Excellent review as ever thanks! I have the little brother, the Helios 14 with mini led and 4070. Very happy with it so far. This one sells at €3100 in my region with discounts applied, so only slightly more than the Alienware M18 with identical spec except for mini LED display.
Recently, I tried two of the 16 inch models with the Mini LED screen but returned both in favor of the normal IPS display. The Mini LED screen seems to be bad on some machines, showing a noticable strong bloom between darker and brighter areas on the screen, more than other machines with Mini LED. This becomes especially clear when your entire screen is black (but on) and you search for your cursor. Instead of being white, the cursor is dark grey and barely visible because the black blooming into the white. In comparison, the IPS display has not shown such issues yet and I can safely recommend it. I therefore recommend everyone to inspect your laptop screens carefully in case you bought the Mini LED variant.
Interesting price, but unfortunately the 2024 Helios 18 did not do that well in our written review: www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-Predator-Helios-18-2024-laptop-review-New-hardware-for-the-18-inch-gamer.808564.0.html
Hey, Trusteft here, I moved my subscription to this new account of mine for ease of use for me. Oh love the edit/transition at the 00:04 nicely done! The laptop looks good.
Great review! I couldn't wait and bought it before you reviewed it, I have solved the SSD throttling by applying heatsinks to both SSD-s (I added one more). While playing Alan Wake 2 (which I see you are enjoying as well) I had some CPU throttling and sometimes CPU temps reached 100, the laptop is sitting on a cooling stand and was in performance mode. Are you sure the back ports are thunderbolt? I have the same hw version, just the 240hz 500 nit non mini led screen.
Hello there. I am one of those weirdos who likes gaming on a laptop, as I like to watch other things at the same time. I had a couple of Alienwares, now using a 2020 HP Omen 17 which has been really good and FAR more cost effective than the AW. Better screen too. Now in the market for a new laptop, and really liked the idea of 18 inch instead of 17. Most really good 18 inch ones are silly money, so this Helios 18 seems the best option for £2600 with Acer. Thing is, HP are offering me an insane deal as a teacher on the new Omen 17 with the RTX 4090, which would be under £2000! So on the Helios, I'd be paying £600 for a slightly bigger screen and inferior GPU, as well as what you report is a slow SSD. Which one would you advise?
I think they kind of "rebranded" the 14th Gen Model as Acer Predator Helios Neo 16/18. We already reviewed both on the website. www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-Predator-Helios-18-2024-laptop-review-New-hardware-for-the-18-inch-gamer.808564.0.html www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-Predator-Helios-Neo-16-2024-review-Gaming-laptop-with-RTX-4070-and-DCI-P3-panel.834996.0.html
Hey man i hope you can answer me this question.. I'm stuck in choosing between the Helios 16 rtx 4080 or Alienware M16 4080 or the strix G 16 4080 all with i9 I do video editing so need the color gamut so i picked these 3 .... ( Suggest me if anything else is considered best ) *And i heard the mini led panel on helios has too much of blooming effect and low battery life compared with the competition. * The strix G 16 s build quality is not good * Heard M16 is too heavy at 3.25 kg , the screen isn't good and the charger is from stone age. So i really appreciate if you can help me in deciding one. my budget is under 2.5 k $ Thanks in advance
If you like the Helios 16 in general, I recommend you to go with the non Mini LED 4080 option, if available. I too noticed a strong brightness blooming on the two machines I tried.
@@shanmukhsrikar Between the normal IPS and Mini LED panel there's only a difference of 2,7 percent (according to the stats from NotebookcheckReviews). That's still really good and by no means insufficient, since 100 percent is difficult to reach. Tho I don't know at what percentage your threshhold lies for the color gamut.
Thank you for the review. If strongest point and allure of this model is, in your opinion, 250Hz Oled screen, how would the 240Hz WQXGA version feel? Still a good buy with the weak speakers, loud fans without the Oled? Price wise, it is around 25% cheaper than MSI Raider equivalent so does that difference make up for the shortcomings?
While I have not seen the IPS panel, if it is on a similar level to the one we tested in the Helios 16, most of what I said still holds. Keep in mind the crazy loud fans are only a problem in Turbo-Mode, while Performance and Balanced are quite a bit better than competing products. And if you save a buck or two, then the Helios 18 is a clear recommendation.
The IPS panel is great overall in my opinion, especially if you are not used to Mini LED screens. In my opinion, it's even a safer bet since I experienced issues with the Mini LED screen on two Helios 16 devices.
