The Acer Nitro V 15 Intel is yet another gaming laptop from the esteemed brand that promises high-end performance for a relatively modest outlay.
It has a fairly muted design for the most part, although the variegated lines and Nitro symbol on the lid hint at its potential. It’s quite bulky and reasonably heavy, but still manages to be more portable than some of its rivals. This is also helped by the omission of a rear ventilation bulge common on many gaming laptops.
It’s not as well built as the best gaming laptops, though. It employs less-than premium materials in places, and the flex of the chassis doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. In the main, though, it’s perfectly acceptable, and the important aspects, such as the keys and the lid hinge, are of a higher standard.
Most of the usual ports are present and correct on the Nitro V 15 Intel, although they’re loaded on the left-hand side; all you get on the right is the headset jack and one USB-A port. I would’ve liked to have seen a few more here for versatility’s sake, but this is a minor gripe.
The performance of the Nitro V 15 Intel isn’t exactly off the charts, but it’s more than sufficient for solid 1080p gaming. You’ll get around 60fps or above with high – if not the highest – settings in many AAA titles.
(Image credit: Future)
The display impressed me with its vibrant color rendering colors and deep black tones. Reflections can get in the way somewhat, but its maximum brightness level is just about enough to mitigate the worst of them. It’s a small shame, however, that the lid doesn’t open all that wide.
There’s also a fair amount of fan noise, even when gaming with modest settings, although it’s still within tolerable bounds for the most part. Plenty of heat is also generated, which can be a little disruptive as it makes its way to the space bar and radiates from the right vent. It can also climb up to the display, which is less than ideal.
With its relatively low starting price, the Nitro V 15 Intel makes for a tempting proposition. However, there are some other great budget picks at this end of the market, including its bigger sibling, the Nitro 16. And if you don’t need the latest tech, the MSI Katana 15 (2023) is another admirable 1080p performer. But the Nitro V 15 Intel can stand proud alongside these as another reasonably priced gaming laptop worth the money.
Acer Nitro V 15 Intel review: Price & Availability
Starts from $899.99 / £849.99 (about AU$1370)
Available now
Budget end of the market
The Nitro V 15 Intel starts from $899.99 / £849.99 (about AU$1370) and is available now. It can be configured with an RTX 5050 or 5060, an Intel Core i5 or i7 of the 13th generation, and 512GB or 1TB of storage.
This is a good value for a gaming laptop with an RTX 5000 series GPU. It does face some stern competition at this price point, however – chiefly from its larger counterpart, the Nitro 16, which we think is the best budget gaming laptop around right now, and has the advantage of having a larger display (albeit only slightly).
If you don’t need the absolute latest components, then the MSI Katana 15 (2023) is another strong alternative with a reasonable price. It does have a few flaws, such as a poor trackpad and middling battery life, but there are worse areas to have made sacrifices.
Value: 4 / 5
Acer Nitro V 15 Intel review: Specs
Acer Nitro V 15 Intel Specs
Acer Nitro V 15 Intel Base Config
Acer Nitro V 15 Intel Review Config
Price
$899.99 / £849.99 (about AU$1370)
$1,199.99 / £999.99 (about AU$1830)
CPU
Intel Core i5-13420H (8 cores) 2.10GHz
Intel Core i7-13620H (10 cores) 2.40GHz
GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 8GB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 8GB
RAM
16GB DDR4 SDRAM
16GB DDR4 SDRAM
Storage
512GB PCI Express NVMe 4.0 M.2 SSD
1TB PCI Express NVMe 4.0 M.2 SSD
Display
15.6-inch Active Matrix TFT LCD (1920 x 1080), 16:9, IPS, 165Hz
15.6-inch Active Matrix TFT LCD (1920 x 1080), 16:9, IPS, 165Hz
Ports and Connectivity
3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (Thunderbolt 4), 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1x RJ-45, 1x 3,5mm Audio, WI
3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (Thunderbolt 4), 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1x RJ-45, 1x 3,5mm Audio, WI
Battery
76Wh
76Wh
Dimensions
14.3 x 9.4 x 0.9in / 362 x 240 x 24mm
14.3 x 9.4 x 0.9in / 362 x 240 x 24mm
Weight
4.65lbs / 2.11kg
4.65lbs / 2.11kg
Acer Nitro V 15 Intel review: Design
(Image credit: Future)
Minimal design
Reasonably thick and heavy
Well-made keyboard
The Nitro V 15 Intel adopts a fairly minimal aesthetic for a gaming laptop. About the only indication of its leanings is the multicolored linear pattern on the lid, which adds a small amount of interest to its appearance.
