With the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16, you’re getting a midrange gaming laptop that easily competes with some high-end gaming laptops at a fraction of the price. Acer emphasizes power more than anything else, including parts that you’d normally expect to pay upwards of $2,000 for a refreshed upgrade. These include a workstation-class 13th generation Intel ire HX processor, a snappy SSD, and a crisp 16-inch display.
It is a fairly bulk model, but most recent laptops with 16:10 aspect ratios are bulky either way. Beyond performance and a bigger display, the Helios Neo 16 gives budget-minded gamers a fairly workable alternative to the Asus TUF F15, our current Editor’s Choice for budget gaming laptops.
About the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71-76H5
Here are the specs of the Neo 16 in this review:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-13650HX
- RAM: 16GB DDR5 / 4800MHz
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060
- Display: 16-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200p), 165Hz refresh rate, IPS-level
- Storage: 512GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD
- Ports: 2 x Thunderbolt 4, 3 x USB-A 3.2, HDMI 2.1, Micro SD card slot, Ethernet port, 3.5 mm combo jack, Kensington lock
- Networking: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
- Weight: 5.73 lbs
- Dimensions: 14.18 x 11.02 x 1.05 inches
- Battery: 90Whr
The Helios Neo 16’s impressive specs: It boasts a 14-core processor from Intel’s 13th-gen Core product line and an Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics solution that can handle ray tracing. This combination is solid enough for both gaming and content creation. Acer also has the 2024 model of this laptop -the Acer Predator Helios 18 with a bigger screen, a higher resolution, a more powerful processor, and an RTX 4080 graphics card.
What We Like
Solid gaming performance for the price
The Helios PHN16-71-76H5 is a good bet for 1200p gaming, and you can even squeeze some decent frame rates on 1440p gaming. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU with 8GB dedicated memory is no slouch when it comes to pushing framerates. It is a better gaming card than its predecessor the RTX 3060, meaning you’re getting better performance for around the same price you’d spend on an RTX 3060-equipped gaming laptop.
The Nvidia RTX 4060 spits out an average of 138 fps in Shadow of the Tomb Raider at a 1200p resolution and maximum graphics settings. The score drops to 94 fps in 1600p resolution, which is still fine for a gaming laptop at this price. It also averages 104 fps in Assassin’s Creed Mirage again at 1200p and maximum graphics settings, and 85 fps in 1600p same settings.
On Cyberpunk 2077, one of the most popular and punishing games on graphics cards, the Neo 16 holds its own against laptops that cost even more. The game averages 87 fps using high settings with ray tracing enabled, DLSS Balanced and DLSS frame generation enabled at 1600p. Stepping down to 1200p, the figure rises to 66 fps. Gamers who crave top-tier ray-tracing performance will need to shop for a more expensive laptop, an RTX 4080/4090 GPU would be ideal.
Still, there’s no doubt the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 can handle modern games. The most demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077, will hit above 60 fps at 1200p at the highest settings, but the vast majority of games aren’t as taxing. Gamers looking to plain mainstream titles like Grand Theft Auto V, Call of Duty, or Valorant will see smooth gameplay at the highest settings.
The ‘Raptor Lake’ processor is great for work and play
The Predator Helios Neo 16 features an Intel Core i7-13650HX CPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB Gen 4 SSD. It’s faster than prior 12th-gen hardware but neck-to-neck with its AMD competition. What impresses most isn’t Intel’s performance but Acer’s pricing.
The Neo PHN16-71-76H5 has no problem handling everyday productivity tasks. You can use the laptop for work and everyday tasks, and you’ll find it speedy and responsive even with well over 20 open tabs and a YouTube video running in the background, the Helios Neo 16 keeps chugging along without stuttering or freezing. Still, the 13th generation Intel Core i7-13650HX processor used here does perform as strongly as more expensive laptops.
Compared, the Asus ROG Strix G16 offers better overall gaming and productivity performance, thanks to an Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU, and a 16:10 QHD 240Hz refresh screen, but comes with a similar Core i7 processor; all for almost the same price. While Asus doesn’t hike the price for the RTX 4070 graphics card, the Strix G16 remains a good choice for budget gamers offering solid gaming performance, a comfortable keyboard, and a beautiful design.
The display is great for gamers
The tall aspect ratio (16:10) is the latest crave among gaming laptops and a better move from the squeezed 16:9 of laptops from previous years. It seems like everybody, from Asus, Dell and now Acer is opting for 16-inch display sizes instead of 15.6-inches. Though this display is only 1920 by 1200 in pixels, it’s still reasonably sharp.
Better still, the blend of a high brightness level and 165Hz refresh rate ensures that you have a decent display for gaming and surfing around websites. And while most budget gaming laptops opt for cheap displays that cover only 45% of the NTSC color space, Acer opted for a more colorful display that delivers more vibrant visuals at every angle.
The keyboard on the other hand, while very usable, isn’t the best in its class. Still, you’ll love it for being large, flashy, and boasting a very generous key layout. It covers the whole width of the base leaving a very small area on either side. All that space made it possible for Acer to squeeze in full-sized arrow keys, a numpad, media keys, and some useful hotkeys – one which calls the Acer PredatorSense utility apps with a single press.
What We Don’t Like
Battery life isn’t great
The Helios Neo 16 has a 90-watt-hour battery. This isn’t a large battery for a gaming laptop and it leads to mediocre battery life in tests.
As powerful as the Helios Neo 16 is, it shows abysmal battery life, which is almost a throwback to the old days of desktop replacements from five or six years that wouldn’t last an hour idling away from an outlet.
The PHN16-71-76H5 will last a paltry three hours on a single charge, but we have gaming laptops such as the Asus ROG Strix G16 that last well over 8 hours on a single charge. This is one laptop you’ll need to keep it plugged at pretty much all times, if you carry it along, you cannot stay too far away from an outlet. That’s not all, the sizeable power pack adds even more weight to your backpack.
Should you buy it?
Yes, the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71-76H5 offers tremendous bang for the buck.
We have reviewed several configurations of the Acer Predator Helios over the years, but with this version, Acer is offering plenty of bang for your buck – the higher-spec configurations aren’t ridiculously expensive, either. Its battery is lacking and audio is thin, but everything else works in favor of this machine.
If we consider the price-performance ratio, everything from the 16:10 aspect ratio screen to the 13th-gen processor and RTX 4060 GPU underlines a laptop that’s priced low enough to remain competitive with desktops.
Overall, the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71-76H5 is a great laptop for gamers and content creators who want a laptop that will serve as a desktop replacement. And above remaining budget-friendly, Acer optimizes its internals to deliver respectable 1080p (or 1200p) gameplay from an RTX 4060.
Recommended Configuration
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 Gaming Laptop | Intel Core i7-13650HX | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 | 16" WUXGA 1920 x 1200 165Hz G-SYNC Display | 16GB DDR5 | 512GB Gen 4 SSD | Killer Wi-Fi 6E | PHN16-71-76H5
$999.99 in stock
The Review
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71-76H5 is a great budget-friendly option for gamers on a budget, but craving decent performance, gamer-centric styling, and lots of port options for a fraction of the price of a high-end laptop.
PROS
- Stellar performance for the price
- Incredibly bright display
- Touchpad is a breeze
- Plenty of ports
CONS
- Abysmal battery life
- Bulky than its competitors
Review Breakdown
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ARS SCORE