@@FlorinAntonoaei Both 250hz Mini-LED options I had tested last year had displays with a strong darkness bloom, one you couldn't disable and which lowered the display quality a lot.
If you are willing to make the jump to the larger display. The MiniLED display is a lot better than the Legions Panel, the Lenovo is much easier to fit in a backpack tho and has the slightly better build chassis.
You can get a rough idea in our noise performance section: 06:20 And we got more detais in our written review: www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-Predator-Helios-18-laptop-review-RTX-4080-gamer-with-MiniLED-display-at-over-1-000-nits.762877.0.html
Great review on Helios 18, Alex. Helios 18 may not perform at top of 18 inches laptop this year, but it definitely offers one of the best price to performance ratio.
I found out the cash curve(piggy bank cow). They won't give you an 18" 4050. I mean I understand "why" but it's not like it wouldn't work. Once you get lower than 4060 they swap it out for a non gaming gpu. @@NotebookcheckReviews
i have the 4080 helios 16 and its speakers are terribad, its loud on max fans/turbo and hot otherwise. no undervolting since acer locked it, few options in BIOS, predatorsense has some bugs, wifi speed is slow compared to my very old macbook. but its IPS display is probably the best in any gaming laptop (I can't use anything with PWM!) and it has no problems with gaming. so everything alex said is spot on!
Thank you for sharing your experience. The IPS in the Helios is definitely a very good one, but most other 16" at a similar price point also came with pretty solid screens this year!
Great Review, in terms of the display how does it compare to the zenbook Pro 16in Oled? I know the Zenbook is an Oled, so on paper will have better contrast….but I keep hearing very impressive things about the 250 hertz mini led in this panel.
My biggest concerned about the Helios is that Acer seems to have quality control issues like possible bad thermals, dead pixels, etc, and this thing always seems to be out of stock at Best Buy
@@NotebookcheckReviews reviews on it on Best Buy are mixed. Some users on reddit early in the year had bad thermals or poor paste job. It got better as the months went by but at the start, it was like this. Also, some users said that Acer customer support is really bad
@@reaper7910I own the 16 inch model and I strongly do not recommend their laptops due to how much they lock down user controls. You cannot even adjust a custom fan curve, set custom TDP limits, undervolt as my unit reaches a whopping 108C and constantly exceeds 100c on moderate tasks. Additionally, my unit has the worse backlight bleed issues that it's noticeable on darker hues. Buy at your own risk but I would personally look at other brands.
I was stuck between Razer Blade and the Acer Predator but this review has helped me decide that it will be the Acer Thank you for your help Now the only question is 4070, 80 or 90
Bro i have a Acer predator helios 16 which has an i9 13900hx processor and RTX 4070 is there any issue in this varient related to color accuracy as I do too much color grade & editing work please help❤
Thank You a lot for this review. I came to know that acer predator helios 18 uses PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) technology for brightness level control. So my question, did you noticed any flickering or eye discomfort looking on the screen under 100% brightness level? Please provide detailed explanation...
too much flex in the lid. Every laptop i've ever had with a large display that has that amount of flex in it pretty much has a 3-6 month life span before you start seeing lines in it
I don't really get the ssd problem. Can you explain a little bit. Can that be fixed by replacing a new ssd? Some were also saying that mini led is not that great. Should I go for this one over the 16" predator helios 16 Or should I wait for the newer versions
Ist der helios 18, wenn man lediglich im internet surft, mit maximaler helligkeit, sehr leise? Oder gehen selbst da die lüfter an? Würde es gerne auch in der bibliothek benutzen. Der acer nitro wirft dagegen leider schon beim internet surfen die lüfter an... Kann man zudem beim asus rog strix G18 oder scar, die lüfter so niedrig einstellen, das sie nicht mehr zu hören sind?
It's like all content creators only talk about games. There lame because the mechanics have been the same since 2001. Please if someone is an audio producer, audio designer I'd like to see a video like this but I can't simply find one because more and more people are all about the same old games since 2001 lol.
It's just that most people buy these notebooks for gaming, and audio is quite a niche. But I will keep it in mind; maybe we can do one of our more content-creator-focused videos about audio production next time.
I love the fan noise samples section. That is pretty cool to see.
Glad you likte it!
Excellent review as ever thanks! I have the little brother, the Helios 14 with mini led and 4070. Very happy with it so far. This one sells at €3100 in my region with discounts applied, so only slightly more than the Alienware M18 with identical spec except for mini LED display.
Sweet, I am actually trying to get my hands on that config for a review. I really enjoyed the 14" last year with the OLED panel ...
You bought it at that price?