It’s a somewhat bulky, blocky unit and it weighs a considerable amount, although there are certainly thicker and heavier examples in this class. It also lacks the rear bulge for cooling purposes common on many gaming laptops, which improves its portability.
The materials employed throughout the unit don’t strike me as being among the most premium, feeling a little cheap compared to those of the competition. There’s also some flex to the enclosure for the keyboard and trackpad, but thankfully not to a disconcerting extent.
Thankfully, the lid hinge seems built to a higher standard, opening with ease and offering sufficient stability. It doesn’t open very wide, though, since the bottom of the lid hits the underlying surface if you take it even slightly past 90 degrees.
The keys are also a highlight in terms of build quality. They’re smooth to the touch and comfortably proportioned, as well as being generously spaced apart. And despite the inclusion of a number pad, the overall layout doesn’t feel cramped.
One strange omission, though, is the lack of an FN lock shortcut. Instead, you have to toggle this setting in the BIOS, which is very inconvenient – especially given there are no dedicated media control keys (they’re bound to the F row).
There are four rubber feet underneath the Nitro V 15 Intel that provide adequate grip and support, and raise the chassis from the surface by a small amount – but perhaps not enough for optimal airflow.
You’ll find most ports on the left-hand side of the Nitro V 15 Intel. The power port is furthest, followed by the ethernet and HDMI ports, and then two USB-A ports and one USB-C.
On the right there’s only a USB-A port and the headset jack. I would’ve preferred a better balance between the two sides – perhaps more USB-A ports on the right for connecting various peripherals, but this is a small gripe.
The power brick that comes with the Nitro V 15 Intel is pleasingly small, while the cable that runs from it to the laptop is relatively long, which makes it better suited to a wider variety of setups.
Design: 3.5/ 5
Acer Nitro V 15 Intel review: Performance
(Image credit: Future)
Runs AAA titles at very high settings
Maximum settings not attainable
Vivid and bright display
With the RTX 5060 equipped in my review unit, the Nitro V 15 Intel performed quite well, if not blisteringly so. When I played Cyberpunk 2077 on the Ray Tracing: Low preset (which the game chose by default), I was getting somewhere in the region of 60-70fps. I’m sure many gamers are happy to play at these rates (myself included), but those looking for figures in the hundreds will be disappointed.
The display does a commendable job of rendering colors vibrantly and providing plenty of contrast, with blacks being particularly impressive. It’s also devoid of the washed-out tones that can plague other LCD displays. It can be overly reflective at times, but thankfully there’s enough brightness to combat the worst offenders.
A fair amount of fan noise accompanied most of my playing time with the Nitro V 15 Intel, but this was nothing a good pair of headphones or the best PC gaming headsets couldn’t mask. As expected, heat was also generated, which can make its way to the keyboard, even after a short time playing. I found it particularly concentrated around the space bar, which can exceed temperatures I find totally comfortable handling.
(Image credit: Future)
Also, since there’s no protrusion behind the lid, vents are placed in front of the display. And since the display housing reaches all the way down, level with the bottom of the chassis, the expelled hot air radiates onto the display, which isn’t exactly the best place for it.
As for the keys, their lack of dampening and surprising resistance can make them somewhat uncomfortable to game with, as I would sometimes experience fatigue when using the WASD keys for long periods. However, their clicky feel and short actuation point makes them snappy and responsive, which in turn makes them ideal for typing as well as gaming (their aforementioned size and spacing also help in this regard).
