Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 Series

Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, NVIDIA NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
Display: 16.00 inch
Weight: 2.6kg
Price: 1599, 2000 euro
Average of 13 scores (from 23 reviews)
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71
Specifications

Processor: Intel Raptor Lake-HX i5-13500HX
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU 6144 MB
Display: 16.00 inch, 16:10, 2560 x 1600 pixels
Weight: 2.6kg
Links: Acer homepage Acer notebook section
Pricecompare
Average Score:
Reviews
Source: PC Mag

The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 sacrifices portability and a truly budget price in the name of additional power. While remaining relatively budget-friendly, this gaming laptop packs serious processing chops, and Acer optimizes its internals to deliver respectable 1080p (or 1200p) gameplay from an RTX 4050. Its keyboard and chassis design won't win it any awards, but its display is a cut above for the price. And you might find this model on sale, if you're lucky; that would make the whole package a borderline Editors' Choice pick for us, at $100 or $200 less. If you largely keep your laptop in one place, the Neo 16 is well worth considering. It's just that the Gigabyte Aorus 15 BMF is the surer budget bet.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/29/2023
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Laptop Media

Support, online available, Very Short, Date: 06/28/2023
Foreign Reviews
Source: Netzwelt

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 05/01/2023
Rating: Total score: 85% performance: 90% features: 90% display: 80% ergonomy: 70%
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71-702Z
Specifications

Processor: Intel Raptor Lake-HX i7-13700HX
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU 8192 MB
Display: 16.00 inch, 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixels
Weight: 2.6kg
Price: 2000 euro
Links: Acer homepage Acer notebook section
Pricecompare
Average Score:
Reviews
Source: Htxt Africa

For an RRP of R37 999, the Acer Helios Neo 16 merely flutters among stars when it comes to raw performance power. You will not be disappointed by its capabilities in this department, but it’s not quite the Sun yet, despite its name. Solid RAM, discrete graphics, display, and processor for the price range, but this is offset by the fact that it must be plugged in to be truly enjoyed, it desperately needs more storage space and it’s bloated with needless software. It is a desktop PC masquerading as a notebook, but overall it has real potential for a patient soul willing to put up with its quirks.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 10/20/2023
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Gadgetbyte Nepal

So in conclusion, the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 is not the easy recommendation I was hoping it would be. Yes, it offers great 1080p (and even 1440p) gaming results — with commendable thermals, display, and everything. But I’m not sure if all that’s enough to justify its price tag versus all the competition. Especially since a couple of them with more powerful last-gen RTX 3070 Ti graphics are currently available at much lower prices than what Acer is asking for this thing. But if you really want DLSS 3 — which is unfortunately exclusive to the RTX 40 series — and if you can find it on some amazing deals, then the Helios Neo 16 is definitely worth grabbing as well. The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2023) gets almost everything right. A bit more aggressive pricing would've been 10/10 but the Helios Neo 16 is a fantastic gaming laptop for everything it offers.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 10/20/2023
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 80% performance: 90% display: 90% mobility: 80% workmanship: 90% ergonomy: 80%
Source: Techradar

Acer offers a sidegrade to its mainstream Predator gaming lineup with this 'Neo' variant, which proves to be a fine laptop given its sensible pricing and good performance. It also offers a fantastic display and good thermal performance - just be prepared for the fans to get noisy when you're gaming on it.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/19/2023
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 90% performance: 80% mobility: 60% workmanship: 80%
Source: Trusted Reviews

I can see what Acer is trying to do with the Predator Helios Neo, but I think it’s missed the mark. To pitch a machine above the Nitro range convincingly, they should have added some genuinely enhanced features like a 1080p webcam, biometric security, a 240Hz display and a 1TD SSD as standard. And maybe make it smaller and lighter. That would have put some clear water between the Neo and the high-end Nitro 16, which, remember, for the exact same price, can be picked up with a more powerful RTX 4070 GPU, more memory and a higher-resolution display. As it stands, the Predator Helios Neo is a perfectly decent gaming laptop, but I can’t think of a single reason to buy it over the Nitro 16 unless you absolutely must have three rather than two USB-A ports and Thunderbolt rather than USB 3.2 Gen 2 spec Type-C ports which the Nitro has thanks to its, admittedly less powerful, AMD Ryzen CPU. Check out our Best Gaming Laptop guide for more options.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/13/2023
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: PC World

It goes without saying you’re probably going to get less for your money when you buy a laptop that costs approximately $1,000 rather than a laptop that costs 3,000 to $4,000. But what do you compromise on for spending less – CPU / GPU power? Ports? A smaller display? A less than optional keyboard? Thankfully, you don’t have to miss out on any of these all-important factors with the Helios Neo 16, which makes it an excellent value-for-money proposition for gamers on a budget.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 08/11/2023
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Laptop Media

Support, online available, Very Short, Date: 06/28/2023
Source: Matthew Moniz

Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 06/24/2023
Source: Jarrod'sTech

Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 06/20/2023
Foreign Reviews
Source: PC Welt

