS 3.5 on) at the native 2560 x 1600 resolution, but stepping back to 1080p bumped that up to 151fps.
The 18 runs dual 1TB drives in RAID 0, which gives outstandingly fast access speeds that’s almost double the best from a single SSD setup. This can translate into slightly better gaming performance in games that load a lot of assets, but the difference is not huge. The 5600MHz DDR5 RAM is fast enough to keep up with the rest of the hardware, and any faster would not translate into much better performance.
Overall gaming performance is excellent, and on par with the competition. The Helios 18 is a bit faster than GeForce RTX 4090-equipped rivals such as the Razer Blade 18, and on par with the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18.
As expected, non-gaming performance is also top notch, and the Intel Core i9-14900HX is capable of great things when allowed to make use of the entire cooling capacity. It still runs hot though, and Turbo cooling mode is much too loud for any shared space. Still, for productivity work, there are very few laptops that can best the Helios 18.
Performance score:4 / 5
(Image credit: Future – Lindsay Handmer)
Acer Predator Helios 18 review: Battery life
Around 3 hours of productivity when unplugged
Don’t expect to do much gaming on battery
Despite the large 90Wh battery, the power hungry hardware means it doesn’t last long, even in conservative modes. We found it easy enough to get 3 hours or so unplugged when doing moderate productivity tasks, and about the same when watching video. On the plus side, this means you can watch a movie without needing to plug in. If you really scale back the settings to the bare minimum, it is possible to eke out up to 4 hours.
Gaming battery life depends on the settings and game, and is lower performance than when plugged in. Don’t expect much over 2 hours at best, and I could drain the battery in under an hour when gaming hard.
On the plus side, the Helios 18 charges fast using the brick and fills up in under 2 hours. USB-C charging is at up to 100W, and I saw 90W on average. The laptop warns USB-C use is a low power charger (and it is compared to the 330W brick), but on the plus side, it’s quite efficient, and I found it only took 103Wh to fully charge the 90Wh battery. This is good news for charging from a power bank, but keep in mind that even a very large capacity model won’t be able to give the Helios 18 a full charge.
Battery life score:3.5 / 5
Should you buy the Acer Predator Helios 18?
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Acer Predator Helios 18
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Value
Expensive, but in line with other premium gaming laptops.
3 / 5
Specs
Very high end, and well balanced overall.
4.5 / 5
Design
Very well thought out and put together, with only a few minor downsides.
4 / 5
Performance
Limited by the capacity of the cooling system, but top notch overall.
4 / 5
Battery
A large battery but that doesn’t translate into much time unplugged.
3.5 / 5
Overall
Pricey, powerful, premium gaming performance in a portable form.
4 / 5
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Acer Predator Helios 18: Also consider
If our Acer Predator Helios 18 review has you considering other options, here are some other gaming laptops to consider…
How I tested the Acer Predator Helios 18
I tested the Acer Predator Helios 18 for two weeks
I used it both on a desk, and put it in a backpack for travel
I used it for gaming, as well as office productivity work and video editing
I ran the Acer Predator Helios 18 through our usual comprehensive array of benchmarks, as well as using it for actual day to day work.
I used a range of synthetic gaming and productivity benchmarks, real-world gaming benchmarks, and battery and power testing.
I used the TechRadar movie test for assessing battery life during video playback, as well as productivity battery benchmarks. I logged power use in a variety of scenarios, including when charging from USB-C. I also tested charging the Helios 18 with a power bank.
These days, huge gaming laptops can be surprisingly thin and light, yet still offer high-end performance. The 18-inch Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 is no exception, and pushes the limits of how much high-performance hardware it can fit inside.
As it suggests in the name, the Neo 18 has a huge 18-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600) mini-LED panel with a fast 250Hz refresh rate, an excellent 3ms GTG refresh rate, but also covers 100% of the DCI-P3 gamut for vibrant, accurate colors.
While the Neo 18 does have more affordable variants with lower-performance parts, I got hands on with one of the highest-end models. Key is the mighty Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU, plus the equally high-end Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU and up to 64GB of RAM.