The trackpad, however, frequently got in my way while typing, registering swipes accidentally even when I made marginal contact with the palm of my thumb.
Performance: 4 / 5
Acer Nitro V 15 Intel review: Battery Life
(Image credit: Future)
Middling longevity
Quick to charge
The Nitro V 15 Intel has a reasonable, if not spectacular, battery life. It managed to last six and a half hours during our movie playback test, and one hour and 37 minutes in the PCMark battery test for gaming scenarios, neither of which are class-leading scores.
Having said that, there are certainly gaming laptops with worse batteries, and thankfully the Nitro V 15 Intel is very quick to charge, taking about an hour and twenty minutes to totally replenish.
Battery Life: 3.5 / 5
Should I buy the Acer Nitro V 15 Intel?
Acer Nitro V 15 Intel Scorecard
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Value
It’s well-priced for an RTX 5000 series laptop, and it hasn’t skimped on the important aspects of a gaming laptop.
4 / 5
Design
It might not have the most premium construction, but it suffices, and quality is high in the areas that matter most.
3.5 / 5
Performance
You’ll get decent 1080p gaming at high settings, but maximum ones are beyond it. There’s a fair amount of heat generated, too.
4 / 5
Battery Life
Nothing special, but not the worst either. At least it’s quick to charge.
3.5 / 5
Total
The Nitro V 15 Intel does well in the most important areas considering its low price tag, and it can hold its own against other budget offerings in the gaming laptop space.
4 / 5
Buy the Acer Nitro V 15 Intel if...
You want solid 1080p gaming AAA titles run smoothly on the Nitro V 15 Intel, and you won’t have to dip that far below maximum settings. The display is also impressive.
You want to save money The Nitro V 15 Intel is very well-priced considering its spec and performance, and the compromises made are sensible – for the most part.
Don't buy it if...
You want the best battery life The 76Wh battery can’t endure to the extent of some of its rivals, so those without a power outlet nearby might be disappointed.
You want the best gaming keyboard Although the keys are great for typing, their short travel yet surprising resistance can make gaming a little fatiguing.
Acer Nitro V 15 Intel review: Also Consider
Acer Nitro 16 Our pick for the best gaming laptop for those on a budget, the bigger sibling to the Nitro V 15 Intel is an equally enticing proposition. It’s similarly capable and features the same 165Hz refresh rate, but you do have to sacrifice some portability for that larger screen.
MSI Katana 15 (2023) If you’re willing to go for an older model, the MSI Katana 15 (2023) is a fine choice. Again, the 1080p performance here is admirable, and its low cost makes it the ideal gateway model. Of course, you won’t get top-tier performance, and it’s hardly the most portable of units, but these are drawbacks to expect given the price.
I tested the Nitro V 15 Intel for a few days, during which time I used it for gaming, working, and general browsing.
I played AAA titles and ran our series of benchmarks that test gaming and productivity performance, storage speeds, and battery life.
I’ve been PC gaming for over a decade, and have experienced various machines and components during that time. I’ve also reviewed a number of laptops previously, including other Acer and gaming-oriented models.
The Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) is a mid-range laptop with AI capabilities that aim to streamline advanced tasks without compromising processing power.
It looks smart and sleek with its minimal design. The blue colorway of my review unit also added an element of vibrancy to proceedings, offering something a little different from the usual black and silver finishes.
It’s also very light and thin, which makes it easy to use and carry around. The bezel around the screen is very small, too, which helps to maximize the size of the display.
The materials feel premium enough, especially the keys, but it’s not the sturdiest unit. There’s a considerable amount of flex to the lid and chassis, falling some way short of the best laptop constructions.
As you’d expect given its name, there are various AI features in the Aspire 14 AI (2025). However, there aren’t as many as you might think, with the flagship app appearing to be Acer LiveArt – a disappointingly basic image editing suite.
