The keyboard options four-zone coloration backlighting, tunable by Acer’s in depth PredatorSense system, which controls all the pieces from battery charging particulars as to if you wish to customise the brand displayed because the laptop computer boots. It’s accessible through a devoted key above the slim numeric keypad. The opposite bespoke key on the machine is the Mode key, discovered above the highest left of the keyboard. This shifts amongst 4 completely different efficiency/fan operation modes when plugged in; two of those modes can be found when working on battery energy.
Because of the numeric keypad, the keyboard and touchpad are shifted fairly far to the left. This may be a case the place you’ll be able to adapt to the format over time, however I discovered it powerful to work comfortably when pushed this far to 1 aspect, particularly when utilizing the arrow keys, which spill over into each the keyboard and keypad areas.
Ports are distinctive and will be discovered on either side and the rear of the gadget. These embrace two USB-C ports (one with Thunderbolt 4 help), three USB-A ports, a full-size HDMI port, a full-size Ethernet jack, and a microSD card slot. You’ll want to make use of the separate energy jack and 230-watt A/C adapter to energy the gadget. (The adapter itself is heavy however not notably giant, weighing 1.1 kilos.)
The display is among the brightest I’ve seen in years, and whereas the audio system aren’t notably nuanced, they’re at the least lots loud. Sadly, they must be, as a result of when the fan kicks in, which is usually, this can be very noisy.
Pc Crash
{Photograph}: Chris Null
Put collectively the entire package deal, and also you’ve bought efficiency to spare on just about something you’ll be able to throw at this method. The Helios set data practically throughout the board on my battery of benchmarks, together with (by far) one of the best GPU-related scores I’ve seen up to now, handily beating the MacBook Professional M4 Professional by 50 % on the Geekbench 6 GPU take a look at whereas practically doubling graphics efficiency over techniques outfitted with the final technology of GeForce laptop computer GPUs.