Wireless connectivity comes in the form of the latest Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7 chipset, as well as 2.5G Ethernet and Bluetooth 5.3. The laptop has a gaggle of USB-A ports, dual USB-C (with DisplayPort and 100W charging), HDMI 2.1, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The Neo 18 is equipped with a controllable LED lighting setup, swappable WASD keys and even customizable fan covers. While a proper headset is better for gaming, the inbuilt speakers are pretty good and well suited to casual use such as watching a movie.
As you might expect, the Neo 18 gives one of the best laptop gaming experiences possible, and can handle the latest games at very high frame rates. Running flat out with the turbo cooling mode turned on, the Neo 18 is hot and impressively noisy, but even the much more well-behaved performance mode only drops performance by about 10% to 15%. Drive speed is excellent, as the dual RAID 0 SSDs push beyond what a single PCIe connection can manage, and help get the most from asset-heavy games like Starfield.
In day-to-day productivity use, the Neo 18 fans are extremely quiet. The keyboard is large and easy to type on, and the trackpad gives good accuracy. And the screen is just as delightful when staring at spreadsheets as it is when gaming. With the RGB lighting scaled back, the Neo 18 also doesn’t look overly gaming focused, and can pass as just a (monstrous) workstation.
Despite the large 90Wh battery, this laptop is not set up for efficiency, and struggles to get past 3 hours of use away from the wall. Helpfully, the 100W USB-C charging is plenty for most productivity use, so you don’t need to carry the charger brick around.
Overall, the Neo 18 is an excellent machine, and offers a great mix of functionality that very few other laptops can compete with.
Where is it available? Available in the US, the UK and Australia
While the US pricing is quite reasonable considering the spec, UK buyers pay a bit extra, and gamers Down Under in Australia are expected to shell out 50% more for the same hardware.
Buying the Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 means paying a premium to get the very best possible laptop gaming performance, and lower-spec models with RTX 4080 or 4070 GPUs generally give better bang for buck.
So is the high end Neo 18 actually good value? Considering all the cutting-edge hardware squeezed inside, as well as the supporting systems that stop it all catching on fire, the laptop costs about what we’d expect. It’s not the cheapest compared to similar high-end gaming laptops, but it’s also not the most expensive.
Even in Australia, the Acer is not more expensive than its closest competition, though we hope to see the pricing drop the longer it is available.
It is definitely worth checking out the lower-end variants if your budget does not stretch to the RTX 4090. The smaller Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 is also a great option, as it can offer more than 50% of the performance of the Neo 18 for less than half the price. But for those who want absolute premium portable gaming power, then the Predator Helios Neo 18 is definitely worth the hit to the wallet.
(Image credit: Future – Lindsay Handmer)
Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 review: Specs
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Component
Acer Predator Helios Neo 18
Price
$3,100 / £3,200 / AU$7,999
CPU
Intel Core i9-14900HX (24 Cores, 32 Threads, up to 5.8GHz, 55W TDP)
Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6e (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be), Bluetooth 5.3
Camera
1080p webcam, Dual Mic
Weight
3.25kg / 7.17lb
Dimensions
404 x 311.6 x 28.9 mm (15.91 x 12.27 x 1.14 inches)
(Image credit: Future – Lindsay Handmer)
Variant availability varies depending on location, but overall the Neo 18 has a decent number of spec options that start from the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060, and go all the way to the RTX 4090. As well as multiple CPU, RAM and SSD fitouts.
For this review, I tested the near-to-premium model featuring a mighty Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU and an equally high-end Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 16GB GPU. The 32GB (2x16GB) of 5,600MHz DDR5 is upgradeable and, at this level, the Neo 18 is equipped with not one, but two 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSDs running in RAID 0 for ultimate speed and 2TB total capacity. The only higher-spec model at the time of writing has an identical CPU and GPU, but 64GB of RAM and 2x 2TB SSDs in RAID 0.
The Neo 18 itself is big enough to need a backpack rather than a shoulder bag. The 330W power brick is a monster, with measurements of 185.0 x 85.0 x 36.0 mm (7.28 x 3.35 x 1.42 inches) and weighing 1.05 kg (g (2.31 lbs) all by itself.