@@adamal9560 No, they have an early black Friday sale and the price I think is fair for what you are getting (other than a decent warranty!)
Recently, I tried two of the 16 inch models with the Mini LED screen but returned both in favor of the normal IPS display.
The Mini LED screen seems to be bad on some machines, showing a noticable strong bloom between darker and brighter areas on the screen, more than other machines with Mini LED.
This becomes especially clear when your entire screen is black (but on) and you search for your cursor.
Instead of being white, the cursor is dark grey and barely visible because the black blooming into the white.
In comparison, the IPS display has not shown such issues yet and I can safely recommend it.
I therefore recommend everyone to inspect your laptop screens carefully in case you bought the Mini LED variant.
there is a setting for that. single zone backlit for normal desktop usage and multi zone for media and games.
@@TEX_Geek Is that option present on Acer mini led laptops? Afaik only Asus laptops have it
The 4090 250hz is currently on sale on Best Buy for $2650😮!!! Insane
Interesting price, but unfortunately the 2024 Helios 18 did not do that well in our written review:
www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-Predator-Helios-18-2024-laptop-review-New-hardware-for-the-18-inch-gamer.808564.0.html
@@NotebookcheckReviewswill check this out, what’s the performing 4080 and 4090 laptop brand between Acer, Asus, Lenovo and msi currently ?????
Do you think i should get this or the asus strix rog 18 4080
Hey, Trusteft here, I moved my subscription to this new account of mine for ease of use for me.
Oh love the edit/transition at the 00:04 nicely done!
The laptop looks good.
tempted to buy this on sale for 1999 usd atm
Great review! I couldn't wait and bought it before you reviewed it, I have solved the SSD throttling by applying heatsinks to both SSD-s (I added one more). While playing Alan Wake 2 (which I see you are enjoying as well) I had some CPU throttling and sometimes CPU temps reached 100, the laptop is sitting on a cooling stand and was in performance mode. Are you sure the back ports are thunderbolt? I have the same hw version, just the 240hz 500 nit non mini led screen.
So my choice will be between this or the Asus Strix 18. I'll keep looking up videos between the 2. But I want the 4090 variant.
Video coming soon for the 2024 4090 variant!
@@NotebookcheckReviewsI just bought the 4090 version looking forward to the video 👍
@@anthonyflores7547 for how much
Perfect title and great gameing laptop❤
Thank you!
How cool if they made a hidden projector lens that folds in but can display a 50" screen on a white wall?!
What a beast of a laptop! Imma buy one. 😊😊
Have fun, I am currently testing the 2024 variant with an RTX 4090.
Hello there. I am one of those weirdos who likes gaming on a laptop, as I like to watch other things at the same time. I had a couple of Alienwares, now using a 2020 HP Omen 17 which has been really good and FAR more cost effective than the AW. Better screen too.
Now in the market for a new laptop, and really liked the idea of 18 inch instead of 17. Most really good 18 inch ones are silly money, so this Helios 18 seems the best option for £2600 with Acer. Thing is, HP are offering me an insane deal as a teacher on the new Omen 17 with the RTX 4090, which would be under £2000! So on the Helios, I'd be paying £600 for a slightly bigger screen and inferior GPU, as well as what you report is a slow SSD. Which one would you advise?
Hey man I’m looking for a acre too if u bought it are u happy with it?
in headphones is it okay? that turbo noise?
I use a pair of Sony XM5's with ANC and you can't hear anything.
Thanks for the review!
Nice video!
In my opinion, if the fan noise wouldn’t be so loud it would be the perfect laptop!
Sure thing, and it’s really wifey-friendly if you stay away from the turbo mode ;)
Nice that large laptops get coverage here. Most media only covers 13"-15" models while the big screens get neglected.
For sure, I personally really enjoy that particular form factor!
@@NotebookcheckReviews Same. Keep it up 👍
Hey man. Is the Helios and Preditor 18 inch models the same line up?
Yes!
@@NotebookcheckReviews I’m seeing 14xx processors in some models. But they didn’t market it as a rerelease after the 1300s?
I think they kind of "rebranded" the 14th Gen Model as Acer Predator Helios Neo 16/18.
We already reviewed both on the website.
www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-Predator-Helios-18-2024-laptop-review-New-hardware-for-the-18-inch-gamer.808564.0.html
www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-Predator-Helios-Neo-16-2024-review-Gaming-laptop-with-RTX-4070-and-DCI-P3-panel.834996.0.html
@@NotebookcheckReviews Ah ok. Thankyou!
Hey man i hope you can answer me this question..
