Lots of memory slots and lots of RGB: Acer Predator Helios 18 AI gaming laptop review

Earlier this year, many gaming laptop manufacturers announced plans to update their models with second-generation Intel Core Ultra chips and NVIDIA RTX 50 series video accelerators. Acer has now decided to go a little further, offering more memory slots in its flagship laptop, while refreshing the case with additional RBG lighting. And the strengths of such models do not end there. Our editorial team received the new product, and now we will tell you more about the Acer Predator Helios 18 AI in its almost top-end version.

Acer Predator Helios 18 AI Specifications

Package contents

Overall, the Acer Predator Helios 18 AI package could be called fairly standard — a laptop and a large power supply — that is, the bare minimum. But there are still a couple of nice additions.

Since this model offers significantly more space for replacing and adding memory, the manufacturer includes a small Memory Thermal PAD Upgrade Kit envelope, which will be useful for those owners who still plan to use as many available slots as possible.

Another box contains replaceable caps for the navigation and WSAD blocks, along with a magnetic tool for easier replacement. Another unusual element in laptop packaging, but we'll get to that later.

Let's assume that most buyers of such laptops are unlikely to need a gaming mouse or anything like that in the kit. But what they really might need, as in all cases of such laptops, is a large backpack. Such a laptop is unlikely to fit in most regular backpacks, so most likely the owner will still need to find something suitable for any trips with it.

Design and usability

This time, fans of the brand did not have to wait for a large-scale redesign of the Acer Predator Helios 18 AI. The silhouette of the case remained recognizable from previous versions, where the rear protrusion of the top case with transparent elements will leave almost no doubt about the origin of the laptop. The exclusively black case, which is also characteristic of this category of laptops, remained unchanged.

However, the updated model is emphasized by new and clearly visible lighting zones, which have become more numerous this year. In front is the left corner of the top case, which has been supplemented with appropriate diodes. And to the right of the trackpad, decorative strips and the Predator logo now glow. And as standard for this model, this is complemented by the "multi-colored" keyboard, the aforementioned rear protrusion of the top case and the main logo on top. All this is bright and noticeable. And so much so that I personally felt a little more comfortable with simple static light than some dynamic options.

Overall, the laptop really started to feel "fresher". Maybe not all users are fans of so much backlighting, but personally I liked the approach. If the manufacturer had refined the backlighting options a little and found more neutral options, it would have been better. But even static light of a neutral color still adds a pleasant atmosphere, especially when working in the evening with dim lighting in the room.

However, the dimensions, for obvious reasons, are quite large. The dimensions of the case are 401×307.9×29.55 mm, and the weight is 3.5 kg. The materials here are mostly plastic, and only the top cover of the display is metal. And this is not the kind of laptop that is convenient to move often, even from the workplace to the kitchen and back. Portability remains a rather weak point, but in the case when the user needs high performance with a hint of mobility, there are still not so many options. Although under such conditions, it may make sense to look at a slightly more compact 16-inch version, if trips are really in the plans.

The bottom of the case is traditionally unremarkable. There are large feet here, which create space for air circulation and hold the laptop in place well (the overall weight also helps with this). You won't need much support here, and the chassis is made quite well, so you won't have to borrow the confidence of the Acer Predator Helios 18 AI.

The experience of using such a model is generally not much different from other "desktop replacements". They all have "unsatisfactory" dimensions for transportation, and also require more space than regular laptops. But this is offset by all the other advantages of such models, and the flagships really have enough of them. And while working and playing with such a laptop at a regular workplace, I did not notice any noticeable gaps or design inconveniences.

Display

Depending on the configuration, the Acer Predator Helios 18 AI offers two display options — from 2560×1600 to 3840×2400 pixels. And in fact, the first option is enough even for 18 inches, especially since it allows you to get higher FPS, which for some competitive games is more important than additional pixels on the screen. However, in the case of working with images, the 4K option can also be a good choice.

In the test model, we have a variant with 2560×1600 pixels, which also has one advantage. While with a higher resolution the image refresh rate reaches 120 Hz, with a lower one it is 250. And yes, the difference will not really be noticeable to everyone, and it is unlikely that buyers without experience using faster matrices will feel a significant improvement (or deterioration). Still, the point is worth paying extra attention to, especially when purchasing an expensive device.