(Image credit: Future – Lindsay Handmer)
Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 review: Design
Customizable options
Fantastic display
Robust aluminum shell
Creating a high-end gaming laptop that can get the most out of power-hungry hardware is no easy feat. At full tilt, the Neo 18 consumes over 300W, which means a lot of heat to get rid of. The large 18-inch form factor is also challenging, and there are a lot of trade-offs to end up with a laptop that is still lightweight enough to be portable.
Overall, the Acer team has done a fairly remarkable job with the Neo 18 and created a very well-balanced laptop. It doesn’t run too hot or too loud, the battery is large, there are no obvious performance bottlenecks, and it has a gaming feel without being over the top.
There are a few minor design niggles of course. While the webcam does Windows Hello, I would have also loved to see a fingerprint scanner in the power button. I also don’t love the overall placement of many of the ports.
One advantage of the NEO 18 is the space at the rear, which means you don’t have a mess of wiring out the side of the laptop. But the RJ45 Ethernet port is side mounted, when it would be neater at the rear. And the two USB-C Thunderbolt ports are on the rear, whereas I would rather have seen at least one on the side of the laptop. While there are USB-A ports on the side, these only support speeds up to 10Gbps, while USB-C Thunderbolt does 40Gbps. Having a USB-A port or two at the rear would also be useful.
(Image credit: Future – Lindsay Handmer)
On the software side, the Acer control app is well featured and easy enough to use. I wish lighting control was more directly accessible and had some more options for slower fades, but overall it is quite good. The laptop has a pretty clean install of Windows, though I personally could do without the inclusion of a limited trial of McAfee that bugged me till I either paid or uninstalled it.
The Neo 18 is very well put together overall, with little bounce in the keyboard, and smooth, flex-free action when opening the screen. The aluminum clad exterior is rather svelte but does pick up fingerprints at an alarming rate. It also tends to hang onto any marks with more than the average amount of glee, so cleaning it takes more effort than expected.
While we do test how robust laptops are, we don’t typically go to extremes that would cause damage. The Neo 18 gave a unique opportunity for testing durability, when it was inadvertently dropped from desk height onto a hard surface. The Neo 18 survived with a dented corner but no other damage. I put it through a second round of vigorous stress testing and confirmed it was fault free, aside from the surprisingly minor cosmetic damage. While not a test I hope to repeat, I can at least report the Neo 18 is built well enough to take an unexpected drop and keep on trucking.
(Image credit: Future – Lindsay Handmer)
Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 review: Performance
High-end portable gaming performance
Impressive CPU capabilities
Glorious RAID 0 SSD speeds
Acer Predator Helios Neo 18: Benchmarks
Here’s how the Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
3DMark: Speed Way: 5,534; Port Royal: 13,207; Time Spy Extreme: 10,319; Fire Strike Ultra: 13,346. Cinebench R23 Multi-core: 28,168 points; Single-core: 2,150 PCMark 10: 8,816 CrystalDiskMark 8 NVMe: 12,793 MB/s (read); 11,788MB/s (write) Red Dead Redemption II: (Ultra 1080p) 132 Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 151 fps, (QHD+) 191 fps F1 2022:(1080P Ultra): 148 fps Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm: 191fps PCMark 10 Battery Life: 2 hours and 52 minutes 1080p video playback battery life: 3 hours and 2 minutes
For a laptop trying to maximize gaming performance, balance is key. If any one component creates a bottleneck, then overall frame rates can suffer. On the flip side, you don’t want any one part of the hardware to be much more powerful than the other, as the extra performance costs more but goes to waste.
The Neo 18 does a pretty good job of getting the most from the hardware, and maximizing gaming frame rates. When running flat out, the system tends to end up limited by heat. This isn’t a huge surprise, as a GeForce RTX 4090 can use up to 175W, and the CPU not much less. This means that gaming performance is ultimately often limited by the cooling system, which itself is limited by what is physically possible in a laptop form factor. Still, how a manufacturer implements their cooling system can make a big difference.
