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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize high performance for activities like gaming or 3D rendering, the Acer Predator Helios 16 stands out due to its powerful processor and superior graphics card, but it's heavier and has shorter battery life. On the other hand, if portability and longer battery life are more important to you, and you're okay with less power for intensive tasks, the Acer Swift X (2021) is lighter, more affordable, and offers sufficient performance for everyday use and lighter creative tasks. The Swift X also has a longer battery life, making it a better choice for those who are often on the move. 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 engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
Advantages of the Acer Swift X (2021)
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
8.0
7.4
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
498.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
372.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is very good for general use, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is good.
The Acer Predator Helios 16 shines for general use with its high-performance CPU, ample RAM, and quality display with high brightness and color accuracy, but it is less portable and has a shorter battery life compared to the Acer Swift X, which, despite having modest CPU and RAM, offers a good balance of screen quality, longer battery life, and excellent portability for everyday tasks. The Swift X is also quieter and manages heat better, while both laptops have good keyboard and speaker qualities which contribute to their suitability for general use.
Gaming and AI
8.5
6.3
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
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 (2021) is only fair.
The Acer Predator Helios 16 excels in gaming and 3D applications largely due to its more powerful graphics card, the Nvidia RTX 4070, and a higher screen refresh rate of 240Hz, making visuals smoother and more responsive during fast-paced scenes. In contrast, the Acer Swift X has a more modest Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU and a standard refresh rate of 60Hz, which results in less graphical fidelity and detail in demanding games and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.7
7.0
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is good.
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has a more powerful CPU, more RAM, and a higher-tier GPU than the Acer Swift X (2021), making it better suited for demanding engineering and design workflows that require intense processing and high-quality graphics.
Content Creation
8.2
7.5
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is very good for content creation, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is good.
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
7.3
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Predator Helios 16 and Acer Swift X (2021) are both good for software development, though the Acer Predator Helios 16 is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
8.8
6.9
16.0in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
498.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
372.0 nits
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has a better screen than the Acer Swift X for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Predator Helios 16 likely has a display with high resolution and brightness, making it great for general use and detailed engineering work where sharpness and clear visibility are necessary. Its quality for engineering and design suggests it covers a wide range of colors well, crucial for precision in color work. However, its lower refresh rate compared to gaming-optimized screens leads to poorer performance for gaming and 3D, where fluid motion and fast refresh are key.
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
14.0in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift X (2021) has very good portability, while the Acer Predator Helios 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,236
$580
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has a price of $1,236 and the Acer Swift X (2021) costs $580.
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Key similarities
Build Quality
7.4
7.6
The Acer Swift X (2021) 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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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Predator Helios 16 and the Acer Swift X (2021) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Predator Helios 16 | Acer Swift X (2021) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,236 | $580 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | June 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.9'' x 1'' | 12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.73 lbs | 3.06 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.15" | 12.7" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.88" | 8.4" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-13700HX | AMD Ryzen 5 5600U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
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 | 59 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 240Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 498 nits | 372 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.4/10 | 8.6/10 | |
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 | 720p | |
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 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Acer Predator Helios 16
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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 (2021)
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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 (2021)
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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