It shouldn’t surprise us anymore when gaming brands come up with lifestyle products. However, when it comes to Acer, it’s a whole new ball game. The company recently expanded into home appliances with its acerpure lineup. Now, the company is bridging the gap even further with a foray into luggage and expanding its backpack offerings even more. The latest additions include the Predator Robust Luggage, the Acer Melbourne Luggage series, and the Acer Austin Backpack.
Predator Robust Luggage:
Acer’s Predator Robust Luggage brings the iconic disposition of the Predator Gaming lineup and blends it with practicality and durability. The luggage is fitted with a TSA customs password lock which ensures secure yet swift clearance when travelling. The luggage’s interior is filled with multiple compartments for a well-organized travel experience. The silent double-row wheels let you glide effortlessly and quickly. The large capacity of the 22-inch Predator Robust Luggage ensures that you’ll be able to pack everything you need for your trip. It also comes with handles that allow you to carry it horizontally so you’ll be able to load and unload the luggage more conveniently.
Acer Melbourne Luggage Series:
The Acer Melbourne Luggage series seeks to embody Acer’s approach to its extensive laptop series in a piece of luggage. It is crafted with a robust three-layer PC shell from Germany giving it much-needed sturdiness and strength. Rivet reinforcement technology ensures structural integrity, and two alloy anti-collision corners, along with a TSA customs password lock, provide an extra layer of protection.
Acer Austin Backpack:
The Acer Austin Backpack is built with functionality, versatility and minimalism in mind. It’s minimalistic design is complemented with ergonomic engineering. Acer focused on helping reduce shoulder and back strain during daily commutes and business trips. Its lightweight construction, combined with a professional aesthetic, makes it the perfect solution for individuals on the move.
Pricing & Availability:
All the luggage and bags are currently available at Acer concept stores across Malaysia.
MYDCF – the Malaysian Digital Content Festival – is underway in Kuala Lumpur! The annual event has kicked off with a showcase of the latest and best that studios in Malaysia have put forward. This year’s event also showcases the works of studios like PlayStation, Bandai Namco, Passion Republic Games and more.
Part of the show floor of MYDCF is Noizucon, a conference for gamers, cosplayers and more. This show, behind a MYR60 ticket, is also hosting Malaysia’s Finals of Acer‘s Predator League happening there. The 2024 Predator League finals will be happening on the 30th of September 2023 (Saturday) for DoTA 2 while the finals for PlayerUnknown’s Batttlegrounds (PUBG) will be happening on 1 October 2023 (Sunday).
However, Acer has a little something up their sleeves at the Predator League show floor. Snug among the chaos of the competition and the showcase of Acer’s latest Predator and Nitro offerings was a little surprise – two new graphics cards emblazoned with the Predator logo. The new GPUs on display were the AMD Radeon RX7600 8G OC and the Intel ARC A750.
Predator’s AMD Radeon RX7600 8G OC comes with 1 HDMI 2.1 output and 3 DisplayPort 1.4 output. This supports up to 60Hz refresh rate at 8K resolution for a single display or 4 displays at 4K/60Hz. It comes with 8GB of vRAM with speeds of up to 288 GB/s and clock speeds of up to 2320 MHz. The clock speed can even be boosted to 2725 MHz. The GPU is cooled by a ringed axial fan & blower configuration.
The Intel ARC A750 that was on display, on the other hand, came with 3 Display Port 2.0 and a single HDMI 2.0 output. It supports the same resolution and refresh rates as the Radeon RX7600. It also has 8GB of GDDR6 vRAM with speeds of up to 512GB/s. For cooling, the Intel GPU card comes with a hybrid setup which employs both a ringed axial fan and a blower fan. Predator has tuned the GPU to support up to 2200 MHz clock speeds.
It remains unclear if the cooling will employ Predator’s Bifrost technology. Acer Malaysia is remaining tight-lipped with the details of the Predator graphics cards. Of note, there doesn’t seem to be an NVIDIA SKU of the Predator GPUs. At the very least, they didn’t tease it at the Predator League in Malaysia.
For Malaysia, the AMD RX7600 8G OC will be officially priced at MYR1,498 while the Intel ARC 750 will be retailing at MYR1,299. The GPUs will officially be available in October via Acer’s official partners – Just IT, Brightstar and Monaliza.
Acer Malaysia has opened registrations for the Asia Pacific Predator League 2024, inviting Malaysian Dota 2 and Valorant eSports teams to compete for the coveted Predator Shield and a slice of the USD400,000 prize pool at the Grand Finals in Manila, Philippines.
