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Predator Helios 16 (2024)
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MacBook Air 13 (2024)
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Advantages of the Acer Predator Helios 16 (2024)
  • Very good for general use
  • Very good for engineering and design
  • Very good for gaming and AI
  • Very good overall display quality
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024)
  • Best in class overall build quality
  • Excellent portability
  • Excellent battery life
  • Best in class speakers
  • Best in class keyboard

Key differences

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Gaming and AI

8.3
Predator Helios 16 (2024)
MacBook Air 13 (2024)
6.5
8.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1664
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Acer Predator Helios 16 (2024) is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) is only fair.

Engineering and Design

8.7
Predator Helios 16 (2024)
MacBook Air 13 (2024)
7.7
9.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Predator Helios 16 (2024) is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) is good.

Screen Quality

8.4
Predator Helios 16 (2024)
MacBook Air 13 (2024)
7.6
16.0in
SIZE
13.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1664
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
499.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has a better screen than the MacBook Air 13 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.

Battery

6.5 Hours
Predator Helios 16 (2024)
MacBook Air 13 (2024)
15.0 Hours
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The MacBook Air 13 has 15 hours of battery life.

Portability

Fair
Predator Helios 16 (2024)
MacBook Air 13 (2024)
Excellent
16.0in
SIZE
13.6in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.4in
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) has excellent portability, while the Acer Predator Helios 16 (2024) has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

7.4
Predator Helios 16 (2024)
MacBook Air 13 (2024)
10.0
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) has best in class build quality, while the Acer Predator Helios 16 (2024) has good build quality.

Cost

$1,599
Predator Helios 16 (2024)
MacBook Air 13 (2024)
$999
Product image
Product image

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

The Acer Predator Helios 16 (2024) has a price of $1,599 and the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) costs $999.
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Key similarities

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General Use

8.0
Predator Helios 16 (2024)
MacBook Air 13 (2024)
7.9
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1664
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
499.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
15.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
6.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.4/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Predator Helios 16 (2024) to be very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) is good.

Content Creation

8.2
Predator Helios 16 (2024)
MacBook Air 13 (2024)
8.0
9.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1664
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Predator Helios 16 (2024) and Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) are both very good for content creation.

Software Development

8.0
Predator Helios 16 (2024)
MacBook Air 13 (2024)
8.1
9.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1664
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) and Acer Predator Helios 16 (2024) are both very good for software development.

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How the Acer Predator Helios 16 (2024) and the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Acer Predator Helios 16 (2024)Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024)
Acer Predator Helios 16 (2024)Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024)

GENERAL

Price
$1,599
$999
Release Date
January 1, 2024February 1, 2024
Overall Dimensions
14.2'' x 10.9'' x 0.98''12'' x 8.5'' x 0.44''
Weight
5.73 lbs2.7 lbs
Width
14.15"11.97"
Depth
10.88"8.46"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i7-14700HXApple M3
RAM
16 GB8 GB
DDR Memory Version
55
RAM Slots
20
Storage
1024 GB256 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
6.5 Hours15 Hours
Battery Capacity
90 Wh52.6 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
16"13.6"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
2560 x 16002560 x 1664
Refresh Rate
165Hz60Hz
Display Brightness
499 nits486 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
7.4/1010/10
Portability Score
6.4/109.4/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
YesNo
Premium Business Laptop
NoYes
Fan Noise Score
7.5/1010/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
7.5/1010/10
Speaker Quality Score
7/1010/10
Webcam
1080p1080p
Fingerprint Reader
NoYes
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
YesNo

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
30
USB-C ports
22
USB-C Charging
YesYes
Display Outputs
31
Thunderbolt Version
43

Shopping

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Acer Predator Helios 16 (2024)

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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."

Get a great deal on the Acer Predator Helios 16 (2024) or the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024)

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 Apple

Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

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Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
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Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
111,195
Recommendations made
24,093
Consumer hours saved

About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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