Gaming laptops often make the most reliable content-creator machines, but they're also a bit over the top for some people. However, the Acer Predator Triton Neo 16 offers the best of both worlds, designed for content creators and gamers all the way up to esports professionals.
With its Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, the Triton offers great all-around performance and a slick gaming experience. More uniquely, it's portable enough to suit a wide variety of users and lifestyles and features a high-refresh-rate display and decent battery life.
While the Triton Neo 16 pricing officially starts at $1,449, the laptop is often available for less, bringing the price to $1,399 for our review configuration. And at that price, the Triton Neo 16 is a fantastic value. The Acer Predator Triton Neo 16 does offer enough performance and graphics capacity to rank among our best gaming laptops for under $1,500, but does it have the performance to rank as a solid creator laptop and gaming platform?
Acer Predator Triton Neo 16: Specs and benchmarks
Click to view full benchmark test results
Acer Predator Triton Neo 16: Price and configurations
Pricing for the Predator Triton Neo 16 starts at $1,449 for the base configuration. This model features an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU with 6GB of dedicated VRAM, 16GB of memory, a 1TB SSD, and a 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240Hz IPS panel. Notably, you can also find this configuration available for just $1,149 at Amazon instead of the full $1,449 price tag on the Acer Store.
Upgrading that model to the RTX 4060 GPU with 8GB of dedicated VRAM will cost an additional $100 for a list price of $1,549.
Our review model spec upgrades the CPU to an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor, the GPU to an Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU with 8GB of VRAM, and bumps the RAM to 32GB. This model is available only from MicroCenter and has a list price of $1,599, though you can get it for $1,399 at the time of writing thanks to MicroCenter’s holiday sales.
If you want the highest possible configuration of the Triton Neo, it costs $1,899 and comes with an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor, Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU with 8GB of VRAM, 32GB of memory, a 1TB SSD, and a 16-inch 3200 x 2000, 165Hz IPS display.
Acer Predator Triton Neo 16: Design
Acer positioned the Triton Neo 16 as a laptop for content creators and esports pros alike, so it features a more streamlined, modern design. You still have RGB lights on the keyboard and shiny Predator logos on the cover and keyboard deck, but the rest of the laptop is a no-nonsense silver.
While I do love a gaming laptop that goes overboard with the RGB light bars and gamer aesthetics, it is nice to see a slimmer, stripped-down gaming machine that lets the internals do the talking. I just wish that the cover logo was a bit bigger to give the lid a little more visual interest. With the Triton Neo 16 closed, it’s only distinguishable from the Acer Swift X 14 by the small Predator logo and its larger screen size.
As for its dimensions, the Triton Neo 16 measures 14 x 9.8 x 0.82 inches and weighs 4.5 pounds. While it can get heavy to carry after a few hours, it’s definitely light and thin enough to be a decent commuter laptop. So, you won’t need to worry about changing the curvature of your spine if you decide to take the Triton Neo 16 on vacation.
In fact, the Triton Neo 16 is actually on the thinner and lighter side when compared to other mid-range gaming laptops like:
- Dell G16 (7630) - 14.05 x 11.37 x 1.01 inches, 6.0 pounds
- Acer Nitro V 15 - 14.3 x 9.4 x 1.06 inches, 4.6 pounds
- Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 9 - 10.33 x 14.16 x 0.78~0.99 inches, 5.33 pounds
Acer Predator Triton Neo 16: Ports
Gamers need a lot of ports to power all of those accessories, like a high-speed gaming mouse or gamepad, high-quality webcams for streaming, capture cards, studio-quality microphones, and even external RGB lights to really get the most out of their game station. The Triton Neo 16 delivers quite a few ports to power all those accessories.
The Triton’s full port array across the right and left sides of the chassis includes:
- 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port
- 1 x ThunderBolt 4 USB-C port
- 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports
- 1 x HDMI port
- 1 x microSD card reader
- 1 x 3.5mm audio combo jack
- 1 x Kensington Lock Slot
If your gaming setup still needs more ports, we recommend investing in one of the best laptop docking stations or USB-C hubs. Or buy some wireless accessories and cut the cords.
Acer Predator Triton Neo 16: Battery life
I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: gaming laptop battery life is very often grim. Courtesy of their power-hog discrete gaming GPUs, gaming laptops tend to trend under 6 hours of web surfing battery life on a single charge.