With a substantial local prize pool of RM100,000, the Predator League 2024 Malaysia Qualifier welcomes teams to sign up for Dota 2 and Valorant from 30 August to 14 September 2023 through https://www.planet9.gg/.
The Malaysia Qualifier matches will occur online, while the local finals will take place at Noizucon in the KL Convention Centre from 30 September to 1 October 2023. The victors of the Predator League 2024 Malaysia Qualifier will proceed to the Grand Finals in Manila on 13 to 14 January 2024, where they’ll face off against champions from the Asia Pacific region.
Since its inception in 2018, the Asia Pacific Predator League has served as a platform for emerging eSports talents in the region. Thousands of teams participate annually, vying for the opportunity to showcase their skills on the global Predator League stage, hosted by Acer. Acer’s consistent dedication to fostering the eSports industry through this yearly event has significantly contributed to elevating players’ careers.
Andrew Hou, President of Acer Pan Asia Pacific Operations, stated, “The Predator League reflects our ongoing commitment to nurturing the gaming community and enhancing their competitive level in the APAC region. The tournament’s global recognition has grown in recent years, and we are thrilled to bring it to Manila, which houses one of the world’s largest and most passionate eSports fanbases. We anticipate incredible gameplay from all participating teams.”
Gaming laptops can be a better buy than most types of laptops out there. There are going to be some compromises. A gaming laptop is larger and heftier than thin-and-light laptops. Since they are heftier, they are less portable too than thin-and-light laptops. They require more cooling and pack more powerful hardware, hence more power demands and larger power bricks.
While they are less mobile, they are powerful devices that can make short work of anything you can throw at them. When the mood takes you, you can play games. If you want to, you can even create content.
Which one do you get though? This one maybe, the Predator Helios Neo 16; Acer’s latest entry into the gaming laptop market.
It will set you back at least MYR 4,899. The one we got sets you back MYR 6,399. Whichever you buy, you get a premium metal chassis that holds a state-of-the-art cooling solution for your laptop.
The price difference between the two Predator Helios Neo 16 models is about MYR 1,500. Is the MYR 4,899 package worth buying? Should you spend the extra? We find out.
Design
Unlike the Predator Helios 18 and 16, the Neo 16 (as we shall mostly refer to it) has a slightly more complex design at the back of the display. We think that it is to compensate for the lack of external RGB treatment. To a certain extent, we think it is interesting.
That is not to say that the Predator Helios Neo 16 is ugly. We think that the subtle etchings and engravings on the clam add some drama to the laptop. According to Acer, the engravings point to a real location. We have not bothered to find out what they lead to.
The chassis design shares similarities with previous generation Helios laptops. You still get a protruded “tail” of the chassis for optimized cooling surfaces and airflow. Of course, it is also a subtle way of telling the world that it means business. There is also morse code adorning the protrusion that spells either ROTNUERP or PREDATOR (obviously) depending on its orientation.
Inside is the usual affair for gaming laptops. You get an addressable 4-zone RGB keyboard inside. The WASD keys are highlighted with more RGB passthrough, as usual. There is a numpad array too, making this a full keyboard with a large trackpad. Thanks to the arrangement, the main keyboard is pushed further to the left of the device offering a more natural gaming position. Above the keyboard is a familiar air intake perforated grille.
Hardware
You can get your Predator Helios Neo 16 in two configurations. You can either get it with a 13th Generation Intel Core i5 and NVIDIA’s entry-level GeForce RTX 40 GPU. It tops out at Core i7 and GeForce RTX 4060.
16” WQXGA IPS (2560 x 1600) 16:10 aspect ratio 165Hz 100% sRGB NVIDIA G-SYNC
Memory
16GB LPDDR5 1TB PCIe® NVMe™ 4.0 M.2 SSD
Networking and Connections
Intel Killer WiFi 6 AX 1650i Intel Killer Ethernet E2600 Bluetooth 5.1 2x Thunderbolt™ 4 USB-C® 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 1x 3.5mm AUX Jack
Battery
90Wh Built-in Li-Po battery 330W proprietary barrel plug power adapter
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64-bit
Miscellaneous
FHD 60p camera 4-Zone RGB Keyboard DTS:X Ultra Audio MicroSD Card Reader DisplayPort over USB-C 2 years On Site Warranty w/ Accidental Damage & Theft
Features
The Predator Helios Neo 16 is not cheap by any means. In fact, in this configuration we have, you are spending a premium for a gaming laptop.
