Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 review: A huge gaming laptop for a small price

18-inch laptops are back, baby. These goliaths, once thought banished in the pursuit of thinner, lighter systems, have returned to accommodate the higher performance (and power consumption) of modern hardware. Many large laptops come with large price tags, but the Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 bucks that trend to deliver respectable performance per dollar. 

Looking for other options? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best gaming laptops available right now.

The Acer Predator Helios Neo 18’s specifications are typical for a mid-range gaming laptop. An Intel Core i7 processor is paired with Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB of solid state storage. 

• CPU: Intel Core i7-14650HX
• Memory: 16GB LPDDR5
• Graphics/GPU: Nvidia RTX 4060 at 140 watts
• Display: 1920×1200 IPS 165Hz
• Storage: 1TBPCIe 4.0 NVMe solid state drive
• Webcam: 720p
• Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4 ports, 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 (featuring power off charging), 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 2.1 port with HDCP support, 1x 2.5G Ethernet (RJ-45) port, 1x 3.5mm combo audio
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
• Biometrics: None
• Battery capacity: 90 watt-hours
• Dimensions: 15.93 x 12.39 x 1.36 inches
• Weight: 7.25 pounds
• MSRP: $1,499.99

Pricing is a perk, as the Predator Helios Neo 18 retails for $1,499.99. That’s not a low price for a laptop with Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics, but most similarly equipped laptops have a smaller display, and some reach lower pricing with a 512GB solid state drive that can quickly become tight for gamers who enjoy modern AAA games with an install size over 100GB. The Helios Neo 18’s value also benefits from good performance relative to its hardware, which at times comes close to peers with RTX 4070 graphics.

Acer Predator Helios Neo 18: Design and build quality

The Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 isn’t expensive for a modern gaming laptop with an 18-inch display, but I easily forgot that while using the laptop. Acer relies on expanses of metallic black with plastic trim to build a sturdy, attractive chassis. There’s even a few hints of flair, most noticeably a layer of transparent plastic along the vent which covers the laptop’s branding. 

The Neo 18 isn’t gorgeous, to be clear. It’s relatively subtle and plain. Still, if placed side-to-side by some more expensive laptops like the MSI Raider GE78 or Asus ROG Strix Scar 18, the Acer doesn’t stand out as the budget option.

This is a large laptop that weighs in at 7.52 pounds and measures up to 1.36 inches thick. It’s larger and heavier than the MSI Raider GE78 or Asus ROG Strix Scar 18, as well as most 18-inch or 17.3-inch alternatives. I’d imagine gamers looking to travel would pick a smaller system, but the Neo 18 is a particularly poor choice. Its weight will prove cumbersome and it won’t fit in most bags, backpacks, and luggage designed to hold a laptop.

Acer Predator Helios Neo 18: Keyboard, trackpad

A spacious keyboard with numpad spans the majority of the Predator Neo 18’s wide interior. Most keys are full-sized, or close to it, with function row (as usual) proving an exception. The numpad keys are also similar in size to the alphanumeric keys, although they’re ever-so-slightly shorter. 

I also found the keyboard pleasant to use for lengthy typing sessions. Each key has respectable travel and activates smoothly before reaching a subtle but definitive bottoming action. The keyboard is quiet, and I would prefer a more tactile end to key action, but now I’m nitpicking. I used the keyboard for hours on end with no complaints. 

The keyboard has an RGB backlight that can be customized across several zones. It looks attractive enough to add interest for gamers who want it, but it lacks the degree of customization available from more expensive 18-inch competitors.

The touchpad is good, too. It measures six inches wide and nearly four inches deep, which is plenty of space for Windows’ most complex multi-touch gestures. A few high-end competitors, like the Razer Blade 18, offer a better touchpad. But some more expensive laptops, like the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18, have a smaller and less enjoyable touchpad. 