Knowing this, I kept the charge cables close by when I decided to see if the Triton Neo could last for my entire workday. The Neo 16 didn’t make it a full eight working hours on battery, but it did last for a solid half day of surfing the web, writing about laptop processors, and editing some photos while I had a few games downloading in the background.
We tested the Triton Neo 16’s battery on the Laptop Mag battery test, which sets a laptop to 150 nits and has it continuously surf the web until the battery shuts down. The Triton Neo 16 lasted 6 hours and 47 minutes on our battery test. So, while the Triton Neo 16 isn’t winning any battery life competitions, it does beat the mid-range gaming laptop average of 5:03.
Of course, if you need a gaming laptop that will also last for a solid chunk of your work or school day, you’d be better off opting for the Asus TUF A14, one of the longest-lasting gaming laptops we’ve tested in years.
Click to view chart data in table format
Acer Predator Triton Neo 16: Display
The matte 16-inch, 240Hz panel on the Acer Predator Triton Neo 16 features a max resolution of 2560 x 1600, which offers a smooth, high-res viewing experience for gaming and video streaming.
The vistas of Baldur’s Gate III’s Act 1 were lush and detailed, with a nice degree of vibrance. I also noticed a greater degree of variation in the cyberpunk-style pink and blue lights of Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail’s Solution Nine hub city than I would expect, as the Triton Neo 16’s display offers content-creator-level visuals. In fact, I was even impressed by the deep hues of the roof tiles in the “Alexandria” end-game dungeon.
Of course, the Triton’s display also looks slick while streaming videos, so if you also want to use the Neo 16 for general entertainment, you won’t be disappointed. I was pleased with the high contrast and deep saturation of the trailer for Cristoph Walz’s upcoming action flick, Old Guy. The rave scenes looked slick, while the brightly lit doctor’s office offered a stark contrast, and the IPS panel’s 479 nits of brightness ensured that glare wasn’t even a concern.
Our review unit scored lower on our DCI-P3 color gamut coverage compared to other laptops in the creator class. Acer rates the Triton Neo 16 to 100% DCI-P3 coverage, while our benchmarks indicated a 78.8% coverage. This difference seems to be due to a difference in the testing procedure, so our lower DCI-P3 score does not appear to reflect the full visual experience of the Triton Neo 16.
Click to view chart data in table format.
Acer Predator Triton Neo 16: Keyboard and touchpad
The Predator Triton Neo 16’s keyboard is springy enough to add some extra speed to my typing.
I burst out an average of 93 words per minute (wpm) on the 10fastfingers advanced typing test. That is a solid 5 wpm above my usual 88 wpm on the MacBook Pro 14 keyboard.
This keyboard features 3-zone RGB backlighting with dedicated keys for Predator Sense and Copilot, plus caps lock and microphone mute indicator lights.
The massive Gorilla Glass touchpad measures 6.1 x 3.7 inches and has a smooth, reactive scroll feel, so you won’t lose your cursor much. The clicker feel is decent, with enough feedback to give you a clear indication of clicker activation. Acer does offer solid palm rejection software, so you’re also unlikely to suffer from accidental misclicks on the oversized touchpad.
The Triton Neo 16 features a fingerprint reader for increased security. The fingerprint scanner is in the upper left-hand corner of the touchpad. While I don’t love having the fingerprint reader on the touchpad, it’s placed far enough to the side that it doesn’t get in the way while scrolling the web.
Acer Predator Triton Neo 16: Audio
Acer packed a DTS X Ultra dual-speaker array into the Predator Triton Neo 16. The dual bottom-firing speakers get loud enough despite their location (rear of the laptop). The bottom of the Triton Neo 16 is beveled, so the speaker array isn’t firing directly into your desk but rather comes at an angle. You get enough power to counteract the fan noise once the GPU kicks into high gear.
The trouble is the audio fidelity. You will experience an unmistakable tinny quality to the sound. While it’s not super grating when the fans kick on, it does distort the audio, making the familiar synths of Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail’s Solution Nine hub city sound flat and lifeless. Baldur’s Gate III’s more traditional RPG instrumentals landed a bit smoother, with a clearer differential between the strings and drums. However, the droning vocals of the Main Theme on the opening menu did lack emphasis on the Triton’s bottom-firing speakers even at full volume.
While the speakers on the Triton Neo 16 aren’t the worst I’ve ever heard on a gaming laptop, I’d recommend opting for the best headphones or a set of the best computer speakers.