More Useable Rear I/O
The Predator Helios Neo 16’s power inlet port is at the back of the device, same as its predecessor. This time though, the Neo 16 offers an array of ports out the back. There are two USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 ports and an HDMI 2.1. That also means that you can either have three monitors connected (two via USB-C, one via HDMI), or use the USB-C ports for other peripherals. Whatever it is, we do appreciate the cable management options that come with rear I/Os.
4-Zone RGB Full Keyboard
As we mentioned earlier, the Neo 16 gets a full keyboard treatment complete with a numpad section. The numpad section looks squeezed because they are rather narrow. That is not a bad thing though, we still prefer having it than not. There are also a few media buttons on top of it alongside the PredatorSense button, which we appreciate.
We still find that the most annoying part of the keyboard is the power and PredatorSense buttons arrangement. The Neo 16’s power button and PredatorSense buttons are integrated into the numpad arrangement and feel the same as any of the other keys. While the power button sits further away, we might still hit it accidentally while we work on the numpad. The PredatorSense button sits right next to the backspace button, which will get even more accidental launches.
Despite the complaint, we like the keyboard. There is enough key travel and tactility to button presses for some needed assurance. It is also quiet enough that it will not annoy anyone at the workplace or the café. We felt like we could get a long essay and email typed out without too much fatigue.
PredatorSense – Go Eco, Go Quiet, or Go Hard
PredatorSense is one of the most unique tuning platforms for gaming laptops. The new one offers a mascot figure on the home page, which is a little unnecessary, we think. That aside though, PredatorSense is one of the more useful software you have in the Neo 16.
It allows you to change between preset Eco, Quiet, Balanced, Performance, and even Turbo modes. Each mode selection gives you a slightly different colour to the iconic ‘Turbo’ button at the top left corner of the keyboard. The PredatorSense interface also monitors the laptop temperatures and spools Acer’s 5th generation Aeroblade 3D Fans when needed. The app is also where you change or turn off your RGB lighting schemes.
NVIDIA Advanced Optimus
NVIDIA’s Advanced Optimus technology allows the GPU to be completely turned off for even quieter operations. That also allows PredatorSense to operate on a single fan (we see an average of 45oC operating temperatures) to keep the laptop quiet in cafés or offices while extending its battery life. When the mood takes you, the discreet GPU kicks in for the extra kick. Obviously with a significant bump in power consumption, you want to make sure that you are plugged in.
The ‘Turbo’ Button – Now the ‘Mode’ Button
One of Acer Predator’s signatures on all their devices is their ‘Turbo’ button, which is now a ‘Mode’ button. While the old ‘Turbo’ button only offers extra speed and noise from your laptop, the new button switches between preset profiles from battery saving eco mode, all the way to opening the taps the 13th Generation Intel Core i7 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 inside the hull of the Neo 16 and then spool up the metal fans.
We think that the mode switch is a much better use of the ‘Turbo’ button. You do not need to navigate into PredatorSense or the bottom right of the Windows taskbar to switch between power modes. You can toggle through different modes with a single button, saving you plenty of time to work on important things like going through your emails and then straight to killing monsters.
Performance
This is a proper gaming laptop with a powerful 13th Generation Intel Core i7 CPU paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. Keeping everything cool is an in-house 5th Generation AeroBlade 3D metal fans with what they call Vortex Flow technology. There is a huge power brick rated at 330W to keep up with the hardware’s power demands.
Multitasking & Productivity
For MYR 6,399 you are getting 16GB in the form of DDR5 RAM. That also means that you are getting some of the fastest sets of 16GB RAM you can get on a laptop. We were able to smoothly work with about 20 Google Chrome tabs, five Microsoft Edge tabs, and 10 Mozilla Firefox tabs. You should not have any trouble working with Microsoft Word, or PowerPoint at most times. The sizeable RAM also benefits large Excel spreadsheets.
We use Adobe’s suites of applications including Lightroom and Premiere Pro. In Adobe Premiere Pro, we find that the Neo 16 works well enough even if you are scrubbing through 4K footage. Of course, once you load in all the special effects, transition effects, and colour correction or grading, the program might slow down a little, but you can scrub through the footage relatively smoothly. It took about 11 minutes for us to export a two minutes 50 seconds 4K 30p video from 4K H.264 format video footage.
