After refreshing its flagship models at CES 2024, the company today unveiled four new additions to Acer’s midrange gaming laptop lineup. On Tuesday, the company introduced two new 14-inch models as well as two refreshes of existing 16-inch models. The Intel-powered Predator Helios Neo 14 and Nitro 16 will join the AMD-powered Nitro 14 and Nitro 16 and launch globally later this spring.
As is often the case with pre-launch laptop announcements, Acer only announces the minimum prices of the devices rather than a full breakdown of specifications and costs (Acer says these are not yet final), making it impossible to know theirs to estimate the overall value. You can expect this information closer to the respective launches in May and June.
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 14, one of the two completely new models, is the first sub-16-inch variant in the high-performance line. (At $1,800+, it’s also the most expensive of the new series.) For that price, you get an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor (with dedicated AI acceleration) paired with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 laptop GPU. The cheaper models are downgraded to Intel Core Ultra 7 155H or Intel Core Ultra 5 125H and RTX 4060 or 4050 graphics.
The top variant has a 14.5-inch WQXGA (3072 x 1920) display with a refresh rate of 165 Hz, 100 percent coverage of the sRGB color spectrum and NVIDIA G-Sync support. In the cheaper versions, the resolution drops to 2560 x 1600 or 1920 x 1200 with a refresh rate of 120 Hz.
The Windows 11 laptop has a 76Wh battery and offers up to 32GB LPDDR5X SDRAM and 1TB storage. It weighs 4.19 pounds, has a built-in 1080p webcam, and supports Intel Killer Wireless Wi-Fi 6E. It has a USB-C/ThunderBolt 4 port with a microSD reader. A 5th generation AeroBlade 3D fan and Vortex Flow technology are used on the cooling front.
The Predator Helios Neo 14 will be released in North America in May and will start at $1,800.
The Nitro 14 is the first 14-inch variant in the company’s mid-range Nitro series. It should offer solid performance with up to AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor and RTX 4060 graphics. For cheaper variants, this is limited to a Ryzen 5 8645HS processor and RTX 4050 or 3050 graphics.
The maximum performance model gives you a 14.5-inch display with 2560 x 1500 pixels, a refresh rate of 120 Hz, a response time of 9 ms and 100 percent sRGB color space support. On the entry-level model, the resolution drops to 1080p at 120 Hz.
The laptop features USB 4 and USB 3.2 Type-C ports, a pair of USB-A ports (including one with offline charging support), HDMI 2.1, and a microSD slot.
The Acer Nitro 14 arrives in North America in May. It starts at $1,300.
The company’s updated Nitro 16 comes in separate Intel and AMD variants with different model numbers (AN16-73 for Intel and AN16-43 for AMD). The former features an Intel Core i7-14700HX processor, while the AMD version has a Ryzen 9 8945HS (the same as the maxed out Nitro 14). Otherwise, the two models only differ in extremely small differences in weight (2.35 kg for AMD, 2.5 kg for Intel) and Wi-Fi (Killer Wireless Wi-Fi 6E from Intel compared to an inconspicuous Wi-Fi 6E for AMD).
As for the many specs that the Intel and AMD variants of the Nitro 16 share, both feature Nvidia graphics, maxing out at RTX 4060 and 8GB of dedicated GDDR6 RAM. Cheaper models swap this for either an RTX 4050 or 3050.
Their screens have a resolution of up to 2560 x 1600 with a brightness of 500 nits, a refresh rate of 165 Hz and a response time of 3 ms. The laptops each offer up to 32GB DDR5 SDRAM and 2TB storage. They have 76Wh batteries with poor 720p webcams.
Both versions of the Nitro 16 will launch in North America in May. They start at $1,400. If you’re considering the new models, you can expect a more detailed configuration pricing breakdown on or around launch, so stay tuned.