I'm stuck in choosing between the Helios 16 rtx 4080 or Alienware M16 4080 or the strix G 16 4080 all with i9
I do video editing so need the color gamut so i picked these 3 .... ( Suggest me if anything else is considered best )
*And i heard the mini led panel on helios has too much of blooming effect and low battery life compared with the competition.
* The strix G 16 s build quality is not good
* Heard M16 is too heavy at 3.25 kg , the screen isn't good and the charger is from stone age.
So i really appreciate if you can help me in deciding one. my budget is under 2.5 k $
Thanks in advance
If you like the Helios 16 in general, I recommend you to go with the non Mini LED 4080 option, if available.
I too noticed a strong brightness blooming on the two machines I tried.
@@zocker018_boss thanks for your suggestion but the other panel doesn't have the dci p3 gamut properly :(
@@shanmukhsrikar Between the normal IPS and Mini LED panel there's only a difference of 2,7 percent (according to the stats from NotebookcheckReviews).
That's still really good and by no means insufficient, since 100 percent is difficult to reach.
Tho I don't know at what percentage your threshhold lies for the color gamut.
the price difference from dollar to euro... how comes its that extreme?
0:48 what's that game? :)
Alan Wake II!
What do you recommend?
helio neo 16 or the helio 18 or the rog strix 16? Help please
Thank you for the review. If strongest point and allure of this model is, in your opinion, 250Hz Oled screen, how would the 240Hz WQXGA version feel? Still a good buy with the weak speakers, loud fans without the Oled? Price wise, it is around 25% cheaper than MSI Raider equivalent so does that difference make up for the shortcomings?
While I have not seen the IPS panel, if it is on a similar level to the one we tested in the Helios 16, most of what I said still holds.
Keep in mind the crazy loud fans are only a problem in Turbo-Mode, while Performance and Balanced are quite a bit better than competing products.
And if you save a buck or two, then the Helios 18 is a clear recommendation.
The IPS panel is great overall in my opinion, especially if you are not used to Mini LED screens.
In my opinion, it's even a safer bet since I experienced issues with the Mini LED screen on two Helios 16 devices.
@@zocker018_boss, what issues did you experience?
@@FlorinAntonoaei Both 250hz Mini-LED options I had tested last year had displays with a strong darkness bloom, one you couldn't disable and which lowered the display quality a lot.
Would you recommend this puppy beast over a Legion Pro 7i RTX 4080? Currently just over £2600 in BF sale on Acer Store UK!
If you are willing to make the jump to the larger display.
The MiniLED display is a lot better than the Legions Panel, the Lenovo is much easier to fit in a backpack tho and has the slightly better build chassis.
Seems like a solid deal, fan noise aside. I guess use a good noise canceling headset with it.
Well, in performance or balanced it is actually really good!
how is the performance variation gor the fifferent power modes?
You can get a rough idea in our noise performance section: 06:20
And we got more detais in our written review:
www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-Predator-Helios-18-laptop-review-RTX-4080-gamer-with-MiniLED-display-at-over-1-000-nits.762877.0.html
First 🥇
Great video ,you guys do best work.
Thanks for watching bud!
Great review on Helios 18, Alex. Helios 18 may not perform at top of 18 inches laptop this year, but it definitely offers one of the best price to performance ratio.
It sure does, and then there is the display advantage!
By the way, I can't agree with you any more that Acer would offer Helios 18 with an RTX 4090@@NotebookcheckReviews
Still one of the best desktop replacement laptop. I'll probably wait for prices to go down tho 😂
Agreed! The overall package of the Helios, especially with that MiniLED option is just sooo good!
True that, and waiting to see what the Triton 17x is gonna be like. It is already dropping a bit in price in the Netherlands right now.
The only 18 inch I can find for under $1500.. Atm? Or, by design.
Yeah, most other manufacturers, instead treat their 18" models like their flagship devices.
I found out the cash curve(piggy bank cow). They won't give you an 18" 4050. I mean I understand "why" but it's not like it wouldn't work. Once you get lower than 4060 they swap it out for a non gaming gpu. @@NotebookcheckReviews
Great video, Please also review the 17x as well
I am trying my man, i am trying ;)
Hello are you sure its 175w for the GPU? I read it was 165w..
Can you confirm it pls? Thanks 💪
It says up to 175W in the specs
i have the 4080 helios 16 and its speakers are terribad, its loud on max fans/turbo and hot otherwise. no undervolting since acer locked it, few options in BIOS, predatorsense has some bugs, wifi speed is slow compared to my very old macbook.
but its IPS display is probably the best in any gaming laptop (I can't use anything with PWM!) and it has no problems with gaming. so everything alex said is spot on!