Acer Predator Helios Neo 18: Display, audio

At this point, you might wonder what Acer had to sacrifice to achieve a lower price point. One answer: the display. Although it measures 18 inches diagonally, Acer sticks to a simple IPS panel with 1920×1200 resolution and a refresh rate of 165Hz.

Opinions on the display will hinge on perspective. It’s clearly inferior to the 18-inch OLED and Mini-LED displays available from more expensive alternatives, and especially lacking in contrast. Darker, grittier games like Diablo VI or Resident Evil: Village can seem hazy and flat. 1920×1200 resolution isn’t especially sharp, either, though still better than a 27-inch 1440p monitor. Brightness is another issue: the display barely clears 300 nits, so it can seem dim in a bright room.

On the plus side, the Neo 18’s display delivers good color performance with a wide color gamut and solid color accuracy. Brighter and more colorful games, like Palworld or Stardew Valley, look excellent. The added size is also enjoyable when compared to a 16-inch alternative. Two inches might not sound important, but going with the 18-inch screen increases the total display area by 25 percent, which is very noticeable. 

Motion clarity is decent. The IPS display’s refresh rate of 165Hz isn’t impressive in 2024 but still provides a major leap in smoothness and clarity when compared to a 60Hz or 90Hz screen. It’s also a good fit for the laptop’s capabilities. A refresh rate would look appealing, but the Neo 18’s mid-range hardware would have difficulty delivering the frame rates needed to take advantage of a 240Hz panel.

The laptop’s speakers, unlike the display, punch well above the laptop’s price with loud, clear sound, a deep sound stage, and a hint of low-end oomph. They’re still laptop speakers and will start to sound muddy in the most demanding, bass-heavy music, but they’re a great fit for movies and games. 

Acer Predator Helios Neo 18: Webcam, microphone, biometrics

Acer also sticks to the basics when it comes to the webcam and microphone. It has a 720p webcam and dual-array microphone which, though serviceable for Zoom calls, are towards the low end of quality available from a laptop sold in 2024. Many laptops now have a sharper 1080p webcam and microphones that provide stronger, clear audio. 

Biometric login, meanwhile, is absent. You’ll need to login the old-fashioned way: with a password.

Acer Predator Helios Neo 18: Connectivity

When it comes to connectivity, though, Acer doesn’t hold back. The Predator Helios Neo 18 has two Thunderbolt 4 ports (also compatible with USB-C), three USB-A 3.2 ports, HDMI, 2.5G Ethernet, a 3.5mm combo audio jack, and a microSD card reader. 

That’s an extremely broad range of ports that should cover what gamers need, and then some. It’s possible to connect a high-resolution, high-refresh rate monitor and multiple wired gaming accessories at once. 

However, while the connectivity is great, it doesn’t establish a notable edge over competitors. Most large laptops have gobs of ports. I also dislike that the majority of the available ports are on the laptop’s flanks, rather than the rear. Large laptops will spend most time on a desk with many peripherals attached, and rear-facing ports improve cable management.

Wireless connectivity is provided by an Intel Killer Wi-Fi adapter that supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. I would prefer to see Wi-Fi 7, but it’s not yet common at this price point, and Wi-Fi 6E still delivers excellent performance when paired with a quality Wi-Fi 6E router. 

Acer Predator Helios Neo 18: Performance

Acer sticks to mid-range hardware for the Helios Neo 18 but provides it with the power and thermal headroom needed to perform at its best. The laptop has an Intel Core i7-14650HX processor, Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of solid state storage. None of that sounds exceptional—and there’s firm limits to the Neo 18’s performance—but it’s a quick laptop for the price.

PCMark 10, a general system benchmark, posted a strong result of 7,744 on the Predator Helios Neo 18. That’s better than most price-competitive laptops with the exception of the AMD-powered Framework Laptop 16, which punched above its weight. 