Entertainment & Gaming
While it is a Predator gaming laptop, it is not necessarily made for high-end gaming like Acer’s Predator Helios 16 or Helios 18. That does not mean that you will enjoy your games any less.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is not a high-end GPU, it is considered an entry-level gaming GPU. It is still a potent GPU though, made for modern gaming with support for modern hardware. It supports ray tracing technology and DLSS 3.0 upscaling technology. The Neo 16 also features HDMI 2.1 that offers support for 8K displays at 60fps. We think that the laptop can cram a Mini DisplayPort but it might not be too useful.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is a capable GPU. You are not going to get anywhere near the Neo 16 display’s 165 frames per second (fps) capabilities at QHD resolution when you play the latest AAA titles at the highest graphics settings. If you adjust your expectations a little, you are going to get a great gaming experience still.
We tested the laptop with Need for Speed: Unbound, F1 2022, Cities Skylines and Death Stranding. In Need for Speed Unbound, we left the game at high settings and got 90 fps. In F1 2022, at the same settings, we got 120 fps, while in Death Stranding, we got about 90 fps on the same preset. While playing Need for Speed: Unbound we found that the average temperature of the Predator Helios Neo 16 is kept at about 70oC. This, we think, can be attributed to the liquid metal thermal paste paired with their proprietary cooling solution.
Battery Life
One of the things we are most impressed with is the Neo 16’s battery life. In our test, we left the Neo 16 on Balanced mode and then eco mode when unplugged, we had a few tabs of Mozilla Firefox tabs open alongside a Microsoft Word document open. We played music through Spotify’s web player on its speakers most of the time. We played a couple of videos on YouTube from time to time.
We managed to get nearly four hours of use time with the Neo 16 in eco mode before the battery percentage hit 20%. In eco mode, your RGB is turned off by default. You still can turn on RGB from PredatorSense if you want to. You technically can push your Neo 16 into high-performance mode on battery power to tank your battery life.
Display & Audio
You get a 16-inch WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) at 16:10 aspect ratio. It is not Mini LED or OLED display, like some other laptops. Instead, you are getting an IPS panel which might seem like a compromises.
While IPS panels do not boast colour saturation and HDR like OLED, they are cheaper. That means that you are not necessarily paying a huge premium just for a slightly better display. IPS panels tend to be a little faster than standard OLED displays today too, making them a little more suitable for competitive gaming, if that is what you are into.
You lose out on colour contrast, local dimming, and the inky blackness that OLED displays can offer, but you are not giving up a lot. IPS displays are still much brighter than regular VA or TN panels and offer colour reproduction far superior to other LCD technologies. With up to 100% sRGB colour gamut, you still get highly saturated and impressive colour contrasts over regular LCD panels and at a super-fast refresh rate at 165Hz.
On games like Need for Speed: Unbound and F1 22, we appreciate the extra world information we can see on the 16:10 aspect ratio. Even with games like Cities Skylines or RTS titles like Age of Empires IV, we appreciate the breadth of things we can see on the screen. We think that open world games like Red Dead Redemption II benefit most since the HUD is less obstructive.
Like Acer’s many laptops, the Predator Helios Neo 16 comes with DTS:X certified audio. There are two down-firing speakers at either side of the Neo 16. The two speakers are not the most powerful speakers you can find on a laptop. They offer rich mid to high tones at medium volumes. We think that the speakers are happiest when you set it to 80% and below. There is no subwoofer to work with low-end power and detail tends to suffer. While it is fine to game on the laptop, the speakers do leave a little more to be desired.
The Predator Helios Neo 16 – Definitely a Heavy Hitter
The Predator Helios Neo 16 that we have here will set you back MYR 6,399. You are paying for the most modern CPU and GPU combination in the form of the 13th Generation Intel Core i7 and NVIDIA’s latest GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. While it is a lot of money, on paper, the Helios Neo 16 looks more like the value choice of gaming laptops.
Where most gaming laptops offer Full HD resolutions at this price range, the Helios Neo offers a WQXGA display. You also get 1TB SSD with the Neo 16 where some offers half that storage. Unlike most gaming laptops, you get liquid metal thermal paste for better heat management.
It is a productivity warrior if you are a creator since with enough horsepower under the covers to get your creative work done quickly. The display is even accurate enough for you to do your colour grading with, or a quick photo edit. There is enough storage space to store not just your video workflow but also all the games that you want to take on the road.
It packs enough grunt for you to play most AAA titles on-the-go. You are getting decent enough performance to enjoy your games wherever you set up. If you want, you can even connect 4K monitors to it for more immersive gaming experiences. A decent pair of gaming headphones should also add to the immersion.
It does not look like a typical gaming laptop for 2023. The cover design can be somewhat flashy. We think it looks interesting in a good way. It is not the most handsome thing out there, but it has its charms.
