Acer announced an array of gaming laptops for Computex 2025, with the compact and creator-friendly Predator Triton 14 AI stealing my attention.
I got some hands-on time with the laptops before their unveiling in a private meeting in New York, as shown in the video above. The Triton’s Intel “Lunar Lake” processor, GeForce RTX 5070 graphics, and OLED screen made me give it a closer look, but it’s just one of several fresh gaming PCs announced at this year’s show.
New Predator Helios and Nitro models with 14-, 16-, and 18-inch screen options are among them. We also ran through a slew of mainstream laptops in the above video, which you can check out in this separate story on Acer’s new Swift and Aspire laptops.
Read on for more details on these new gaming boxes, starting with the jack-of-all-trades Triton.
A Portable Triton Built for Gamers and Creators
The Predator Triton 14 AI has the most interesting combination of specs and features among these systems. At 14 inches, portability is a major appeal here, with the laptop measuring just 0.68 by 12.6 by 8.7 inches (HWD) and weighing 3.5 pounds. The laptop features a black metal chassis that feels sturdy and high-quality in my hands. Acer opted for a pretty clean aesthetic with the laptop’s design. It has a minimal lid logo with no text, which I appreciate, and sparse rear chassis lighting.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
However, the overall Triton package is what grabbed my attention, more than just its dimensions and design. With the Triton, Acer will target content creators as much as gamers. (If you live in both camps, then all the better.) The display, connectivity, and internal components will appeal to both.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The 14.5-inch 120Hz display has a sharp 2,880-by-1,800-pixel resolution. It’s an OLED panel with touch support and Calman verification for color coverage. This screen looks fantastic in person, and it should make your favorite games look vibrant and ensure your content creation assets are color-accurate.
Lunar Lake Makes This Triton Interesting
As for the components, the Triton 14 AI comes with an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 GPU, up to 32GB of memory, and up to 2TB of storage. The Core Ultra 9 is part of the Lunar Lake family. It’s an efficient AI-ready chip with a neural processing unit (NPU) that we don’t usually see in gaming systems. With a capable NPU, however, it also qualifies as a Copilot+ PC.
I’m excited to see how it will perform when it eventually arrives in PC Labs for testing, and the same goes for the RTX 5070 (especially in such a compact laptop). You may wonder, “Why Lunar Lake, and why stop at an RTX 5070?” As it turns out, both of these key components are essential for this type of system. Of course, an RTX 5080 or RTX 5090 would deliver more power for enthusiasts, but the RTX 5070 is right for the system size, intended audiences, and price.
Lunar Lake should support lengthy battery life and avoid restricting the GPU at the Ultra 9 tier. But it will be interesting to see how a Lunar Lake chip interacts with a higher-end RTX 50 chip for gamers. Most gaming systems use AMD or Intel H-class chips, after all. An efficient Lunar Lake V-chip paired with a robust GPU is new.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
To enable these parts to sing, Acer also built the Triton with its sixth-generation cooling fans, a vapor chamber, and a graphene thermal solution on both the CPU and GPU. I can’t comment on the efficacy of these parts until we can test the machine in the lab, but an advanced thermal system is vital for a small gaming machine.
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Another potentially creator-friendly feature? The Corning Gorilla Glass touchpad includes haptic feedback and stylus support, giving you a smooth (albeit small) pad for pen controls. I didn’t get to try this out much during my demo, but it’s an unusual and interesting feature—almost like a mini Wacom tablet.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The laptop includes a Thunderbolt 4 port, a USB-C connector, two USB Type-A ports, an HDMI connector, and a microSD card reader. It also has Killer-branded Wi-Fi 7 and a 1080p webcam.
The Rest of Acer’s Gamers: New Helios and Nitro
The Triton 14 AI is just one of Acer’s gaming machines I saw at our meeting, so here are the rest with a bit less detail. (Some of them are also covered in the video above.)
The Predator Helios Neo 14 AI is another compact and portable gaming machine that also tops out at an RTX 5070 GPU, but features Intel Arrow Lake H processing instead of Lunar Lake. It runs either the Core Ultra 7 255H or the Core Ultra 9 285H, and you can also opt for an RTX 5060 for a lower price.
Recommended by Our Editors
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The Helios Neo’s display is similar to the Triton’s: a 14.5-inch OLED panel with a 1800p resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. However, you have a secondary option for a 1600p OLED screen with a 165Hz refresh rate. Despite what it shares with the Triton, this system is just that much more aimed at roaming gaming enthusiasts in particular.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Acer also announced a new Predator Orion 3000 desktop, though I did not get a chance to see it in person at this meeting. It will pack up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 265F processor and an RTX 5070 GPU, so it’s a midrange rig, generally speaking. This product is the only one announced that actually has a US release window and price: in the second half of 2025, starting at $1,199.99.
Leaving the Predators behind, I also saw more wallet-friendly Nitro laptops: the Nitro 18 AI and 16 AI, plus the Nitro 16S AI and the Nitro V 16S AI. I know—these similar names are confusing, but here’s some shorthand to help: The “S” means slim, meaning the two S models have lower power ceilings than the other two.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The 18 AI and 16 AI top out with AMD Ryzen 9 365 processors and an RTX 5070 Ti GPU, with Intel CPU options to come later. The displays will both offer a 180Hz refresh rate. There are no OLED options, likely to help keep the price down.
Finally, I checked out the Nitro 16S AI and the Nitro V 16S AI. Unlike the other pair, these are both 16 inches, and as mentioned, the “S” represents their slim design, measuring 0.78 inch thick. There are some slight design differences between them (the 16S has a rear thermal block that’s missing on the V 16S), and the 16S tops out at an RTX 5070 Ti while the V 16S only goes up to an RTX 5070.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Acer has no North American prices or release dates for these products yet (save for the one I mentioned); the company is holding off on finalizing them due to persistent economic uncertainty. Check back for updates and eventual full reviews on these systems as Acer finalizes pricing and units become available later this year.
About Matthew Buzzi
Lead Analyst, Hardware