The Neo 18 again posts strong results in Cinebench R20, which is a short-duration, heavily multithreaded processor benchmark. It achieved a score of 8,002, which defeats most similarly priced gaming laptops aside from the Dell G16 7630, which we tested with a 13th-gen Intel Core i9 HX processor. That might seem odd, but it’s in line with what we have come to expect from Intel’s 14th-gen hardware, which generally delivers performance that’s only a smidge better than the prior generation.

Handbrake, a heavily multithreaded long-duration processor benchmark, didn’t shake up the results. The Neo 18 remains a performer, though Dell’s G16 slightly outran it. To be fair, however, the Dell G16 configuration we tested was also several hundred dollars more expensive, so Acer’s performance remains strong for the price.

The Neo 18’s good results continue in graphics benchmarks. The RTX 4060 isn’t the quickest mobile graphics chip, and it only has 8GB of video memory, which will prove limiting in some games. But the Neo 18 keeps the RTX 4060 well-fed with up to 140 watts of power and, as a result, its performance is at times closer to an RTX 4070 than some RTX 4060 peers.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider slightly changes the story. In this game, the Neo 18 scores identically to the older Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 and starts to fall noticeably behind the RTX 4070 laptops. Still, an average of 130 frames per second is great for the price and more than enough to enjoy the game.

Metro Exodus is a demanding game (at least at the Extreme preset, which we use), but the Neo 18 continues to do well. Here it once again shows itself closer to RTX 4070 hardware than some RTX 4060 systems, and it delivers a playable average of 45 FPS.

We wrapped up the benchmarks with Cyberpunk 2077. The game averaged a healthy 70 FPS at 1080p resolution and Ultra detail (with DLSS/FSR off). Using the Overdrive ray-tracing mode radically tanked performance to just 17 FPS, a result that may be blamed on the RTX 4060’s mere 8GB of video memory. Gamers can enjoy Cyberpunk 2077’s ray-tracing on the Neo 18, but the Medium preset is a better fit when ray-tracing is enabled.

All results reported above were achieved in the Neo 18’s default “Balanced” performance profile, but we also tested the laptop’s Turbo profile, which significantly increased performance in many situations. PCMark 10 leapt from 7,744 to 8,112, while 3DMark Time Spy increased from 10,389 to 11,288. Turbo mode also maximizes fan noise, however, so we don’t think it’s a viable choice for gaming in most situations. 

Acer Predator Helios Neo 18: Battery life

Acer packs a sizable 90 watt-hour battery in the Predator Helios Neo 18. That’s a lot of juice, but the laptop’s hardware can suck down a full charge quickly.

Our standard battery tests, which loops a 4K file of the short film Tears of Steel, sucked down a full charge in just under four hours. That’s not unusable, but it’s pretty quick, and I’d advise gamers not to expect more than a few hours of battery life even when enjoying the light games that don’t tax the GPU.

Indeed, I experienced that in one situation where Nvidia Optimus failed to engage. Optimus is designed to hand graphics duties over to the Intel IGP when the Nvidia GPU’s performance isn’t required, but it can be finicky. Because of that, the battery drained in just 58 minutes, despite a workload that was nothing more than web browsing and watching video.

The 330 watt power brick, which charges the laptop over a barrel plug connection, doesn’t help portability. It’s big and heavy, further increasing the load you’ll carry if you travel with the Neo 18. 

Acer Predator Helios Neo 18: Conclusion

Acer’s Predator Helios Neo 18 shows the benefits of a big-screen laptop that can be delivered at a slim price tag. Though sold for just $1,499.99,  the Neo 18 provides excellent performance, a huge display, lots of connectivity, and an attractive design. A lack of portability is the true price paid for the Neo 18’s perks, as it’s even heavier and thicker than some 18-inch alternatives, and the battery didn’t hold out for long even in less demanding circumstances. Still, the Neo 18 is a great pick if you’re looking for a semi-portable alternative to a gaming desktop.

Author: Matthew S. Smith