Thank you for sharing your experience. The IPS in the Helios is definitely a very good one, but most other 16" at a similar price point also came with pretty solid screens this year!
Great Review, in terms of the display how does it compare to the zenbook Pro 16in Oled?
I know the Zenbook is an Oled, so on paper will have better contrast….but I keep hearing very impressive things about the 250 hertz mini led in this panel.
Yo Guys let me know your thoughts I’m hovering over buying either!
Nice review! Looks like a decent machine, though i imagine having one's very own jet turbine on a desk could be a bit offputting.
Only if you use Turbo Mode, the other performance profiles are actually very competitive!
My biggest concerned about the Helios is that Acer seems to have quality control issues like possible bad thermals, dead pixels, etc, and this thing always seems to be out of stock at Best Buy
Have their been any widespread concern about this particular generation?
@@NotebookcheckReviews reviews on it on Best Buy are mixed. Some users on reddit early in the year had bad thermals or poor paste job. It got better as the months went by but at the start, it was like this. Also, some users said that Acer customer support is really bad
@@reaper7910I own the 16 inch model and I strongly do not recommend their laptops due to how much they lock down user controls. You cannot even adjust a custom fan curve, set custom TDP limits, undervolt as my unit reaches a whopping 108C and constantly exceeds 100c on moderate tasks. Additionally, my unit has the worse backlight bleed issues that it's noticeable on darker hues. Buy at your own risk but I would personally look at other brands.
Thanks for sharing folks!
Nice Volcom hoodie :')
Thanks :D
Just got one for 900 bucks what a steal. Thank you eBay a er store
I was stuck between Razer Blade and the Acer Predator but this review has helped me decide that it will be the Acer
Thank you for your help
Now the only question is 4070, 80 or 90
Take 4080 it's the sweet spot, 4090 is only 10-15% better for way more money to add. It is just my opinion.
Agree @@tilu8696
How about fan noise?
Proficient review. Keep it up.
Much appreciated!
Hopefully Razer brings this or a similar panel to their Blade 18 next year!
Jepp, I would not mind some more MiniLED options in 2024!
Bro i have a Acer predator helios 16 which has an i9 13900hx processor and RTX 4070 is there any issue in this varient related to color accuracy as I do too much color grade & editing work please help❤
Have you seen our video?
ua-cam.com/video/1WdcN7KNg0A/v-deo.html
I wish this guy makes some ASMR videos
We can talk about it at 100k subs 😂
Just for that I subscribed!@@NotebookcheckReviews
Thank You a lot for this review. I came to know that acer predator helios 18 uses PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) technology for brightness level control. So my question, did you noticed any flickering or eye discomfort looking on the screen under 100% brightness level? Please provide detailed explanation...
too much flex in the lid. Every laptop i've ever had with a large display that has that amount of flex in it pretty much has a 3-6 month life span before you start seeing lines in it
I don't really get the ssd problem. Can you explain a little bit. Can that be fixed by replacing a new ssd? Some were also saying that mini led is not that great. Should I go for this one over the 16" predator helios 16 Or should I wait for the newer versions
In the Acer PredatorSense software, can I run turbo mode without the overclock Acer auto applies to it?
Acer laptops with miniled are hoaxes. Never seen them anywhere other on their website and in UA-cam reviews.
Let us hope availability will improve soon!
Ist der helios 18, wenn man lediglich im internet surft, mit maximaler helligkeit, sehr leise? Oder gehen selbst da die lüfter an?
Würde es gerne auch in der bibliothek benutzen. Der acer nitro wirft dagegen leider schon beim internet surfen die lüfter an...
Kann man zudem beim asus rog strix G18 oder scar, die lüfter so niedrig einstellen, das sie nicht mehr zu hören sind?
The speakers absolutely suck on this laptop. The worst I’ve ever heard.
That thing is sexy
It's like all content creators only talk about games. There lame because the mechanics have been the same since 2001. Please if someone is an audio producer, audio designer I'd like to see a video like this but I can't simply find one because more and more people are all about the same old games since 2001 lol.
Modern day laptop CPU specs are overkill for audio production, there isn't much to say there.
It's just that most people buy these notebooks for gaming, and audio is quite a niche.
But I will keep it in mind; maybe we can do one of our more content-creator-focused videos about audio production next time.
Acer Predator Hideous 😂
:D
😂 ik broo😭 but the performance is better than the g18 😭
Yep
That interior looks horrible. It just feels cheap and terribly built.