We think that a price difference of MYR 1,500 is large enough to warrant spending less at MYR 4,899, we do think that the MYR 6,399 option is much better in the long term. The MYR 4,899 package is still worth getting, but you are giving up a lot of horsepower for it. If you do have the extra money to spend, you should get the Neo 16 in its Core i7 and GeForce RTX 4060 guise, it is worth those extra pennies.
What do you get when you cross a thin-and-light laptop concept and gaming laptops together? In Acer’s case, you get the Predator Triton line-up of gaming notebook PCs, their most premium gaming laptop line-up that is powerful enough to tear through time and space and remain portable enough to be operated anywhere and anytime. We are exaggerating on the whole time and space thing though, but you get the picture, Acer’s Predator Triton line-up is some of the most powerful gaming laptops you can find in the industry.
Recently, in their Next@Acer 2023 event, they launched the Predator Triton 14 gaming laptop and the Triton 17X portable desktop replacement. The Predator Triton 14 is made to be the perfect balance between portable productivity and top-notch gaming. On the other end of the spectrum for extreme performance portable workstation is the Triton 17X that packs Intel’s most powerful CPU and NVIDIA’s most powerful GPU packed into a body no thicker than a textbook. There was nothing in between though, nothing to fill the gap between the 17-inch powerhouse and 14-inch compact champion; until now.
The Predator Triton 16, as per the photos and renders provided, can be seen as the larger Predator Triton 14. That much is true, at least for how it looks. The Predator Triton 16 is a different beast altogether though.
Power, Power, Power
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
The Triton 16 comes packing a very powerful 13th Generation Intel Core i9 (up to) CPU that can clock up to 5.4GHz (turbo). The very powerful CPU is paired with NVIDIA’s potent GeForce RTX 4070 Max-Q GPU for mobile platforms with DLSS 3 and latest ray tracing capabilities. You also get 32GB (up to) of DDR5 RAM for good measure and to ensure that AAA games play as smooth as butter on the 16-inch display. There is also a 2TB (up to) SSD in RAID 0 configuration for the fastest access to your humungous game library.
True to its name, the Triton 16 has a 16-inch display. You get 2,560 by 1,600 pixels out of the 16:10 aspect ratio IPS panel with up to 240Hz refresh rate and NVIDIA G-SYNC support for that extra smooth feel to your games. In case you need to get working in brighter lit areas, the IPS display also offers up to 500 nits in peak brightness. For the content creators, the display also boasts an accurate and rich 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage and support for NVIDIA Advanced Optimus to save on some power when it can.
Keeping Cool
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Of course, getting the most out of the high-resolution and speedy 16-inch display requires the CPU and GPU to work overtime. This also means that the internals can get hot very quickly if not cooled properly. That should not be too much of a problem for Predator’s proprietary 5th Generation AeroBlade 3D metal fans with their Vortex Flow technology though. On top of all of these, the thermals in the Predator Triton 16 should be a large improvement over previous generation laptops with the metal thermal grease on the CPU offering better heat dissipation and spread.
All of these are packaged into a metal chassis combination that measures less than 2cm (19.9mm). The silver finish of the chassis keeps the Predator Triton 16 looking clean and professional enough to fit into any board room.
Of course, this is an Acer Predator product. It comes with two extra buttons for easy access to Acer Predator’s magic to work on the Triton 16. You get a Turbo button that cleverly maxes out and overclocks the system as per Acer Predator’s optimum settings. There is also the PredatorSense button for you to quickly access, well, PredatorSense app. The app interface controls everything from the RGB of the laptop, to the maximum performance of the Predator Triton 16. WiFi comes in the form of an Intel Killer DoubleShot Pro WiFi 6E adapter built into the laptop for extra stable and fast connectivity experience. For expansion you can use the HDMI 2.1 port and a USB Type-C port with Thunderbolt 4 support to connect with up to two extra 4K displays.
Price and Availability
The Predator Triton 16 will be available in the North American regions in September 2023 onward for US$ 1,799.99 (MYR 8,295) onward. There are no colour options for this one, just the signature silver that has been the staple for Predator Triton laptops in the past couple of years. There is yet an announcement on the Acer Predator Triton’s availability in Malaysia at this point. Obviously, there are no official pricing just yet for the country. For more information on Acer Predator and their latest products announced in Computex 2023, you can visit their website.
Acer’s recently announced Predator Helios Neo 16 is now available in Malaysia – a mere two weeks after its international launch. The new addition to the Predator Helios lineup brings all the signature Helios performance and design ethos at an even more affordable price point. There will be two variants available in Malaysia. Both come with different specifications and cater for different gamers.
