AI, RGB lighting and powerful internals will appeal.
(Image credit: Future / Erlingur Einarsson)
I'm at Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice in Poland, a huge esports event that has also become the annual venue for Acer to announce their latest gaming laptop range for the year ahead. This year, like everywhere else you look, AI is at the forefront, as I've now had a close-up, hands-on encounter with the new Predator Helios Neo 16/18 AI range.
The Helios Neo 16S AI is a (very slightly) slimmer variant of the Neo 16 AI. Still hecking heavy, mind. (Image credit: Future / Erlingur Einarsson)
Constituting two different-sized variants, 16 and 18 inches, the Helios Neo is a slightly sleeker, lighter, lower-specced and more rounded version of the hold-up-a-bank-bulky Predator Helios laptops. This year, I noticed less difference than before, though, and that is emphasised by the new Helios Neo 16/18 AI models I've just seen.
With the latest Intel Core Ultra 'Arrow Lake' processors, a more capable NPU, 64GB of RAM, a choice of NVIDIAGeForce RTX 5070/5070 Ti laptop graphics cards and WQXGA and options of screens including WQXGA, OLED and Mini-LED, and more RGB than a 90s rave (look, I'm not complaining), these models undo the weight-loss efforts of the Helios Neo S launched at CES, and in some style too.
The 16-inch one comes in at 2.7 kilos, and the 18-incher is a behemoth at 3.3 kilos, outdoing even the Helios I reviewed in 2023, and described as having 'the heft of a blunt assault weapon'.
I have been assured, though, that the fan noise in these new models won't be as ear-splitting as that particular model, though, so creatives will want to keep an eye (and ear) out for this model when it comes to market.
In case you forget the Predator Helios is marketed at gamers, the RGB fiesta will remind you. (Image credit: Future / Erlingur Einarsson)
While marketed as a gaming laptop, for obvious reasons (that extruding lip behind the screen, that weight, that array of RGB lighting), the Predator makes me excited from a creative viewpoint.
Firstly, the internals in a professional creative laptop and a gaming laptop are largely identical. Here we have high-bandwidth RAM, and lots of it, a new 50-series NVIDIA graphics card, Thunderbolt 5 ports, and a high-resolution screen with a (promised) colour gamut, much like you'll find in an ASUS ProArt or a Lenovo Yoga or an MSI Creator, just with more RGB and maybe slightly different emphasis regarding design.
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Secondly, more creative software has started utilising AI-boosted NPUs. With the 13 TOPs NPU in the Arrow Lake processor on board here (on top of the 50-series graphics), I'm keen to see how it will handle AI upscaling video, running local processes in Photoshop and DaVinci, and finding out whether you can spend more than 8 minutes away from a power outlet.
Of course, if 5070 graphics don't quite cut it for you, the Predator Helios (without a Neo in the name) will have up to 5090 graphics and up to a mind-scrambling 192GB of RAM. However, as I said in my review of the 5090 FE desktop card (which admittedly is more powerful than the laptop version), you won't need to stretch that far unless you need big-studio-spec graphics and 3D performance and money's no issue.
Acer is also launching a Nitro-branded version of the new Intel graphics cards. (Image credit: Future / Erlingur Einarsson)
The Predator Helios Neo 16 AI (PHN16-73) will be available in North America in April, starting at $1,899.99, and in Europe in May, starting at €1,699. The Predator Helios Neo 18 AI (PHN18-72) will be available in North America in May, starting at $2,199.99, and in Europe in May, starting at €1,799. I'm currently pestering Acer's representatives for a UK price, and will update this info as soon as they have an answer.
Acer is following most other manufacturers in simplifying their laptop ranges. (Image credit: Future / Erlingur Einarsson)
We will of course be getting our grubby mitts on the new Predator Helios and Helios Neo models for a full review to see how they stack up against the other top 2025 suitors for creatives' hard-earned money.
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Erlingur is the Tech Reviews Editor on Creative Bloq. Having worked on magazines devoted to Photoshop, films, history, and science for over 15 years, as well as working on Digital Camera World and Top Ten Reviews in more recent times, Erlingur has developed a passion for finding tech that helps people do their job, whatever it may be. He loves putting things to the test and seeing if they're all hyped up to be, to make sure people are getting what they're promised. Still can't get his wifi-only printer to connect to his computer.
