Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 laptop review: Entry-level gaming with a desktop-class CPU and lots of connectivity options

Acer's Predator Helios Neo 16 is supposedly a cheaper gaming-laptop alternative to the very well-rated Predator Helios 16. A few features have been kept from the regular Helios and lots has been adopted from the Neo, meaning it can be classed as a mid-range device.

At the same time, our test model relies on an entry-level GPU, the GeForce RTX 4050, with a 130-watt TGP. Other model variants feature up to an RTX 4070 and an Intel Core i9-13900HX, while our test sample also relies on a desktop-class CPU, the Core i5-13500HX. It delivers decent performance, especially when using turbo mode.

When playing games, we would definitely recommend using balanced mode, as it delivers much more comfortable noise emissions — at an FPS expense of only 2 %. Even in idle mode, the Acer laptop never remains totally silent. Its cooling performance is good (as it already was on the Helios 16), while its CPU even relies on liquid metal.

When it comes to the display, you can choose between FHD+ and QHD (both with a refresh rate of 165 Hz), we analyzed the former and noted a good brightness of 373 cd/m², 100 % sRGB coverage as well as short reaction times of 8 ms. There isn't a Mini LED option, such as on the Helios 16 non-Neo. However, it has kept its great connectivity options including true HDMI 2.1, Gigabit LAN and Thunderbolt 4. Its WiFi 6 module, the Intel Killer A1650, is only half as fast as Intel's WiFi 6E module (Killer A1675i) inside the Helios 16. On the former, we measured speeds of ~900 MBit/s.