The first variant, the PHN16-71-54A6 comes with an Intel Core i5-13500HX and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX4050 with 6GB DDR6 VRAM and is complemented by 8GB of RAM and 512GB of PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD storage. The Predator Neo 16 gets even more power with the PHN16-71-77HU variant which brings the Intel Core i7-13700HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX4060 with 8GB GDDR6 VRAM. This is complemented by 16GB of RAM and 1TB of PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD storage. Both versions support up to 32GB of RAM.
On the display end, both come with 16-inch displays with 100% coverage for the sRGB gamut, a 16:10 aspect ratio and a 165Hz refresh rate. The main difference between the two is the type of panel used. The i7 version comes with a WQXGA (2560 x 1600) panel with Acer’s ultra-slim design while the i5 version comes with a WUXGA (1920×1200) panel with the same design.
It goes without saying that both versions of the Predator Helios Neo 16 come with Intel’s Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX 1650i for the best WiFi connectivity for gaming. They also come with Killer Ethernet E2600. When it comes to ports, it comes with a complete array of HDMI, USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 1 and a combo audio jack.
Pricing & Availability
The Predator Helios Neo 16 is available right now on the Acer eStore, Acer’s official storefronts on Shopee and Lazada and Acer Conceptstores across Malaysia.
Orders placed before 8 May 2023 at select concept stores will receive freebies worth more than RM900. These include a Predator Urban Gaming Backpack V2, a Predator Cestus 330 Gaming Mouse, a Predator Snapback Cap and an Acer SuperCare 2 that provides 3 years on-site warranty with accidental damage and theft coverage.
Acer’s Predator Helios series of laptops are, in their own rights, some of the most powerful gaming laptops you can buy today. The Helios 300 platform with Intel’s 12th Generation Core processors alongside NVIDIA’s finest in the form of the GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs are some of the most potent combinations for gaming laptops. That was in 2022 though.
It is 2023, Intel and NVIDIA have moved on from their 12th generation and GeForce RTX 30 series components respectively. Intel have launched their even more powerful 13th Generation of mobile computing chips. NVIDIA have also announced their new GPU platform for mobile computers, the GeForce RTX 40 series. The Predator Helios 300 then, is outdated.
No matter though, Acer has just launched their latest Predator flagship laptop in Malaysia. The Helios name stays, but it is a little different. Welcome to the Predator Helios 16 and Helios 18.
Dropping off the 300 or 500 or 700 moniker, in our opinions, is a step toward the right direction in streamlining their products. Instead, the numbers behind now represents the laptop’s screen size. In the case of the Predator Helios 16 and Helios 18 then, you get a 16-inch and 18-inch Helios gaming laptops.
Predator Helios 18
We start with the big one, literally, the Predator Helios 18, the 18-inch full fat variant of the Predator Helios flagship. It is meant to be a desktop replacement though, so you should not stress about bringing it about. Yes, it is heavy at 3.16kg.
With a larger body though, comes more real estate for cooling systems. As with any other Predator product, the Helios 18 packs their 5th Generation 3D Aeroblade aluminium fan that keeps your gaming laptop cool in intense gaming conditions as well as ensuring that dust build up is not a problem. The cooling solution ensures that the 13th generation Intel Core i9 (up to) runs optimally even at high loads. It also keeps the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (up to) Ada Lovelace chips as cool as they can be in this package. Alongside the powerful CPU and GPU, you can opt for up to 32GB in DDR5 memory paired with up to 2TB of speedy storage.
You get a beautiful 18-inch IPS display too to enjoy all kinds of AAA games you might want to play on the Helios 18. It fits in the body of a traditional 17-inch notebook thanks to the clever 16:10 aspect ratio. No, you are not getting a measly Full HD resolution display either. It is now a WQXGA display (2560 x 1600 pixels), which is just a little more than 1440p. The display even boasts a 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 wide colour gamut, meaning you are getting very lifelike colours and graphics offering an immersive experience like no colour. On top of that, you get up to 240Hz to ensure that you can keep up with the best in competitive titles. With up to 500 nits in brightness, you do not even have to dim your room to game.
The keyboard is a step up from before too. You now get mini-LED backlighting that offers more efficient backlight system. It is not the plain ol’ 4-zone RGB backlighting system too. Instead, it is a per-key RGB system that allows you to completely customize your keyboard to your heart’s content.
To control all of this, you have the new PredatorSense 4 control software. The new PredatorSense is designed to be more streamlined and cleverer than ever before. The software also allows you to store multiple profiles for different lighting setups for different games too. Moreover, NVIDIA’s clever Advanced Optimus offers the Predator Helios 18 even longer battery life by switching between integrated graphics and discrete GPU whichever is required at different times.
