Predator Helios 18: our handling of Acer’s new monster under RTX 4080

Announced at CES almost two weeks ago, the Predator Helios 18 is Acer’s new big-arm Jojo on the PC market. gaming laptop. With him, no concession (or almost) and a bill that burns. We are used to it, of course, but in addition to its brand new carnal envelope and its latest generation components, the device also relies on a Mini-LED screen… decidedly fashionable on laptops in 2023. Here are our impressions of this new product.

For gamers, Acer is once again offering its offer in a triptych made up of the Nitro models (aiming for the right equipment/price ratio), Predator Triton (for more high-end machines, seeking a balance between performance and size) and Predator Helios . For the first time, these are available in 16 and 18 inch versions. During a trip to Paris, we were able to discover the 18-inch version, the most imposing, and yet less bulky than one might think.

A monster that gains in sobriety (and goes to Mini-LED)

First observation, this new Predator is indeed less tough than we had imagined during its presentation at CES. To give you an idea, we stay on a chassis more or less equivalent to that of a 16-inch model, but with a screen (now 16:10) which better occupies the available space. So understand that the transition to this larger format is mainly in terms of display and not so much in terms of size. So much the better, even if we remain in absolute terms on the type of (trans)portable machine that it will be difficult to hastily fit in a small backpack.

Anyway, we also appreciate Acer’s new approach on the design side. The brand wants to move towards more sober and discreet gaming products. As a result, the Helios 18 almost ends up looking like a vaguely bloated Razer Blade. We regret, however, that the finishes, of good level, are not as manic as in the competition with the three snakes or on the Alienware models. At an equivalent price, it seems to us that Acer could make further progress on this point. Printing to be confirmed during a future test.

Finally, it is difficult not to note (including on our few photos) the sensitivity of the chassis to fingerprints. Prepare to have a laptop always a little spit. More incidentally, the rear part of the chassis benefits from customizable backlighting and small removable covers (thanks to a simple magnet system) allowing a small dose of additional customization, but also and above all to approach the rear radiators more easily to their dusting.

On the keyboard and trackpad side, Acer does a good job. The Helios 18 is indeed equipped with a large, comfortable and precise keyboard, at least at first glance, and comes with both a very welcome numeric keypad and a much larger trackpad compared to previous models. of the Helios range. Good point. The RGB backlighting is once again customizable on a per-key (individual) basis, but Acer has told us that they have no plans to install mechanical keys low profile on this model. However, we would like to find such an option on the device in the future as it brings comfort and precision.

The main novelty of the Helios 18 nevertheless remains its switch to Mini-LED display technology. As a reminder, the latter allows a much higher contrast than that of traditional LCD panels, but also a maximum luminance that can reach, in this case, the cap of 1,000 cd/m². This large panel made a good impression on us overall, even if we are waiting to be able to probe it properly with our tools. In any case, the brightness is there and the gain in image quality compared to conventional screens is indeed noticeable. This screen also covers 100% of the DCI-P3 spectrum and can go up to 250 Hz while displaying a response time of 3 ms.

Heavy, therefore, but which will only be available on the most expensive models of the Helios 16 and 18… and therefore at a prohibitive price. Count indeed more or less 4,000 euros for the model that we discovered in the company of Acer. For this price, we can fortunately count on a Core-i9 13900HX 32 GB of DDR5 and an RTX 4080 (in 165 W). Now all we have to do is test this model in due form to find out what it is really worth at stake against its main competitors. Answer within a few weeks on Clubic.

Nitro 16: a more affordable model that is slowly moving upmarket

Much more affordable, the Nitro 16 replaces the Nitro 5 (which we tested a few months ago) in Acer’s offer with an equally interesting, but inevitably more basic proposal. The device, which benefits this year from a new chassis, also more sober and compact than last year, is content for its part with a more rudimentary plastic shell than the aluminum used for the Helios range, and a “simple” Full HD+ or QHD+ IPS screen in 16:10 format.

It nevertheless goes upmarket compared to last year with a rather qualitative assembly and a sufficiently adaptable technical sheet to “find” players with more modest budgets. Its price starts in fact around 1,200 euros in the Full HD, Core i5 and RTX 3050 version (which Acer therefore continues to use). Provided you invest more money in it, this new Nitro can also adopt up to a Core i7-13700H and an RTX 4070. We thus inherit a product capable of reaching a wide audience depending on the configurations chosen.

Acer adapts (from what we have seen) an excellent membrane keyboard, backlit in four zones, and redesigns the dissipation system to improve the air intake above the keyboard and increase the static pressure inside. of the chassis. In theory, the cooling should therefore be reinforced compared to previous generations of Nitro.

On the software level, this is doubled by the great advances of the Nitro control software… increasingly similar to that offered on the Predator range to control ventilation, monitor the use of components and manage the parameters of the RGB keyboard. As on the Helios 18, there is finally a button allowing you to switch with a click between the different cooling modes, all with a color code to find your way around at first glance.

Without overflowing with enthusiasm for this product which remains, despite everything, a fairly classic gaming laptop, we look forward to being able to experience it more frankly through a test in good and due form.