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Predator Helios Neo 16
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MacBook Air (2022)
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated February 17, 2024·

The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 offers high performance suited for intensive gaming, 3D modeling, and machine learning tasks but comes at a higher price and is less portable. The Apple MacBook Air (2022) excels in portability, general use, and has a longer battery life but may not handle demanding applications as well as the Acer. If your priority is portability and battery life for general use, and you are sensitive to price, the MacBook Air is a good choice. If performance for resource-intensive tasks is crucial despite the cost and portability concerns, the Acer Predator could be better suited for your needs. Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16
  • Very good for engineering and design
  • Good for gaming and AI
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air (2022)
  • Very good for software development
  • Best in class overall build quality
  • Excellent portability
  • Excellent battery life
  • Best in class speakers
  • Best in class keyboard

Key differences

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Gaming and AI

7.5
Predator Helios Neo 16
MacBook Air (2022)
6.4
8.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.1/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1664
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is only fair.

Engineering and Design

8.3
Predator Helios Neo 16
MacBook Air (2022)
7.5
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
8.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good.

Screen Quality

7.8
Predator Helios Neo 16
MacBook Air (2022)
7.6
16.0in
SIZE
13.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1664
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
373.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.

Battery

5.0 Hours
Predator Helios Neo 16
MacBook Air (2022)
15.0 Hours
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 has 5 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life.

Portability

Fair
Predator Helios Neo 16
MacBook Air (2022)
Excellent
16.0in
SIZE
13.6in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.4in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

7.4
Predator Helios Neo 16
MacBook Air (2022)
10.0
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has best in class build quality, while the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 has good build quality.

Cost

$799
Predator Helios Neo 16
MacBook Air (2022)
$899
Product image
Product image

$400

$600

$800

$1,000

$1,200

$1,400

The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 has a price of $799 and the Apple MacBook Air (2022) costs $899.
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Key similarities

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General Use

7.6
Predator Helios Neo 16
MacBook Air (2022)
7.9
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1664
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
373.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
15.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
6.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.4/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 are both good for general use.

Content Creation

7.7
Predator Helios Neo 16
MacBook Air (2022)
7.9
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1664
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 are both good for content creation.

Software Development

7.5
Predator Helios Neo 16
MacBook Air (2022)
8.0
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1664
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air (2022) to be very good for software development, while the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 is good.

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How the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 and the Apple MacBook Air (2022) compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Acer Predator Helios Neo 16Apple MacBook Air (2022)
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16Apple MacBook Air (2022)

GENERAL

Price
$799
$899
Release Date
April 1, 2023July 1, 2022
Overall Dimensions
14.2'' x 11'' x 1.11''12'' x 8.5'' x 0.44''
Weight
5.73 lbs2.7 lbs
Width
14.2"11.97"
Depth
11"8.46"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i5-13500HXApple M2
RAM
16 GB8 GB
DDR Memory Version
55
RAM Slots
20
Storage
512 GB256 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
5 Hours15 Hours
Battery Capacity
90 Wh52.6 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
16"13.6"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1920 x 12002560 x 1664
Refresh Rate
165Hz60Hz
Display Brightness
373 nits486 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
7.4/1010/10
Portability Score
6.2/109.4/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
YesNo
Premium Business Laptop
NoYes
Fan Noise Score
7.5/1010/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
7.5/1010/10
Speaker Quality Score
7/1010/10
Webcam
1080p1080p
Fingerprint Reader
NoYes
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
YesNo

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
30
USB-C ports
22
USB-C Charging
YesYes
Display Outputs
31
Thunderbolt Version
43

Shopping

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Acer Predator Helios Neo 16

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Dig into reviews and images

PCMag

Mark Knapp | August 2023
"The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 sacrifices portability and a truly budget price in the name of additional power. While remaining relatively budget-friendly, this gaming laptop packs serious processing chops, and Acer optimizes its internals to deliver respectable 1080p (or 1200p) gameplay from an RTX 4050. Its keyboard and chassis design won't win it any awards, but its display is a cut above for the price."

Apple MacBook Air (2022)

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Andreas Osthoff | July 2022
"The Apple MacBook Air M2 Entry is a very good, but too expensive daily MacBook. The new MacBook Air M2 is undoubtedly once again a very good mobile companion, but we are still a little bit disappointed on a very high level, which is definitely connected with the increased price point. The new chassis is extremely slim and the front edge is no problem during typing, but the bezels are pretty wide for a modern device and in addition with the vertical space required for the notch, the new Air has larger footprint than some Windows rivals."

Get a great deal on the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 or the Apple MacBook Air (2022)

About Acer

Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.

About Apple

Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.

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Why trust us

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
101,895
Recommendations made
22,078
Consumer hours saved

About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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