Predator Helios Neo 16S: Powerful, Portable, Affordable
July 2, 2025
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Predator Helios Neo 16S: The Value King?
Summary
Acer’s latest gaming laptop, the Predator Helios Neo 16S "AI", enters the thin-and-light category with a surprising punch.
Table of contents:
A Surprisingly Affordable Powerhouse
What immediately stands out about the Helios Neo 16S is its spec-to-price ratio. For under $2,000, you get a Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, RTX 5070 Ti, 32GB of memory, and a gorgeous 2560x1600 OLED display. Comparable models from ASUS or Razer can run $700 more. It’s also one of the cheapest laptops currently shipping with a 5070 Ti GPU—critical in 2025 for games that now require more than 8GB of VRAM. The 5070 Ti comes with 12GB instead.
Performance & Thermals
- CPU & GPU: This machine punches above its weight. It consistently outperforms the Zephyrus G16—even the one with a 5080—in both synthetic benchmarks and real-world gaming, thanks to a better CPU it feeds a bit more wattage.
- Gaming: The 16S delivers smooth frame rates in titles like Cyberpunk and Final Fantasy Dawntrail, though it occasionally stumbles on 1% lows—especially with DLSS frame gen enabled.
- Creative Workloads: Excellent scores in Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve put it ahead of most competitors in its weight class.
- Thermals & Noise: The laptop feels warm even under light use, and fan noise gets very loud in performance modes. Still, it's quieter than many competitors during light tasks.
Chassis Design
- Build Quality: Less refined than the Zephyrus or Blade. There’s some chassis flex and its extended plastic rear makes it look less premium.
- Keyboard & Trackpad: Surprisingly solid. Typing is quiet but tactile, and the trackpad delivers impressive accuracy despite a loud click.
- Ports: Plenty of them, including 2.5G Ethernet and dual Thunderbolt 4 ports. Unfortunately, port placement is awkward and there's only a microSD reader—not ideal for creators.
Display & Battery Life
- Display: The OLED panel is vibrant with full sRGB and P3 coverage, 240Hz refresh rate, and G-Sync support. But there’s no dynamic refresh rate or way to drop to 60Hz, which kills battery life.
- Battery: A major downside. The high-power CPU and fixed refresh rate mean battery life barely reaches 3 hours, even during light use.
Upgradeability & Linux Support
The 16S has two RAM slots, two SSD slots, and an upgradeable Wi-Fi card—rare in thin gaming laptops. Even better, everything worked under Fedora 42 Linux out of the box.
Verdict
If performance and value are your top priorities, the Predator Helios Neo 16S is the best thin-and-light gaming laptop under $2,000 in 2025. Just be prepared for a warm chassis, short battery life, and some cost-cutting in build quality. If Acer patches the refresh rate issue, this machine could become an unbeatable pick for gamers and creators alike.