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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is suited for gaming and intensive tasks like 3D rendering and engineering, with high performance components such as a robust processor and powerful graphics. Its larger screen and high refresh rate contribute to a better visual experience but result in heavier weight, making it less portable than the Gateway. The Gateway 14.1", in contrast, is budget-friendly and highly portable due to its light weight and smaller size, yet it comes with modest specs that are appropriate for basic tasks and general use but not for performance-heavy activities. Its screen quality is decent for everyday tasks but limited for fast motion clarity and color space coverage. If portability and cost are your primary concerns, the Gateway might be suitable, but if you require a laptop for performance-driven applications, the Acer Predator would be the better option at a higher price point. 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
- Good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Good keyboard
Advantages of the Gateway 14.1"
- Very good portability
Key differences
General Use
8.0
5.6
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
498.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
208.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is very good for general use, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is well-suited for general use due to its powerful CPU and high RAM, providing fast and efficient performance, along with a quality screen and solid battery life, albeit with reduced portability due to its larger size and weight. In contrast, the Gateway 14.1" is considered poor for general use because it has a less powerful CPU, less RAM, and a lower quality screen, which may lead to slower performance and less enjoyable media consumption, despite being more portable and having slightly better battery life.
Gaming and AI
8.5
5.4
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Acer Predator Helios 16 stands out in gaming and 3D tasks thanks to its powerful Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of 240Hz, both contributing to fluid, high-fidelity visuals. In contrast, the Gateway 14.1" falls short with its basic Intel UHD Graphics 600 and a lower refresh rate of 60Hz, making it less capable of handling the demanding visuals typical in gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
8.7
5.5
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.2
5.8
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is very good for content creation, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
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
5.8
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is good for software development, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
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
6.0
16.0in
SIZE
14.1in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
498.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
208.0 nits
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has a better screen than the Gateway 14.1" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Predator Helios 16 boasts high resolution and brightness, and an advanced panel type, making it excellent for vibrant, clear visuals in general use and precise color representation for engineering. Its weaker gaming performance stems from a lower refresh rate, which is less optimal for fast-paced 3D applications that benefit from smoother motion. Meanwhile, the Gateway 14.1" delivers acceptable clarity and brightness for casual and professional tasks, but like the Acer, it falls short for gaming due to a less impressive refresh rate and potentially narrower color gamuts.
Battery
6.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The Gateway 14.1" 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
14.1in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.3 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Gateway 14.1" has very good portability, while the Acer Predator Helios 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
5.1
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has good build quality, while the Gateway 14.1" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,236
$99
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has a price of $1,236 and the Gateway 14.1" costs $99.
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How the Acer Predator Helios 16 and the Gateway 14.1" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Predator Helios 16 | Gateway 14.1" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,236 | $99 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | August 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.9'' x 1'' | 13.1'' x 8.8'' x 0.75'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.73 lbs | 3.35 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.15" | 13.1" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.88" | 8.78" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-13700HX | Intel Celeron N4020 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 4 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 64 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6.5 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | Unknown | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 14.1" | |
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 | 208 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 5.1/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.4/10 | 8.1/10 | |
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 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 5.3/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 6/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
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 | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
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."
Gateway 14.1"
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | September 2021
"The Gateway Ultra Slim 14" is surprisingly quiet with long battery life. The inexpensive Gateway excels at maximizing performance per dollar with lots of RAM and storage, super-quiet fan, and a long battery life. It can even house up to two M.2 SSDs which we weren't expecting from such a cheap system. However, the iffy reliability of the keyboard and USB-C port on our test unit means users should double-check for these potential issues immediately after purchasing."
Get a great deal on the Acer Predator Helios 16 or the Gateway 14.1"
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 Gateway
Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.
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