Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 AI review: Stuck between small and strong

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The Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 AI (PHN14-71-939W) is Acer’s newest stab at a compact gaming laptop computer. It’s a formulation that will have began with Razer however has caught on with many laptop computer makers, seeing some particularly spectacular fashions hit the scene just like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14. 

While this pattern is mostly centered round excellence in design met with respectable efficiency that you simply wouldn’t count on from such a machine, Acer didn’t appear to completely decide to the bit. This ends in the Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 AI being a bit too huge and heavy within the identify of efficiency whereas nonetheless lagging behind the everyday gaming laptops that don’t fear as a lot about their weight. There’s nonetheless a whole lot of good concerning the Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 AI, however in the long run it simply doesn’t stand out. 

Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 AI: Specs and options

• Model quantity: PHN14-71-939W
• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 processor 285H
• Memory: 16GB LPDDR5X-7467
• Graphics/GPU: Nvidia RTX 5060 115W
• Display: 14.5-inch 2880×1800 120Hz OLED, Glossy, G-Sync
• Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD
• Webcam: 1080p IR
• Connectivity: 1x Thunderbolt 4 with Power Delivery and DisplayPort Alternate Mode, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 with Power Delivery and DisplayPort Alternate Mode, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x microSD card reader, 1x 3.5mm combo audio
• Networking: WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4
• Biometrics: Windows Hello facial recognition
• Battery capability: 76 watt-hours
• Dimensions: 12.77 x 10.07 x 1.02 inches
• Weight: 4.14 kilos
• MSRP: $1,699 as-tested ($1,699 base)

We examined the bottom mannequin, which comes priced at $1,699. For $1,899, you may improve to a configuration with an RTX 5070 and get double the system reminiscence — a really wise improve, particularly contemplating you may’t improve the reminiscence after buy. 

Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 AI: Design and construct high quality

Foundry / Mark Knapp

Acer doesn’t seem to have modified an excessive amount of concerning the outward look of its laptop computer with this technology. There are a couple of tweaks right here and there such as a special keyboard deck and a bigger cutout above the show to accommodate an IR-backed webcam. But the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI seems to comply with up on the prior Helios Neo 14 mannequin with largely under-the-hood upgrades. 

This leaves you with a fairly compact and light-weight gaming laptop computer, although not one which’s pushing the boundaries. The Predator Helios Neo 14 AI remains to be 4.14 kilos, and although it has a slim profile, its thickest level is a hair over an inch thick (rubber toes included).

Acer additionally made the unlucky selection of actually jutting out on the rear for exhaust, giving the system a 10.07-inch depth that made it exhausting to suit right into a laptop computer sleeve. The disgrace of it’s that rear exhaust port seems to be largely superfluous. Acer didn’t load it up with a beefy radiator stack — the final half-inch or so of the area is usually empty.

The remainder of the laptop computer’s construct is a mixture of good and meh. The Predator Helios Neo 14 AI will get an aluminum show lid and base, however the keyboard deck is plastic. The show can be flanked by plastic bezels. Though the laptop computer feels moderately sturdy, there’s just a bit extra flex to the show and light-weight creaking to the bottom than I like. The hinges maintain the show firmly in place and don’t wiggle a lot after transferring the display. The base of the laptop computer can be heavy sufficient to remain in place and make it doable to open the laptop computer with one hand. 

Acer has set the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI to drag in air from the underside and high of the system, with a big grille above the keyboard hiding what are literally reasonably small intakes for the job. The exhaust occupies virtually all the rear half of the bottom, with vents on the edges and rear of the laptop computer.

Acer sits the laptop computer on 4 rubber toes that do a superb job maintaining it in place whereas additionally offering some clearance for the underside vents. Acer has quite a bit to say concerning the cooling structure contained in the system, however all that issues on the finish of the day is how efficient and loud (or quiet, ideally) it’s.

Fortunately, all of the airflow proved enough to let the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI run constantly beneath load, passing 3DMark’s Steel Nomad Light Stress Test. The followers are a bit of noisy when the system is beneath a heavy load (much more so within the Turbo mode), however typically not a trouble.

The Predator Helios Neo 14 AI is an honest sufficient trying laptop computer, however it’s exhausting to not view in direct comparability to the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 — not simply because I simply reviewed that laptop computer but additionally as a result of they’re aiming for a similar area of interest. And in that matchup, Acer’s laptop computer comes away feeling and looking like a disappointing also-ran. It’s bulkier, heavier, much less elegant, and feels cheaper. To be truthful, it is cheaper, however not by a lot. At least it has a Kensington lock slot. 

Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 AI: Keyboard, trackpad

Foundry / Mark Knapp

Like nearly each Acer laptop computer I’ve examined (which is many), the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI has a keyboard that’s exhausting to like. Rather than having useful contours to direct my fingers to the middle of every keycap, the keycaps bulge barely, tending to push me to the perimeters. And with out good stability, I can find yourself rolling off the perimeters a bit.

There’s additionally inconsistent tactility as the perimeters and facilities of keys depress otherwise. It’s solely due to this constant design on Acer keyboard that I’ve been capable of get so nicely acquainted with the quirks of those keyboards to have the ability to attain a typing pace over 110 phrases per minute in Monkeytype with an honest diploma of accuracy, however this pace is rarely comfy or assured. 

To squeeze in full-size arrow keys, Acer shrunk the fitting shift key, which might make utilizing it extra tedious. Acer has additionally included a column of additional media management keys on the proper fringe of the laptop computer. The result’s that the principle keyboard is shifted barely left of the laptop computer’s centerline, which simply is probably not a problem for gaming however makes the laptop computer that little bit extra annoying to make use of for typing. 

The Predator Helios Neo 14 AI’s keyboard contains enjoyable, RGB lighting that successfully illuminates the complete legends on the keys. It is simply three-zone lighting, although, not providing per-key customization. By default, Windows controls this lighting and PredatorSense indicated as a lot. But this awkwardly made the built-in keyboard shortcuts for adjusting lighting ranges not work constantly, and there was no shortcut to the Windows settings for keyboard lighting. 

The trackpad on the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI is ok, however not spectacular. It’s clean and responsive. The bodily click on is a bit stiff and has an unsatisfying thunk. While it’s sufficiently big, it feels virtually tiny coming from the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14.

Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 AI: Display, audio

Foundry / Mark Knapp

The Predator Helios Neo 14 AI presents about nearly as good a show as you’re more likely to discover in a gaming laptop computer of this class. That is to say, it presents a superb one which leaves little extra to be desired. It achieves 100 % protection of the DCI-P3 shade area and manages that with wonderful shade accuracy, hitting a max dE1976 of simply 1.93 and a median of 0.88. It can attain 431 nits for a full white display in HDR and 10 % home windows can attain 635 nits. Pair that brightness with the infinite distinction of OLED, and also you’ve received a display that actually pops.

It additionally zips alongside at a quick 120Hz for clean visuals in video games and on a regular basis operation whereas G-Sync helps keep away from tearing. If there’s something to knock, it’s the shiny end’s reflectivity, which might trigger some glare at decrease brightness ranges. The display additionally isn’t completely flat, with delicate warping that results in some funhouse mirror-style reflections.

The Predator Helios Neo 14 AI’s audio system put out a great deal of quantity, however they lean into the mids and treble an excessive amount of giving them a harsh high quality at excessive listening ranges. While you may depend on them in lieu of headphones sometimes, I’d keep away from gaming or listening to music on them, as that harsh high quality could be headache inducing after some time. 

Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 AI: Webcam, microphone, biometrics

The webcam and microphone on the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI really feel like a little bit of an afterthought. It’s good that the webcam helps Windows Hello facial recognition for fast sign-ins, however it might have been even nicer if the webcam seemed good in use. The digicam struggles with noise even in well-lit eventualities, and the graininess of the footage can find yourself trying very offputting and cut back readability regardless of the 1080p decision. 

The mics don’t assist a lot both, as they seize audio at very low stage. They don’t appear to wrestle with background noise, however that will simply be the results of failing to choose up a lot sound in any respect. After making a check recording, it was exhausting to listen to myself clearly in something however a silent room even with the laptop computer’s audio system maxed out.

Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 AI: Connectivity

Foundry / Mark Knapp

Acer has completed a superb job with the port choice on the system. It presents USB-A and USB-C ports on each side, and each USB-C ports help 90W PD energy enter and DisplayPort Alt Mode for video output. Only the left USB-C port gives Thunderbolt 4 speeds, however the remaining USB ports are all 10Gbps ports. There’s an HDMI 2.1 (48Gbps) port on the fitting aspect together with a microSD card slot.

Acer rounds out the choice with a 3.5mm headphone jack on the left. The left edge additionally features a barrel energy adapter to be used with the included energy brick. Having the choice to go away the heavy energy brick at residence and use a light-weight USB-C charger on the go is all the time pretty to see on lighter gaming laptops. 

The positioning of those ports is much less lucky. Since the rear of the laptop computer is essentially occupied with exhaust vents, all the ports are pushed ahead to the entrance fringe of the entrance half of the system. This could make utilizing the laptop computer with peripherals plugged in a bit of wonky. 

The wi-fi connectivity is stable with quick and steady Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4, which have labored reliably in my testing. 

Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 AI: Performance

All it takes is a fast have a look at the specs checklist to see that the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI is primed to be a solid-performing machine with ample CPU efficiency and respectable, if not mind-blowing GPU efficiency. That Predator Helios Neo 14 AI largely hits the mark, although there are some areas the place it falls a bit of quick. 

PCMark 10 reveals off the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI’s robust normal efficiency, with it delivering a extremely passable rating. Some gaming laptops push larger due to much more potent GPUs than the RTX 5060, however something above 5,000 factors is kind of good.

he Predator Helios Neo 14 AI might need gone even larger if it weren’t held again by its storage. Though the SSD included within the system hit over 7,100MB/s sequential reads and 6,100MB/s writes in CrystalDiskMark 9, its random learn and write speeds had been on the gradual aspect at round 380MB/s, which even some previous SATA SSDs can muster. 

The Intel Core Ultra 9 285H proves a robust inclusion for the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI. It carries the system to a stable lead over most of its rivals, with its 16 cores offering wonderful multi-core efficiency that the AMD competitors can’t fairly match. Its single-core efficiency can be wonderful, although extra readily rivaled by the Razer Blade 14 (2025)’s AMD Ryzen AI 9 365.

Newer isn’t all the time higher although, as we see the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI constantly lag behind the Intel Core i7-14700HX within the Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10 on each single-core and multi-core checks, possible due to that earlier chip’s 8P+12E configuration, which skips Low Power Efficient-cores fully and hits a better max turbo frequency. Still, it’s an in depth sufficient matchup, with the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI even pulling off a win in our Handbrake encoding check.

A powerful CPU is a good accomplice for a GPU, although energy and cooling can usually be the larger components in laptops. While the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI reveals stable efficiency in 3DMark’s Port Royal check, edging out the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 GA403UM that wields the identical GPU (however with a 100W energy restrict), Acer nonetheless falls behind each of Lenovo’s methods. Even with its Turbo energy setting boosting its rating to 7,337 factors, it lags behind these two and fails to catch as much as the Razer Blade 14’s RTX 5070.

That Turbo energy setting tends to solely provide a small uptick in efficiency whereas coming with an enormous noise penalty, seeing the fan noise go from cheap to annoying. 

While Port Royal may be very demanding of the GPU, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is an efficient showcase for the way 1080p gaming can profit from stronger CPU efficiency. Here we see the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI as soon as once more take the lead over Asus and the Lenovo LOQ 15, each of which trailed it in CPU efficiency. That lead isn’t fairly as nice as in pure CPU checks, however it’s a lead nonetheless.

We additionally see the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI not solely lag behind the Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10, but additionally shut the hole with the Razer Blade 14 due to its CPU efficiency.

A demanding recreation like Metro Exodus shifts the load again over to the GPU, so efficiency performs out once more very like it did within the Port Royal benchmark. Here, the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI once more fails to fairly sustain with Lenovo’s system, however stays forward of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14. 

Cyberpunk 2077 once more reveals how GPU energy and cooling could be essential in graphically demanding video games. The Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10 as soon as once more leads the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI. Performance remains to be respectable, with the system managing nicely above 60 FPS, but when pure efficiency is what you’re after, the Lenovo has the sting for a greater value.

Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 AI: Battery life

Performance and battery life are a positive balancing act, and although the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI doesn’t do horribly, it additionally doesn’t impress. It ran our 4K native video playback check for simply over 5 hours earlier than its 76Wh battery was drained. That provides it a much-needed win over the Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10, which dogged it in efficiency benchmarks.

But that leaves it under even the lifespan provided by the small 60Wh battery within the Lenovo LOQ 15 15AHP10, by no means thoughts how far it falls behind the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, which managed virtually 13 hours on a 72Wh battery.

Real-world battery use tends to see the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI fall extra within the vary of 4-5 hours, and even that may entail some conservative use of the show’s brightness. 

Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 AI: Conclusion

The Predator Helios Neo 14 AI is a reliable machine, however not fairly the one I’d suggest. While it tries to affix the fray of thinner and lighter gaming laptops, it doesn’t fairly hit its mark with a weight of over 4 kilos and awkward dimensions that may make it exhausting to suit into laptop computer sleeves.

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 fulfills that promise way more successfully, has a greater design, an equally wonderful show, for much longer battery life to go alongside the portability, and it presents shut sufficient efficiency (that even typically catches up in its Turbo mode) whereas costing an identical quantity.

And the place uncooked efficiency is extra of a priority than portability, the Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10 confirmed that it could beat the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI whereas costing far much less. Against its rivals, the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI constantly proves to be good, however simply not adequate.