Acer Predator Triton Neo 16: Gaming and graphics
With an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor, 32GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU with 8GB of VRAM, I had decently high expectations for the Neo 16. Of course, an Intel Core Ultra 9 185 processor isn’t quite a gaming-class CPU, but it is more than capable of gaming at 1080p or 1600p without a bottleneck. Of course, for the smoothest experience with high-fidelity graphics, opt for a lower 1080p or 1440p resolution, but if you want to game at 1600p, you’ll need to drop the settings to either High or Medium for a better experience.
Baldur’s Gate III ran smooth, with no frame drops even at Ultra presets and the full 1600p resolution. I kicked up a massive fight in the Act 1 Goblin Encampment just to see how well the GPU and CPU would handle large-scale tactical battles, and while the combat action did cause a couple of stutters, it felt far smoother than it had any right to. The environments were gorgeously rendered and the framerate didn’t stutter through combat or exploration.
I also had no issues running Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail at High (Laptop), 1440p settings. I did dial back party effects for the 24-person Jeuno: The First Walk raid, but that was more for the sake of my eye health than the Triton’s gaming capabilities.
My only struggle with gaming on the Triton Neo 16 was some thermal throttling on long gaming sessions, but considering how svelte the design is on the Neo 16, that’s hardly a surprise. However, that high CPU and GPU temperature does equate to a hot keyboard, which can get uncomfortable for keyboard and mouse gamers.
Click to view chart data in table format.
Acer Predator Triton Neo 16: Performance and heat
I kept my high expectations for the Triton Neo 16’s general performance, especially as Acer positions the Neo 16 as a laptop for content creators and esports professionals. So it needs to keep up with a hectic workload. The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD offer a slick computing experience, easily keeping up with my workday of 20+ Chrome tabs of research, some light photo editing, and game downloads without any hangups.
I did notice a performance drop on battery power compared to AC power, especially on high-intensity tasks. This makes sense, considering how power-hungry discrete GPUs can get. So if you want to use the Triton Neo 16 as a content creator or workstation laptop, you can definitely get the performance you’ll need (plugged in). The Triton Neo 16 isn’t the most powerful mid-range gaming laptop, but it is on the high end of all the category averages across our various performance benchmarks, including a Geekbench 6 multicore performance that is 21% higher.
Click to view chart data in table format.
Acer Predator Triton Neo 16: Webcam
The FHD webcam on the Triton Neo 16 offers a clean, bright, and vivid feed thanks to its Blue Glass Lens. The camera quality is more than enough to handle some casual video calls or even some Twitch streaming. The camera had a great amount of color vibrancy, capturing the vivid teal of my hair and the red bricks of the wall behind my desk without much color bleed.
The webcam on the Triton Neo 16 meets the content creator standard, as it leverages AI features like Temporal Noise Reduction. Of course, if you need the ultimate quality in streaming tech, you may still want to invest in one of the best webcams to kit out your gaming rig.
Acer Predator Triton Neo 16: Software and warranty
Our Predator Triton Neo 16 spec comes with Windows 11 Home and the standard Microsoft applications, including Office 365, Xbox, Copilot, and ClipChamp.
You also get access to Acer’s software suite, including the PredatorSense gaming management software, Acer Configuration Manager, Acer LiveArt, and Planet9 Stub. The PredatorSense software offers gamers better control over the laptop’s CPU performance and increased thermal control. The PredatorSense software will also let you customize the RGB light pattern on the keyboard. With the Planet9 Stub application, you can visit the online Planet9 gaming hub or install the PC client, which offers a virtual gaming coach to improve in competitive games like Valorant or League of Legends.
Like all Predator laptops manufactured after 2019, the Triton Neo 16 comes with a one-year limited warranty from Acer for parts and labor.
Bottom line
The Acer Predator Triton Neo 16 may not offer the fastest gaming or general performance in the mid-range gaming category, but it offers enough to meet the needs of most people at that price range. I’m not sure an esports professional would opt for the Predator Triton Neo 16 over a gaming laptop with better-optimized thermals, but for most gamers and content creators, it’s certainly sufficient.
Where the Triton Neo 16 shines is its high-quality 240Hz IPS display and slick, AI-powered webcam. It’s also got Acer’s solid build quality and a chassis sleek enough to fit in at the office or in class without raising too many “gaming laptop” flags. It also features decent battery life, which can get through a few hours of work when away from an outlet, making it a solid choice for STEM students.
And if you can find the Triton Neo 16 on sale, it is a worthy bargain. But if you’re looking for a better gaming laptop value, consider the Dell G16 (7630) instead.
