KitGuru visited Acer HQ in Lugano earlier this year to get hands-on with the next generation of lapt
KitGuru visited Acer HQ in Lugano earlier this year to get hands-on with the next generation of laptops for the Nitro, Predator, Aspire and Swift ranges. Today, we are able to share everything we learned and saw, with the new laptops being officially announced ahead of Computex.
Unlike ultraportables, where weight and battery life dominate, Acer Predator systems prioritise power, thermal headroom and user control – key elements for running demanding games, heavy production workloads or AI-enhanced applications. Traditionally they will be designed around peak specifications, but the models we got hands-on with were fitted with RTX 5070 graphics – with a parting message that “The best is yet to come” – which naturally leads to speculation that more models will be introduced before the end of Q3 2025.
Both new models in Acer’s 2025 Predator AI refresh – the Helios Neo 14 AI and Triton 14 AI – bring with them significant upgrades, including Intel Core Ultra 9 processors and NVIDIA RTX 50-series GPUs. Shared core specifications include:
Up to 32GB LPDDR5X memory
Up to 2TB NVMe SSD storage, though only the Triton uses PCIe Gen 5
Up to RTX 5070 Laptop GPU
Support for Thunderbolt 4, Windows 11, AI-enhanced video and audio processing, and PredatorSense system tuning software
Both systems also include Acer’s PurifiedView 2.0 and PurifiedVoice 2.0, which use AI to optimise webcam and microphone performance. They each offer high-resolution WQXGA+ (2880×1800) displays with DCI-P3 100% coverage, and both feature high-speed wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E on the Neo, and Wi-Fi 7 on the Triton. We’re not quite sure why the entire range would not have been fitted with WiFi-7, but in real world use-case scenarios – you’re unlikely to feel the difference.
So what is the difference between the Helios Neo 14 AI and the Triton 14 AI? Well, the Helios Neo 14 features a 14.5-inch 120Hz WQXGA+ display, combined with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor. It uses LPDDR5X 6400MHz memory and offers up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage. The thermal solution includes 5th Gen AeroBlade 3D fans, Vortex Flow, vector heat pipes, and liquid metal grease, making this configuration ideal for high frame-rate gaming and sustained GPU workloads in a compact chassis.
The Predator Triton 14 AI is positioned more toward creators and premium users, the Triton 14 AI includes a 14.5-inch OLED touchscreen with Calman verification and a Core Ultra 9 288V processor with RTX graphics. Notably, it features much faster 8533MHz LPDDR5X memory and PCIe Gen 5 SSD support—a clear step up in bandwidth. It also introduces a 6-speaker array, per-key RGB lighting, haptic touchpad with pen input, graphene thermal interface, and a vapor chamber, indicating a stronger emphasis on content creation and premium thermals.
The Acer Aspire was originally introduced in the late 1990s.