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/08/2023
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: PCtipp.ch

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 06/19/2023
Rating: Total score: 90%
Source: HardwareLuxx

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 05/07/2023
Source: Geeknetic

Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 10/04/2023
Rating: Total score: 90%
Source: Noticias 3D

Positive: Decent hardware; elegant design; big screen; nice display; comfortable keyboard. Negative: Overheats while using; short battery life.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 06/19/2023
Source: El chapuzas Informatico

Positive: Great hardware; big screen; beautiful display; good connectivity; comfortable keyboard. Negative: Relatively high price.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 05/02/2023
Source: Multiplayer IT

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 05/27/2023
Rating: Total score: 75%
Source: Charles Tech

Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 08/15/2023
Rating: Total score: 71% performance: 90% display: 70% mobility: 60% ergonomy: 70%
Source: Co Nowego

Positive: Powerful hardware; high gaming performance; impressive cooling system; decent speakers.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 05/25/2023
Source: Pemmzchannel

Positive: Powerful processor; great dedicated graphics card; long battery life; compact size.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 06/15/2023
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 NH.QLTEG.002
Specifications

Processor: Intel Raptor Lake-HX i5-13500HX
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU 6144 MB
Display: 16.00 inch, 16:10, 1920 x 1200 pixels
Weight: 2.6kg
Price: 1599 euro
Links: Acer homepage Acer notebook section
Pricecompare
Reviews
The gaming laptop Predator Helios Neo 16 from Acer is supposedly a cheaper alternative to the regular Helios 16, while still offering a variety of mid-range features, such as an extremely robust and sleek case, lots of connectivity options, a desktop-class CPU, as well as a powerful cooling system which makes use of liquid metal. In this review, you can find out whether this concept is a success.
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71, i5-13500HX RTX 4060
Specifications

Processor: Intel Raptor Lake-HX i5-13500HX
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU 8192 MB
Display: 16.00 inch, 16:10, 1920 x 1200 pixels
Weight: 2.6kg
Links: Acer homepage Acer notebook section
Pricecompare
Reviews
Source: Laptop Media

As it happens, Acer sells two devices that share almost the same name. While the Helios Neo 16 might sound like something new, or a laptop out of The Matrix, it is nothing more than a rebranded Acer Nitro 16. This is not bad, of course, as you get two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a MicroSD card slot. In addition, the CPU is treated to a liquid metal thermal compound. To be honest, though, it made very little, if any difference. Acer has to get on top of the low P-core clocks issue. We are pretty confident that this can be done over-the-air, via an update to the firmware, or the BIOS. Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (PHN16-71)’s IPS panel has a WQXGA resolution, comfortable viewing angles, a very high maximum brightness, and a good contrast ratio. Its backlight doesn’t use PWM for brightness adjustment, which makes the laptop great for long gaming sessions.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 06/28/2023
Comment
Acer: In 1976, the company was founded in Taiwan under the name Multitech and was renamed Acer or Acer Group in 1987. The product range includes, for example, laptops, tablets, smartphones, desktops, monitors, TVs and computer peripherals. Since 2007, the group has merged with Gateway Inc. and Packard Bell, which also market their own laptop product lines.
Acer computers are designed for a variety of purposes, including ultrabooks for mobile use, gaming laptops for gamers, affordable options for everyday tasks, and 2-in-1 convertible laptops for versatility. Acer's product portfolio also includes tablets that offer portable computing and multimedia capabilities.
With these GPUs you are able to play modern and demanding games fluently at medium detail settings and HD resolution.
NVIDIA NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU: Mid-range graphics card for laptops based on the Ada Lovelace architecture. Offers 6 GB GDDR6 (96 Bit) and is configurable with a TGP of 35 - 115W (+ Dynamic Boost).
These graphics cards are able to play the latest and most demanding games in high resolutions and full detail settings with enabled Anti-Aliasing.
NVIDIA NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU: High-end graphics card for laptops based on the Ada Lovelace architecture. Offers 8 GB GDDR6 (128 Bit) and is configurable with a TGP of 35 - 115W (+ Dynamic Boost).
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
Intel Raptor Lake-HX:
i5-13500HX: Mobile CPU based on the Raptor Lake series that offers 14 cores (6 performance, 8 efficiency cores) with up to 4.7 GHz.
i7-13700HX: Mobile CPU based on the Raptor Lake series that offers 16 cores (8 performance, 8 efficiency cores). Similar to the Desktop Core i7-13700K but with reduced clock speeds.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
16.00:
This range for display formats was and is a rarity. It is larger than the general standard of 15 inches, but not yet in the range of large workstations. One usually has higher screen resolutions available, but portability suffers from that.
» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.
2.6 kg:
With this weight, a laptop is rather heavier than average. Devices in this range shine more with screen size and performance than with mobility.
2.6 kg:
79.82%: This rating is not earth-shattering. This rating must actually be seen as average, since there are about as many devices with worse ratings as better ones. A purchase recommendation can only be seen with a lot of goodwill, unless it is about websites that generally rate strictly.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.