Predator Helios 16
The Predator Helios 16 may be small, but it is still no slouch compared to the Helios 18. You get to choose and opt for all the hardware the Helios 18 gets. That means you still get the power of the 24-core 13th generation Intel Core i9 (up to). You also get to enjoy the full might of a modern NVIDIA GPU in the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (up to) all in a smaller, more portable body.
You compromise a little on the display though. Instead of 18-inch, you get 16 inches of IPS goodness. It still refreshes at 240hz and boasts WQXGA resolution at 16:10 aspect ratio. All of this just so that it fits in a laptop body that traditionally fits 15-inch displays.
Price and Availability
The new Predator Helios 16 and Helios 18 are both available for pre-order from now to the end of April 2023. The Helios 16 starts at 8,999 while the Helios 18 will set you back from MYR 9,999 onward. If you do pre-order your Predator Helios laptop, you are entitled to a free gift package worth MYR 1,627 in total. That package includes a 175hz refresh rate gaming monitor from Acer’s Nitro stables, the XV272U gaming monitor. For more information on Predator’s latest gaming laptops, you can visit their website.
Acer’s Predator Gaming has become one of the industry’s mainstays when it comes to the gaming scene. It comes as no surprise that Acer has opted to expand and streamline their lineup this year at their biannual Next@Acer event. Together with new naming schemes, the lineup is also updating the specifications and power in their gaming arsenal.
A Streamlined Predator Helios Lineup
The all-new Predator Helios lineup is not only coming with updated specifications. Acer has streamlined its naming dropping the 300, 500 and 700 series monikers. Instead, they’ve opted to use the screen sizes to denote each model of the laptop in the Helios lineup.
This year’s Predator Helios lineup consists of the Predator Helios 16 and Predator Helios 18 – for now. The two laptops bring the latest and greatest processors and GPUs from Intel and NVIDIA respectively. Together with configurations supporting up to the Core i9 or i7 HX processors and the RTX4080 Laptop GPU, the laptops are built for gaming. They also support up to up to 32 GB DDR5-4800 MHz RAM and up to 2 TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD storage.
Mini LED Makes its Helios Debut
Both laptops are also the first in the Predator Gaming lineup to sport Mini LED panels. These panels bring deeper blacks and higher contrast than previous Helios laptops. The 1,000,000:1 contrast and the 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut promise better colour reproduction and more immersive gaming. This paired with NVIDIA’s Ada Lovelace architecture, DLSS and NVIDIA’s Reflex create one of the best systems to experience cutting-edge AAA games. Both versions come with a 16:10 aspect ratio. However, the Helios 16 comes with options for a WQXGA (2560×1600) display with 165Hz or 240Hz refresh rates or a Mini LED panel with a 250Hz refresh rate. The Helios 18 on the other hand comes with an additional WUXGA (1920×1200) with a 165Hz refresh rate.
The cutting-edge specifications also come with an enhanced cooling system. The new laptops come with dual custom-engineered 5th Generation AeroBlade 3D metal fans and rectangular vector heat pipes for better heat absorption and dissipation. This is paired with liquid metal thermal grease for even better cooling.
The new Helios 16 and Helios 18 also come with a newly redesigned chassis. The redesign brings together clean edges and a slimmer silhouette. The displays are also surrounded by thinner bezels for a more immersive experience. Of course, it’s completed with a mini LED backlit keyboard with 1.8mm key travel and anti-ghosting N-key rollover. The laptops also come with a complete set of ports on the back and the latest wireless connectivity including WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. They also have support for Thunderbolt and Intel Killer Ethernet.
New Predator Gaming Monitors
Together with the new laptops, Acer also announced two new Predator Gaming Monitors. The new Predator X45 and Predator X27U feature OLED displays with 98.5% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut and support for HDR10. Both also have support for AMD FreeSync Premium technology and sport 240Hz refresh rates and 0.01ms pixel response times.
The Predator X45 comes with a 45-inch UWQHD display with a resolution of 3440×1440 pixels. The curved monitor sports an 800R curvature giving a more immersive gaming experience. It also has a metal stand with a sleek, sturdy metal base. The Predator X27U on the other hand is a 27-inch flat panel with a WQHD resolution of 2560×1440 pixels.
Both of the monitors come with come outfitted with DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.0 ports. They also sport KVM switches which allow you to switch between desktop and laptop while maintaining the same keyboard and mouse setup. They also sport a USB Hub with USB Type-C for all the gadgets.
