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日本Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (PHN16-71) review – clever blend between Nitro’s affordability and Predator’s power
Verdict
Acer’s Helios Neo 16 may echo the familiar, but it’s more than a rebranded Nitro 16—it’s a nuanced upgrade with its own merits, as you get two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a MicroSD card slot.
In addition, the CPU is treated to a liquid metal thermal compound. To be honest, though, it made very little, if any difference. Acer has to get on top of the low P-core clocks issue. We are pretty confident that this can be done over-the-air, via an update to the firmware, or the BIOS.
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (PHN16-71)’s IPS panel has a WQXGA resolution, comfortable viewing angles, a very high maximum brightness, and a good contrast ratio. Its backlight doesn’t use PWM for brightness adjustment, which makes the laptop great for long gaming sessions.
In addition, the device covers 99% of the sRGB color gamut and provides a really accurate color representation. Especially, when you pair it with our Gaming and Web design profile. Now, arguably the best thing about the panel is its 165Hz refresh rate and the fact that it comes with extremely fast pixel response times. This, paired with the G-Sync support, means your image will be very smooth and tear-free.
Upgrade options are good here. You get two SODIMM slots for DDR5 RAM, as well as two M.2 PCIe x4 slots for Gen 4 SSDs. Generally, the laptop happens to be a good gaming unit. It shows a little less performance than the “regular” Helios 16, but if you are able to find the Neo for less money, it won’t disappoint you.
In addition to that, it would be a good idea to check out the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 (16″, 2023), which is a super stable product, but if you need a longer battery life, the Nitro 17 (AN17-71) can extract approximately an hour and a half more of either Web browsing or video playback from the huge 90.6Wh battery pack.
You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/acer-predator-helios-neo-16-phn16-71/
Pros
- 2x M.2 PCIe x4 Gen 4 slots, 2x DDR5 RAM SODIMM slots in dual channel
- Covers 99% of the sRGB color gamut and has accurate color representation (AUO B160QAN03.H (AUOF8A7))
- Snappy panel with quick response times (AUO B160QAN03.H (AUOF8A7))
- No PWM (AUO B160QAN03.H (AUOF8A7))
- G-Sync support + MUX switch
- Wide port selection
- Decent keyboard and touchpad
- Good build quality
Cons
- Weird CPU behavior
- Subpar battery life
This has a 4060, not a 4050!
I find the upgrade option weak, 2 nmve, are both now filled what is the max capacity they will hold (some have what can only be described as bios limits), for that matter can they take 80mm? Also what about the RAM, what is the max speed or capacity. The only really upgradable parts of a laptop should be properly investigated. Thanks for the effort though
The page on best buys says the max ram is 32 gigs.