I’m often on the move with PC Gamer, attending trade shows around the world hunting for the best gear. As a result, I usually have to hot-foot it through the booths, keeping my beady eyes out for the most desirable PC gaming kit—and I distinctly remember the refreshed Acer Predator Helios Neo models stopping me in my tracks this year.
That’s because of their crisp-edged, professional-looking designs, their lovely-looking OLED displays, and the distinct impression that I’d rather have one of them in my backpack than my ageing 2021 Razer lappy, which is starting to feel a touch behind the times. In short, they’re gaming laptops I’ve been known to lust over on my travels, and this Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S for $1,200 at Best Buy proper now has me quite smitten.
For a begin, though the chassis has a large rear lip, it isn’t the large whale-tail you will discover on many desktop alternative fashions. The entire factor has a tasteful sleekness to it, which feels remarkably strong within the palms with out being too hefty. The keyboard feels fairly grand, too, and it is simply a laptop computer you may whip out on the prepare or in an airport lounge with out trying like a stereotypical gamer-on-the-go.
Sure, this one’s solely acquired a cellular RTX 5060, however at the very least it is the complete 115 W spec, which we have discovered to be fairly performant in different lappys we have examined, just like the Asus TUF A14 2025. Okay, so that one’s 5 W off the pace, but the performance should be fairly similar nonetheless.
Plus, the CPU here is a bit of a barnstormer, too, being a 24-core (eight Performance, 16 Efficient) Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, which is remarkably beefy. Match that up with 16 GB of DDR5 (upgradeable despite the relative slimness, which is sweet) and you have got a reasonably highly effective machine wrapped up within the type of chassis you may use in a gathering with out embarrassment, in addition to gaming at dwelling.
There are a few caveats to pay attention to, although. Firstly, though it is acquired a “stop-you-in-your-tracks” 1600p 240 Hz OLED panel, that is an entire lot of pixels and refresh charge for the RTX 5060 to deal with, even at high wattage spec—so you will want some DLSS and Multi Frame Generation assist to benefit from it. Plus, given the high-spec CPU in such a tidy body, I’d think about it is fairly noisy below duress.
But in any other case, I reckon this can be a very fascinating gaming laptop computer for an excellent enticing worth. Should I be a lesser man, I may need walked away with one tucked below my arm within the hope that no-one would discover, however alas, morals acquired in the way in which. Just kidding, Acer. Please do not bar me from the sales space subsequent 12 months.
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