Also in both cases these are IPS-matrices (from previous models) with full coverage of the DCI-P3 color space. The screens of flagship gaming laptops have long since caught up with the image quality of media options and are increasingly able to pleasantly surprise with a cool picture. Actually, the Acer Predator Helios 18 AI is just one of them. And even though there are practically no variable parameters in the display settings, for the vast majority of buyers this is unlikely to be a problem.

An additional pleasant moment is the use of mini LED backlighting, which will be appreciated by those owners who tend to watch movies in the dark. Especially if they have a lot of night scenes. At the same time, the matrix supports HDR10+ and this is one of those cases when, even with the sun shining through the windows, you didn't have to "twist" the brightness to the maximum (up to 600 cd/m² typical brightness is claimed, and up to 1,000 cd/m² peak). The matte finish of the display also helps with this. So in this regard, the screen will not disappoint either.

Although there is a peculiarity. In the mode of operation of exclusively discrete graphics, the backlight switches to the normal mode, so in this case it will not be possible to get a truly black color in the corresponding areas of the image. There is also no manual switching of the backlight modes. Probably, something like this would really not hurt, but currently Acer does not offer such settings.

Ports

As is typical for gaming models, the Acer Predator Helios 18 AI has a large set of interfaces for connecting external devices. At the same time, everything is located on three sides of the top case, which will add some convenience. There is also a Kensington lock. In total, the user will receive: two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, one USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, a pair of Thunderbolt 5, HDMI, 5-gigabit Ethernet (Intel Killer E5000B, not a very common option for most laptops), an SD card reader, combined audio and, of course, a proprietary power port.

Thus, there is almost nothing to add to the laptop. Perhaps, I would like to slightly change the location of some connectors (for example, leave Ethernet behind, and at least swap one USB-A on the right with the card reader), which would free up a little from wires next to the mouse. However, in general, you can still comfortably sit down.

Security

There's not much new with the Acer Predator Helios 18 AI's quick access feature. The flagship model only uses a face-scanning option using a camera and an IR sensor. Despite recent Windows updates that were supposed to make this method worse in low-light conditions, it works here in a variety of circumstances. And it's definitely ahead of the curve in terms of password entry speed.

And also quite traditionally in top solutions, I would still like to have an additional fingerprint scanning option (especially for those users who attach stickers to webcams). Not critical, but it would be convenient. However, I wouldn't say that face scanning does its job poorly.

Keyboard and trackpad

The huge top case of the Acer Predator Helios 18 AI allowed not only to accommodate a full keyboard, but also not to squeeze the NUM-block. Moreover, there is no new Copilot key here, which is not so often seen anymore. A bonus was the ability to add media control keys, which is very convenient for me personally. And all this, it would seem, without any new solutions, but still distinguishes such a keyboard among competitors. Also, the backlight is very bright at maximum (in general, there are four levels, of which I was more comfortable with the weakest).

However, it was not without original solutions. The WSAD and navigation key blocks are mechanical, and also have replaceable caps. The name is MagKey 4.0. Actually, the kit includes a small replacement tool with a magnet, which the name emphasizes. So those users who want to minimally diversify their laptop will be able to do it this way.

This keyboard is also quite pleasant to work with, and it is also great for gaming. It will not be difficult to get used to the layout of the keys, and I had no problems typing without looking at the keyboard. In addition, the mechanisms are relatively quiet and will not bother people around.

The trackpad, offset from the center of the top case, is quite large — approximately 150×90 mm. It seemed that with such dimensions it would interfere with games, but in practice I did not notice any random activations. But in the opposite case it can be easily turned off by the Fn+F10 key combination. And when working without a mouse with it, no difficulties were noticed. However, given the general type of such a laptop, the user is unlikely to need the trackpad often.

Camera and sound

The standard 2-megapixel webcam will not surprise you with its image quality. It is quite mediocre, but for basic purposes it is quite suitable. Additional functions of cropping, background blurring and "eye correction" are also available. But it is desirable to have good lighting in the room for such a camera.

The situation with built-in microphones is very typical today. They are very sensitive to the smallest sounds, but for such cases there is the Acer PurifiedVoice utility, which has several modes with noise reduction functions. And it works well. The quality will be inferior to external solutions, but, again, for basic communication this will be enough.

The advantage of a large case, which can accommodate a lot, should also be taken into account here. Therefore, the laptop received six speakers at once. The manufacturer does not specify which of them are responsible for low and high. At the same time, the sound sources are located in traditional places - at the bottom of the top case, two corners closer to the user.

