Syed Imran Haider 
The Acer Predator Helios 18 will appeal to those looking for a large-screen gaming laptop with an 18-inch Mini LED screen, as well as a customizable keyboard and advanced features.
Design
If you are looking for a compact laptop, the Acer Predator Helios 18 is certainly not it. It is a huge slab that weighs 3.3 kg and measures 40cm wide, 31cm deep and about 3cm high. A powder-coated black metal has been used for the lid and keyboard deck, while matt black plastic has been used for the base. Even though it is not stylish, or sleek, it is a robust and good-looking device.
The keyboard of the Predator Helios 18 comes with per-key RGB lighting and there are also dual light bars at the rear. Below the keyboard, you will find an illuminated Predator logo and there is also a glowing logo on the lid. You can use the PredatorSense app for customizable animations and colors.
You will have no complaints in terms of connectivity, as the left side has a 3.5mm headphone jack, a microSD card slot, a Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 port and a USB 3.2 Gen Type A. There are two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A ports on the right. As for the back, it has the power socket, two Thunderbolt 4/USB Type-C ports and an HDMI 2.1 output. You also get Wi-Fi 7, which is definitely a huge bonus.
Screen
The 18-inch mini-LED screen of the Predator Helios 18 is what every gamer dreams about. It has a 250Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 2560 x 1600. It is extremely bright and you can enjoy vibrant and rich colors, with excellent levels of contrast. To put it simply, the games will look downright fantastic. HDR video is also superb and the 16:10 aspect ratio gives you an immersive gaming experience.
The audio is also decent, as the speaker system is quite loud. But, the mid-range is where you will find a lack in clarity. It is better suited for gaming than music, but it is best to use headphones for making the most of it.
Performance
The Acer Predator Helios 18 comes with a Core i9 14900HX CPU that has been combined with a 32GB of DDR5 RAM and an RTX 4090 GPU. This essentially means that the laptop is going to be super-fast. In fact, it is one of the fastest laptops that exist in the market currently. There is very little that the laptop cannot handle without much difficulty. You can enjoy smooth frame rates during gaming and there are not any such lags for you to worry about.
Battery
Even though the Acer Predator Helios 18 comes with a 90Whr battery, it does not last that long, considering the size of the screen, its cooling system and the overall specs. But, the good news is that the 330W power supply takes about 90 minutes to fully charge, so you do not have to wait too long.
The Verdict
If you are in search of a big-screen ultimate gaming laptop that has high-end specs, the Predator Helios 18 delivers it all in style and at a competitive price.
