Microphone quality is decent, too, with good volume and crisp presentation. It’s not as good as a standalone webcam, like the Logitech C920 series, but a definite step above a more typical 720p integrated webcam. It looks clear and vivid, particularly in a room with moderate to bright lighting. The Predator Helios 300 has a surprisingly good 1080p webcam. The speakers generally perform better than Lenovo’s Legion 5 Pro, and are on par with the Alienware R15, but don’t match sound quality leaders like the MacBook Pro 16 or Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio. There’s a hint of bass that offers a more full-bodied sound in music and games. They provide strong audio quality with a direct route to the listener’s ears, while preventing the sound from becoming muffled. The Predator Helios 300 has upward-firing speakers above the keyboard. The display doesn’t support G-Sync, however, so frame pacing and screen tearing issues may appear. Fine details are preserved in fast motion when playing at 240Hz, and continue to look rather sharp down to 120Hz, making it possible to see subtleties in textures or pick up the distant silhouette of a foe. Gamers may excuse this, however, when they see the 240Hz display’s motion performance. It also looks hazy and gray in scenes that should appear dark and foreboding. The Helios 300 lacks depth when compared to displays with better contrast. Even the HP Victus 15, a gaming laptop sometimes sold for less than $600, scored better in contrast. I measured a maximum contrast ratio of only 820:1, which is not a great result for any modern laptop. The Predator Helios 300 benefits from a matte display coat, though, which shows far less glare than a glossy alternative.Ĭontrast is the Predator Helios 300’s weak point. That’s nowhere near the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro, which hit 549 nits, and also behind the Acer Predator Triton 300 SE OLED, which achieved 448 nits. Technically speaking, its image is a bit too cool and sterile, and also a bit too dark, but not so much that most owners would see a problem.īrightness is so-so at a maximum of 324 nits. The display also has good, if not excellent, color accuracy. The result is a punchy, colorful image that looks excellent when displaying vibrant games like Overwatch or Cyberpunk 2077. That’s excellent performance for any laptop display and, in fact, beats many gaming and professional monitors. The display can handle the entire sRGB and DCI-P3 color gamuts, plus 90 percent of the AdobeRGB color gamut. Keyboard and trackpadĬolor performance is a highlight. But it does fail to stand out from the crowd. That’s not to say the Predator Helios 300 feels cheap: it doesn’t. The company’s design gains are slow in coming while new competitors, like Lenovo’s Legion sub-brand, have significantly improved over just a few years. It’s a mix, then, and one that doesn’t work in Acer’s favor. It’s enough to make me feel leery about placing heavy objects, like books, on top of the laptop. The display lid does allow significant flex, though, and looks thin. That’s impressive for a large, heavy gaming laptop, which naturally has more weight to resist. There’s very little flex across the chassis even when holding it from a single corner. The Predator Helios 300 has a large, thick chassis that feels robust in most situations. Details like this separate the Predator Helios 300 from more premium alternatives, such as the Alienware x15 or Razer Blade. I’m not a fan of the keys, either, which are a different shade of black than the surrounding interior. There’s a subtle mismatch in color and texture between panels that would be better off matching, such as the rear vents and the chassis proper. However, like most Predator gaming laptops, the devil is in the details. It also makes the leap to DDR5 memory, an upgrade from the DDR4 memory on prior variants. The model I tested was its most recent iteration, which equips 12th-gen Intel Core processors. Acer Predator Helios 300 specs and featuresĪcer’s Predator Helios 300 is now several years old. Just don’t expect it to be of much use on the road. It delivers strong processing and graphics performance as well as a vivid display. This is a laptop you’ll buy because of its bang for your buck. Its latest iteration gets a slight visual refresh, but it remains true to the core mission. The Acer Predator Helios 300 has, for the past few years, proven itself among the better options for gamers who want a powerful laptop at a mid-range price. Display brightness, contrast could be betterĪcer’s latest Predator Helios 300 receives a new look, but strong game performance at a reasonable price remains its most appealing trait.
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