CES 2024 | Acer Predator Helios 18 and Predator Helios 16 refreshed with 14th-gen Raptor Lake-HX processors

Amazon UK gave us a glimpse into the new Acer Predator Helios 18 and Predator Helios 16 and their sky-high price tags. Before that, another leak tacitly confirmed that the former would not go the Meteor Lake route and stick with 14th-gen Raptor Lake HX processors. Acer has officially unveiled them at CES 2024. The Acer Predator Helios 18 and Predator Helios 16 will arrive in February 2024 and cost $3,999 and $2,799, respectively.

The Predator Helios 18 and Predator Helios 16 can be configured with a 250 Hz mini LED screen, as confirmed by the aforementioned Amazon listing. Its resolution maxes out at WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600), its refresh rate is at 250 Hz, and its peak brightness is at 1,000 nits. It also covers 100% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. If last year's models are anything to go by, you can save a few bucks by opting for an IPS panel with the same (or lower) refresh rate.

A Geekbench listing revealed that the Predator Helios 18 would use an Intel Core i9-14900HX processor. Acer has confirmed the Predator Helios 16 will follow suit. For the GPU, one can pick a GeForce RTX 4090 (175 W) or lower. Acer has neglected to provide the complete CPU/GPU list, but we'll update the post once we get the information. In a similar vein, there's no word about RAM/storage, but we learned previously that the Core i9 SKU will pack 32 GB of DDR5 5,600 memory.

For I/O, the Predator Helios 18 and Predator Helios 16 get two Thunderbolt 4.0 ports, Wi-Fi 7, three USB USB Type-A ports, an RJ 45 Ethernet jack, an HDMI 2.1 port and a 3.5 mm combo jack. Acer's MagKey 3.0 tech lets you swap out your keys (WASD) with caps that feel like a mechanical keyboard. Once again, Acer's wording is pretty vague, and it's hard to determine if this applies just to the four keys or all of them.