Acer drops 2 redesigned Helios and more monitor options
The newly released Acer Predator Helios 16 (top right), Acer Predator Helios 18 (top left), the Acer Predator X45 (bottom right) and the Acer Predator X27U (bottom left).
PHOTO: Acer
PUBLISHED ONJanuary 06, 2023 7:37 AMByJustin Choo
Acer’s newly announced Predator Helios 16 (PH16-71) and Predator Helios 18 (PH18-71) have a, err, new look.
The Helios now sports a simplified matte black chassis with clean edges and thinner bezels, accented by a customisable RGB light bar along the top of the back vents.
The keyboard backlight has been redesigned to be more power-efficient and emits a more uniform colour while minimising the halo effect.
As with all new releases, they also get the latest 13th Gen Intel Core i9 or i7 HX processors, matched with up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU (MGP up to 165W).
In terms of memory and storage, they’re configurable up to 32 GB DDR5-4800 MHz RAM and 2 TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD in RAID 0.
The new RTX 40 Series GPUs will certainly be the talk of the town as they’ve been touted to be up to twice as fast as a Playstation 5.
Display-wise, the Helios 16 uses a 16-inch (16:10) WQXGA (2560×1600) display with 165 Hz, 240 Hz or a 250 Hz option powered by AUO AmLED (mini LED) that offers over 1000 nits peak brightness.
This panel has a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and covers 100 per cent of the DCI-P3 colour gamut.
The Helios 18 has more options: WUXGA (1920×1200) at 165 Hz, WQXGA (2560×1600) at 165 Hz, 240 Hz or the aforementioned 250 Hz Mini LED display.
Both cover a full range of peripherals with USB 3.2 Gen2 ports, including an HDMI 2.1, two USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 that support power delivery, and a Micro SD card reader.
Rounding up the kit are the Intel Killer E2600 Ethernet Controller, and Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675 for responsive connectivity, wired or wireless.
To sweeten the deal, the Predator Helios 16 and Predator Helios 18 laptops also include one month of Xbox Game Pass or PC Game Pass.
Monitors
The Predator X45 (800R curved 45″, 3440×1440 UWQHD) and the Predator X27U (27″, 2560×1440 WQHD) feature OLED displays with 98.5 per cent DCI-P3 colour gamut along with 240 Hz refresh rate and 0.01ms response times.
In addition, they can reach a peak brightness of 1,000 nits and meet HDR10 and TÜV Rheinland EyeSafe requirements.
Both support AMD FreeSync Premium and also have a built-in KVM switch so you can easily switch between desktops and laptops while using the same keyboard and mouse.
Prices and availability for all devices will be finalised in the near future.
This article was first published in Potions.sg.
