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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Predator Helios 16 offers high performance for tasks like 3D modeling, machine learning, and gaming due to its powerful processor and graphics card; however, it's heavier, less portable, and has shorter battery life. On the other hand, the Acer Swift X (2023) is significantly lighter and offers longer battery life, making it more portable and suitable for general use and less intensive engineering tasks, though its lower-tier graphics may not fare as well with gaming or highly demanding applications. If portability and battery life are paramount, go for the Swift X, but if you need top tier performance for demanding tasks and can handle additional weight and shorter battery life, the Predator Helios 16 is the better choice. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Predator Helios 16
- Very good for general use
- Very good for gaming and AI
Advantages of the Acer Swift X (2023)
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.5
6.9
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift X (2023) is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
8.7
8.0
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Predator Helios 16 and Acer Swift X (2023) are both very good for engineering and design, though the Acer Predator Helios 16 is somewhat better.
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is superb for engineering and design due to its more powerful CPU, higher-tier GPU, and larger, brighter screen which aids visual tasks; however, it's heavier and thus less portable. In contrast, the Acer Swift X (2023) is also competent with a capable CPU and decent GPU, better portability due to its lighter weight and longer battery life, but falls short in screen brightness and raw graphics performance compared to the Helios 16.
Screen Quality
8.8
8.0
16.0in
SIZE
14.5in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
498.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
390.0 nits
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has a better screen than the Acer Swift X for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.
For general use, both the Acer Predator Helios 16 and Acer Swift X offer sharp images and bright displays due to their high resolution and panel quality, ensuring an enjoyable viewing and work experience. Engineers and designers would find the color accuracy and broad color coverage from these laptops suitable for accurate visual work thanks to the inclusion of high-end color gamuts. However, gamers and 3D designers may find the screens less optimal, as the lower refresh rates on both models can lead to less fluid motion and responsiveness during fast-paced gaming or 3D rendering.
Battery
6.5 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Fair
Very Good
16.0in
SIZE
14.5in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.3 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift X (2023) has very good portability, while the Acer Predator Helios 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,599
$1,100
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has a price of $1,599 and the Acer Swift X (2023) costs $1,100.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.0
7.9
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
498.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
390.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Predator Helios 16 to be very good for general use, while the Acer Swift X (2023) is good.
The Acer Predator Helios 16, with its high-performance CPU and ample storage, is suitable for intensive tasks, but it's heavier and has shorter battery life, making it less portable than the Acer Swift X (2023), which offers solid performance with a lighter build and longer battery life for everyday mobility. Both have comparable RAM and high-quality IPS screens with similar resolution, but the Swift X stands out for better portability, whereas the Helios 16 is more suited for demanding applications.
Content Creation
8.2
8.0
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Predator Helios 16 and Acer Swift X (2023) are both very good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.9
7.9
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Predator Helios 16 and Acer Swift X (2023) are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Build Quality
7.4
7.6
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Acer Predator Helios 16 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Acer Predator Helios 16 and the Acer Swift X (2023) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Predator Helios 16 | Acer Swift X (2023) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,599 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.9'' x 1'' | 12.7'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.73 lbs | 3.31 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.15" | 12.7" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.88" | 9" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-13700HX | Intel i5-13500H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6.5 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 76 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 14.5" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 240Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 498 nits | 390 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.4/10 | 8.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Acer Predator Helios 16
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Dig into reviews and images
IGN
Samuel Horti | June 2023
"The Predator Helios 16 stacks up well against its closest competition in benchmark comparisons. The Acer Predator Helios 16 isn't perfect. It's bulky, its lid feels flimsy and some of its keys are just too damned small – but none of its problems are fatal, and it shines where it counts. The powerful graphics and processor combo are spot on for this price point, the fans stop it getting hot under pressure, and the display is as good as you’ll find under $2,500. It's simply one of the best laptops to play demanding games on."
Acer Swift X (2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sebastian Jentsch | March 2022
"The Swift X is an Acer for entry-level gaming. With the entry-level graphics chip, our Acer not only beats every single current AMD and Intel iGPU, but also Intel's dGPU Iris Xe Max. However, despite being a GDDR6 version, the GTX does not match the expectations set by its own counterparts from our database. This may be a result of the single fan, which only produces moderate noise levels under load. The performance level of the thin and light 1.4 kg (~3.09 lbs) 14-inch laptop is impressive nonetheless."
Get a great deal on the Acer Predator Helios 16 or the Acer Swift X (2023)
About Acer
Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.
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