They are not lacking in volume, and there is no unnecessary vibration from them. Therefore, for example, watching a video on YouTube or a movie is accompanied by very good sound. When listening to music, of course, I would like more bass and volume, but this is a common wish for almost all similar laptops.

Productivity and software

Available configurations of the Acer Predator Helios 18 AI offer Intel Core Ultra 9 in combination with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 or 5090. But more variety is added by memory options. Thus, ready-made options can be equipped with up to 192 GB of "RAM" in four slots, and three "landing strips" are provided for storage devices. Not all competitors can offer such options. But the prices of the most expensive versions are confidently approaching three hundred thousand and are almost twice as high as the basic configuration.

We received a model with a 24-core Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor (8 powerful cores up to 5.4 GHz, 16 energy-efficient cores up to 4.6 GHz, 24 threads, 36 MB cache, 55 W), Intel AI Boost NPU (13 TOPS), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 (16 GB GDDR7, up to 1,642 MHz, up to 165 W), 32 GB DDR5-5600 and two terabyte drives. The official price of this version is 202,999 hryvnias.

In all cases, there is support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, and among the slightly unusual connection options is 5-gigabit Ethernet, which is difficult to find not only in laptops, but also in routers in general (although with the transition to Wi-Fi 7, such options have really increased).

In synthetic tests, our model showed itself to be minimally weaker than similar configurations that came to us before. Not dramatically, but lower numbers. Although, for example, one of the drives turned out to be really, to put it mildly, insignificant. And in general, taking into account the entire performance margin, it is unlikely that a small difference will be very noticeable even with demanding work. Still, the flagship "desktop replacements" received such a nickname for a reason.

Gaming benchmarks also showed slightly lower numbers. But, again, they are still high, even taking into account the highest graphics settings and the native resolution of the matrix. The gameplay is comfortable for both competitive and story games, so in general, I personally don't see the point in paying attention to the difference in a couple of FPS.

For cooling, two AeroBlade 3D 6th generation fans (each with 100 adaptive metal blades 0.05 mm thick; the manufacturer says this is the thinnest indicator), a large evaporation chamber and a graphene thermal interface are used. And, perhaps, these experiments are not very successful. AIDA stability tests showed high temperatures - over 100°C, and almost 19% throttling. 3DMark tests were satisfied with the results, but in Speed Way Stress Test the temperature was also quite high.

However, it is worth noting that the Acer Predator Helios 18 AI seemed a little quieter than its competitors that I came across. Even taking into account the forced maximum speed (almost 5,000), it is subjectively a little quieter. This, of course, does not mean that it is completely "silent". But such behavior can explain certain points from the previous paragraph. Although, I could be wrong, because unfortunately, there was no possibility to make a direct comparison. We can also praise the design of the top case, which successfully keeps the working areas such that it is possible to work and play without burning your hands even in the summer.

As before, Acer offers different sets of performance modes for battery and network operation. In the first case, there are only Eco and Balanced, and with a connected power supply - Quiet, Balanced, Performance and Turbo. For more convenient switching, there is a separate key above the keyboard with color indication. For the video card, there are also options with Automatic Selection, Optimus and NVIDIA GPU Only (switching between them, as before, requires a reboot).

And by itself, when working on battery power, there will be no significant performance gain. But even with the maximum power saving settings, the laptop showed less battery saving than expected from experience with similar laptops. Of course, this is not very good for autonomy. But it will theoretically add comfort for certain tasks (this is if, in principle, such a laptop will leave the network).

All other system settings can also be found in the standard Acer PredatorSense application. For those users who have already encountered it, everything will be in the usual places. In all other cases, getting acquainted will not take much time and effort.

Battery life

Predictably, the Acer Predator Helios 18 AI contains the largest battery option for laptops — 99 Wh. However, neither the large display nor the balancing of performance helps record autonomy indicators. Therefore, the laptop finished the office test in 4.5 hours, and the gaming test — in 1 hour and 17 minutes. In two hours of watching a movie, 45% of the charge was not there. It could be better, but this is hardly a fundamental point for gaming flagships.

The huge 400W power supply easily provides the laptop with the necessary power supply (although it makes it noticeably more difficult to transport). It will take more than two hours to fully charge it. You can also choose to charge up to 80% in the settings in case the laptop is mainly powered by the network (and something tells me that this is the option that the owner will most often use).