Acer has presented three new gaming products at Computex 2026: the Predator Helios 18 AI flagship gaming laptop, the Acer Nitro 16 mid-range gaming laptop and the Acer Nitro Blaze Link, a streaming-only handheld device designed to extend an existing PC gaming setup without local processing hardware.
The Predator Helios 18 AI will be available in Australia in Q4 2026 from $11,999. Australian availability for the Nitro 16 and pricing for the Nitro Blaze Link will be confirmed at a later date.
Acer Predator Helios 18 AI: The Flagship
The Predator Helios 18 AI (model PH18-I71) is Acer’s top-of-the-line gaming laptop and a winner of an iF Design Award 2026. It is built around an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor and can be configured with up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU with 24GB of GDDR7 VRAM.
The laptop supports up to 256GB of DDR5 memory and up to 6TB of storage across three PCIe Gen 5 NVMe SSD slots. Those specifications place it in the desktop-replacement segment of the gaming laptop market, targeting users who want workstation-class hardware in a portable form factor.
Both laptops in the lineup run Windows 11 and ship with Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 Series Laptop GPUs, which are built on Nvidia’s Blackwell architecture. The RTX 50 Series supports Nvidia DLSS 4.5 for AI-accelerated frame generation and upscaling.
Display
The Helios 18 AI features an 18-inch Mini LED WQUXGA (3,840 x 2,400) display with 1,000 nits of brightness in HDR mode. The panel is Calman Verified for colour accuracy with Delta E below 2 and covers 100 per cent of the DCI-P3 colour gamut.
The display operates as a Dual-Mode panel, allowing users to switch between 4K resolution at 120Hz for visual detail and Full HD at 240Hz for higher frame rates during competitive play. The screen supports Nvidia Advanced Optimus and Nvidia G-SYNC.
Cooling System
Thermal management is handled by dual 6th Gen Predator AeroBlade 3D fans, each containing 100 metal fan blades at 0.05mm thickness. Acer claims these are the thinnest cooling fan blades in a laptop, based on its internal research as of April 2026. The fan blades dynamically adjust based on fan speed, delivering a 20 per cent increase in airflow compared to generic plastic fans.
The cooling system is supplemented by vector heat pipes and liquid metal thermal grease for heat transfer between the processors and the cooling assembly. For a laptop drawing the power required by an RTX 5090 GPU and a Core Ultra 9 processor, sustained thermal performance is critical to maintaining clock speeds under extended gaming loads.
The laptop carries a 99 Wh battery and weighs 3.5 KG, reflecting the thermal and power requirements of its internal hardware.
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Audio And Connectivity
The Helios 18 AI uses Acer’s patented Predator Vox technology, a six-speaker system designed for directional audio. The internal tube structure is intended to improve waveform consistency and reduce distortion at high volumes. DTS:X Ultra spatial audio processing is included.
Networking is handled by Intel Killer DoubleShot Pro technology, which combines Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7 BE1750x wireless and Intel Killer Ethernet E5000B wired connections. The system intelligently routes traffic across both connections to prioritise latency-sensitive network activity.
Two Thunderbolt 5 ports are included alongside USB 3.2 Gen 1 and Gen 2 Type-A ports, HDMI 2.1, an SD card reader, a 3.5mm combo audio jack, RJ-45 Ethernet and a Kensington lock slot.
The laptop features a per-key RGB backlit keyboard with Predator MagKey 4.0 mechanical switches, and a Full HD IR webcam with PurifiedView AI assistance. PredatorSense system management software and two months of XBox Game Pass are bundled.
Acer Nitro 16: AMD-Powered Mid-Range
The Acer Nitro 16 (model AN16-A91) is the first Acer gaming laptop to feature AMD’s Ryzen 9 9955HX3D processor, which includes 2nd Gen AMD 3D V-Cache technology. The processor is designed to deliver strong gaming performance through its expanded cache architecture, which reduces memory latency for game workloads. A Ryzen 9 9955HX configuration is also available.
The Nitro 16 supports up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop GPU with 12GB of GDDR7 VRAM. Memory tops out at 32GB of DDR5 at 5,600 MT/s, with up to 2TB of storage across two PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD slots.
The 16-inch display runs at up to WQXGA resolution (2,560 x 1,600) with a 16:10 aspect ratio, up to 100 per cent DCI-P3 coverage, up to 240 Hz refresh rate and response times as low as 3ms. The panel supports Nvidia Advanced Optimus and G-SYNC.
Cooling is managed by a dual-fan system with quad-intake and quad-exhaust airflow paths, supplemented by vector heat pipes. The laptop weighs 2.5 KG and carries a 92 Wh battery.
Connectivity includes USB 4 Type-C, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, USB 2.0 Type-A, HDMI 2.1, a microSD card reader, RJ-45 Ethernet via Intel Killer Ethernet E3100G and Wi-Fi 6E. Acer NitroSense system management software is included alongside a four-zone RGB backlit keyboard and two months of XBox Game Pass.
Australian availability and pricing for the Nitro 16 will be confirmed at a later date.
Acer Nitro Blaze Link: A Streaming-Only Handheld
The Acer Nitro Blaze Link (model GN772) takes a different approach to handheld gaming. Rather than running games locally, it functions as a streaming client that connects to an existing PC over Wi-Fi 6 and displays the game stream on a 7-inch WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) touchscreen. (Acer also launched the Predator Atlas handheld, see here).
The device runs Linux (Debian) with Sunshine and Moonlight streaming software pre-installed. It carries 1GB of LPDDR4 memory and 8GB of eMMC storage, reflecting its role as a thin client rather than a standalone gaming system. There is no dedicated GPU or processing hardware for running games locally.
The Blaze Link is aimed at two use cases. The first is gamers who want to play their PC game library in another room of the house without moving their desktop or laptop. The second is households where multiple users need to access a single gaming PC simultaneously, with the Blaze Link acting as a remote terminal.
At 464 grams, the device is lighter than most handheld gaming PCs. It includes ABXY buttons, a D-Pad, bumpers, analog joysticks, triggers and dual 2-watt speakers. The battery is an 18 Wh single-cell unit, and charging is handled via a 15-watt USB Type-C connection. The USB Type-C port is for charging only and does not support data or display connections.
The control layout mirrors a standard gamepad configuration, and the streaming approach means that game quality depends on the source PC’s hardware and the stability of the local Wi-Fi network rather than the handheld’s own specifications.
The Acer Nitro Blaze Link will be available in Australia from late Q3 to Q4 2026. Australian pricing has not yet been announced.
Last Updated on 7 June 2026 by Nick Ross
