I'm touching Acer's new Predator laptops right now – and they're perfect for creatives

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.

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 NVIDIA GeForce 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.