Pricing & Availability
Item
North America
EMEA
China
Predator Helios 16
USD$1,649.99 (MYR7,236.42) starting in March 2023
EUR2,399 (MYR11,082.19) starting in February 2023
RMB17,999 (MYR11,475.34) starting in February 2023
Predator Helios 18
USD$1,699 (MYR7,455.84) starting in April 2023
EUR2,499 (MYR11,544.15) starting in March 2023
RMB20,999 (MYR13,388.00) starting in February 2023
The curtain has closed on Acer’s Asia Pacific Predator League 2022 Grand Finals held in Tokyo, Japan from November 11 to 13. 30 teams from 15 countries across Asia-Pacific battled it out for a share of the USD 260,000 prize pool and the Predator shields.
Acer’s Predator League was the first physical E-sports competition in three years for Asia Pacific.
Acer’s Predator League was the first physical E-sports competition to be held in the Asia Pacific region in three years. The 2022 Grand Finals was themed “Unite as One”, uniting players from the region to meet and compete “head-to-head” after a long break. The Grand Finals consisted of the Dota 2 and PUBG:Battlegrounds, broadcasted through multiple channels.
Polaris Esports dominates Predator League Dota 2 finals
Dota 2 Champions Polaris Esports
Polaris Esports dominated the Dota 2 Grand Finals and took home the coveted Predator shield. Dropping just one Predator League game, the team from Philippines won USD 75 000 after defeating fellow countrymen Execration. In third place is GrindSky Esports, an up-and-coming organization from Philippines that exceeded expectations in the tournament. Outstanding individual performances were also rewarded. ATee from Yangon Galacticos won the Intel MVP award, earning an Acer Predator Helios 300 gaming laptop.
Genius Esports outsmarts the competition in PUBG
PUBG:Battlegrounds champions, Genius Esports
In another dominating performance, Genius Esports claimed “Chicken Dinner” in the PUBG:Battlegrounds Grand Finals for Acer’s Predator League. Ending 70-points ahead of other teams, the Vietnamese team took home USD 75 000 and a Predator shield of their own. Korean Esports organization DamWon Gaming, came in second place after a strong start to the tournament. ArkAngel Predator, another Filipino esports organization, came in a respectable third place. Ezqelusia from Attack All Around won plaudits for his individual performance and earned the Intel MVP award for PUBG:Battlegrounds.
With outsanding performances form Filipino teams, fans can rejoice with the next Acer Predator League announced in the Philippines. The tournament format will revert to its original state, with qualifiers in the second half of 2023 and Grand Finals in early 2024.
Acer’s Predator Gaming brand has one of the more diverse lineups of gaming laptops, peripherals and desktops. Their desktops have been one of the stars of their lineup bringing epic gaming performance together with price points that make sense.
Hot off the announcement of Intel’s 13th Generation Core processors, Acer is now bringing the new silicone to their Predator Orion 7000 desktops. The refreshed setup comes with a brand new Intel Core i9-13900K processor. However, Acer has opted to not refresh the Predator Orion 7000 with the latest NVIDIA RTX 40 series GPUs just yet. Instead, the Orion 7000 continues to come equipped with the NVIDIA RTX3090 and up to 64 GB of RAM.
Aside from the processor refresh, the Orion 7000 continues to use the same design launched last year. It comes with an EMI-compliant chassis which allows you to show off your setup and the flashy RGB lighting inside. The setup also features Predator FrostBlade 2.0 technology for cooling. With two 140mm fans in the front and a single 120mm fan in the back, cooling the system should be a breeze – literally. In addition to chassis cooling, the processor is also cooled by an AiO system with three Predator FrostBlade fans ensuring efficient cooling.
The system also comes with eye-catching ARGB so you can be as flashy as you want. The Predator Sense Software which comes pre-installed gives you more control of the cooling and optimisations for the PC. You can even set up device profiles and kick them into gear with the Predator Sense App on your smartphone or tablet.
Connectivity-wise, the Predator Orion 7000 comes with the Intel Killer E3100 2.5G Ethernet controller and Intel’s Killer WiFi 6E AX211 wireless module. These network adapters ensure that your gaming experience isn’t hindered by network bottlenecks and keep response rates high for gaming. It also comes with ample connectivity options with a splattering of ports including three USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type C and two audio jacks on the top. There are three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, one USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C, two USB 2.0 ports and three audio jacks on the back.
Pricing and Availability
Acer hasn’t announced any pricing or availability for the desktops just yet.