Maximum cooling is in turbo fan mode, which makes the Neo 18 sound like an angry stick vacuum, but gives the hardware a little more scope to push harder. In my testing, the Neo 18 nudged up against thermal limits even in ideal conditions, and even just gaming in a hot environment can slow performance in demanding games. So if you are chasing every last drop of performance, make sure you don’t accidentally impede the laptops airflow, and crank up the AC in summer or open up the windows in winter. Dropping back to performance fan mode means about 10% to 15% lower frame rates (depending on the game), but it is a lot cooler and quieter.
(Image credit: Future – Lindsay Handmer)
The Neo 18 has plenty of grunt to get excellent frame rates from the latest games, but in very demanding titles, you will need to drop back the detail, or the resolution, if you want to hit the 200+ fps the display can handle. Generally though, 100+ fps is easily achievable in games such as Red Dead Redemption II and F1 2022 without reducing quality or resolution settings. In testing, the demanding Cyberpunk 2077 could do 91fps (DLSS 3.5 on) at the native 2560 x 1600 resolution, but stepping back to 1080p bumped that up to 151fps.
The Neo 18 runs dual 1TB drives in RAID 0, which gives outstandingly fast access speeds that’s almost double the best from a single SSD setup. This can translate into slightly better gaming performance in games that load a lot of assets, but the difference is not huge. The 5600MHz DDR5 RAM is fast enough to keep up with the rest of the hardware, and any faster would not translate into much better performance.
Overall gaming performance is excellent, and on par with the competition. The Neo 18 is a bit faster than GeForce RTX 4090-equipped rivals such as the Razer Blade 18, and on par with the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18.
As expected, non-gaming performance is also top notch, and the Intel Core i9-14900HX is capable of great things when allowed to make use of the entire cooling capacity. It still runs hot though, and Turbo cooling mode is much too loud for any shared space. Still, for productivity work, there are very few laptops that can best the Neo 18.
Performance score:4 / 5
(Image credit: Future – Lindsay Handmer)
Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 review: Battery life
Around 3 hours of productivity when unplugged
Don’t expect to do much gaming on battery
Despite the large 90Wh battery, the power hungry hardware means it doesn’t last long, even in conservative modes. We found it easy enough to get 3 hours or so unplugged when doing moderate productivity tasks, and about the same when watching video. On the plus side, this means you can watch a movie without needing to plug in. If you really scale back the settings to the bare minimum, it is possible to eke out up to 4 hours.
Gaming battery life depends on the settings and game, and is lower performance than when plugged in. Don’t expect much over 2 hours at best, and I could drain the battery in under an hour when gaming hard.
On the plus side, the Neo 18 charges fast using the brick and fills up in under 2 hours. USB-C charging is at up to 100W, and I saw 90W on average. The Neo 18 warns USB-C use is a low power charger (and it is compared to the 330W brick), but on the plus side, it’s quite efficient, and I found it only took 103Wh to fully charge the 90Wh battery. This is good news for charging from a power bank, but keep in mind that even a very large capacity model won’t be able to give the Neo 18 a full charge.
Battery life score:3.5 / 5
Should you buy the Acer Predator Helios Neo 18?
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Acer Predator Helios Neo 18
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Value
Expensive, but in line with other premium gaming laptops.
3 / 5
Specs
Very high end, and well balanced overall.
4.5 / 5
Design
Very well thought out and put together, with only a few minor downsides.
4 / 5
Performance
Limited by the capacity of the cooling system, but top notch overall.
4 / 5
Battery
A large battery but that doesn’t translate into much time unplugged.
3.5 / 5
Overall
Pricey, powerful, premium gaming performance in a portable form.
4 / 5
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Acer Predator Helios Neo 18: Also consider
If our Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 review has you considering other options, here are some other gaming laptops to consider…
How I tested the Acer Predator Helios Neo 18
I tested the Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 for two weeks
I used it both on a desk, and put it in a backpack for travel
I used it for gaming, as well as office productivity work and video editing
I ran the Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 through our usual comprehensive array of benchmarks, as well as using it for actual day to day work.
I used a range of synthetic gaming and productivity benchmarks, real-world gaming benchmarks, and battery and power testing.
I used the TechRadar movie test for assessing battery life during video playback, as well as productivity battery benchmarks. I logged power use in a variety of scenarios, including when charging from USB-C. I also tested charging the Neo 18 with a power bank.
