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Updated January 12, 2024·
Choose the Acer Predator Helios 16 if you need high performance for gaming, 3D tasks, or engineering software but keep in mind it is heavier, which makes it less portable. On the other hand, the ASUS Zenbook 14, being more budget-friendly and lighter, offers good performance for general use and benefits from excellent portability; however, it lacks the power for more intensive tasks. The Acer also has a better graphics card, making it suitable for gaming or creative tasks, while the ASUS provides an OLED screen, which gives you better color quality for media consumption. Battery life tends to be longer on the ASUS, making it suitable for on-the-go use. 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
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook 14
- Very good portability
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
8.0
7.2
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
498.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
339.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.6/10
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is very good for general use, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 is good.
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is more suited for general use than the ASUS Zenbook 14 due to its more powerful CPU and greater amount of RAM, which allows for smoother multitasking and handling of demanding applications. Despite the ASUS Zenbook 14's lighter weight and longer battery life, which contribute to its portability, its lower performance CPU and less RAM make it less capable for intensive tasks, though its excellent screen quality offers vivid colors and sharpness for general activities.
Gaming and AI
8.5
6.1
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 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
7.2
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 is good.
The Acer Predator Helios 16 boasts a more powerful Intel i7 CPU and Nvidia RTX GPU, along with more RAM, which makes it very suitable for demanding engineering work and design tasks that require superior processing and graphics capabilities.
Content Creation
8.2
7.3
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 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
7.2
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Predator Helios 16 and ASUS Zenbook 14 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
8.3
16.0in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
498.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
339.0 nits
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook 14 for gaming and AI, software development, and content creation, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 has a better screen for engineering and design.
When considering general use, both the Acer Predator Helios 16 and the ASUS Zenbook 14 offer a crisp, vibrant display due to high resolution and brightness, providing comfort for everyday tasks like browsing and watching videos. For engineering and design work, these laptops are equipped with screens that cover a wide range of colors, ensuring accuracy and detail that professionals looking for fine color work will appreciate. However, for gaming and 3D applications where smooth motion is critical, the lower refresh rates on these laptops mean they're less suited for fast-paced visuals, making them less ideal for action games and intensive 3D modeling.
Battery
6.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS Zenbook 14 has 8 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
0.6in
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has very good portability, while the Acer Predator Helios 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,526
$300
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has a price of $1,526 and the ASUS Zenbook 14 costs $300.
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Key similarities
Build Quality
7.4
7.8
The ASUS Zenbook 14 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 ASUS Zenbook 14 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Predator Helios 16 | ASUS Zenbook 14 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,526 | $300 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.9'' x 1'' | 12.4'' x 8.7'' x 0.67'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.73 lbs | 3.06 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.15" | 12.35" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.88" | 8.69" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-13700HX | Intel i5-1240P | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6.5 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 75 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 2880 x 1800 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 240Hz | 90Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 498 nits | 339 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.8/10 | |
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 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 7.5/10 | |
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 | 1 | |
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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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."
ASUS Zenbook 14
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | August 2022
"Users who travel frequently and are looking for a portable laptop are in the right place with the Asus ZenBook 14. The sleek case is extremely light (1.2 kg) and surprisingly thin (1.5 cm). Outdoor use is also enjoyable thanks to the bright Full HD display, which is something that can rarely be said about laptops with TN or IPS panels. The excellent battery life complements this as well. Longer trips are no problem with the ZenBook 14. Another plus point is the high-performance Ryzen 7 5700U, which often leaves the Intel competition in the dust thanks to its large number of cores."
Get a great deal on the Acer Predator Helios 16 or the ASUS Zenbook 14
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.
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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