The AI apps run fairly smoothly in the main, though, and the Aspire 14 AI (2025) performs everyday tasks quite well, from productivity and browsing to streaming. However, it can succumb to the occasional slowdown and lag, and doesn’t handle 4K content particularly well. More strenuous tasks, such as gaming, are beyond it, as you might expect given the middling GPU it’s saddled with.
(Image credit: Future)
What’s more, there’s a pretty consistent fan noise, even during moderate workloads, which increases the harder the Aspire 14 AI (2025) is pushed. I also noticed a strange rattling sound at times, which was slightly concerning.
The display is more impressive, providing plenty of sharpness and brightness. Colors are rendered quite well, too, although they’re not the most vivid, with some of its rivals achieving greater saturation.
The keyboard is mostly pleasant to use, thanks in no small part to the sizable and generously spaced keys. The trackpad is smooth enough, but taps and clicks lack consistency and feedback.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Aspire 14 AI (2025) is the battery life. It lasted 22 hours in our movie playback test, which trounces most of the competition, even at the top end of the market.
Ultimately, the Aspire 14 AI (2025) ends up being a somewhat underwhelming laptop considering its price tag. You might be better off paying a little more to have a laptop with a better design and overall performance.
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) review: Price & Availability
Starts from £699 / AU$1,399
Currently unavailable in the US
Well-price for the spec
The Aspire 14 AI (2025) starts from £699 / AU$1,399 and is available now in various finishes. It can be configured with 512GB or 1TB of storage. Currently, the only model available in the US is the larger Aspire 16 AI.
On the face of it, this is a reasonable price for a laptop with this spec. But it does face some stern competitors who, despite being a bit more expensive, might represent better value, all things considered.
Take the Microsoft Surface Laptop: this starts at $899.99 / £1,039 / AU$1,498, and while it has a similar everyday performance to the Aspire 14 AI (2025) and a marginally shorter – but still impressive – battery life, it’s built to a higher standard and more enjoyable to use in our view.
Similarly, there’s also the Dell Inspiron 14. Again, this is more expensive than the Aspire 14 AI (2025), but its everyday performance is better – although it still can’t handle the most intensive workloads, like video editing and AAA gaming. It too has an impressive battery life, although it’s still not quite as enduring as that of the Aspire 14 AI (2025).
Value: 3.5 / 5
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) review: Specs
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) Specs
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) Base Config
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) Max Config
Price
$TBA / £699 / AU$1,399
$TBA / £749 (about AU$1570)
CPU
Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100 (8 cores), 3GHz
Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100 (8 cores), 3GHz
GPU
Qualcomm Adreno GPU (shared memory)
Qualcomm Adreno GPU (shared memory)
RAM
16GB LPDDR5X
16GB LPDDR5X
Storage
512GB PCI Express NVMe 4.0 (M.2)
1TB PCI Express NVMe 4.0 (M.2)
Display
14-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200), 16:10, Active Matrix TFT LCD, IPS, 120Hz
14-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200), 16:10, Active Matrix TFT LCD, IPS, 120Hz
The Aspire 14 AI (2025) is very portable, even for a 14-inch laptop, thanks to its light and slender frame, free from any bulges or protrusions. This also adds to its sleek appearance. The dark blue colorway of my review unit suited it very well, and helped distinguish it from the monochromatic homogeneity of the sector.
The lid is easy to open, yet offers sufficient stability. Pleasingly, it also reclines all the way back by 180 degrees, making it versatile for various stands and setups.
Instead of four feet, the Aspire 14 AI (2025) features two long bars running across its width, with the rear one being taller than the front. They don’t provide as much grip as more traditional rubber feet, but they suffice for keeping the Aspire 14 AI (2025) stable while in use. What’s more, some may find this lack of traction preferable, as it makes the laptop easier to slide around on a given surface.
Build quality is good in places, such as the keyboard, with the plastics looking and feeling premium. I also appreciated the very thin bezel around the screen, which serves to maximize the full real estate.
However, there’s a considerable amount of flex to the chassis and the lid, which is somewhat disconcerting. It’s probably not one to take on more extreme adventures – it’s certainly no match for the best rugged laptop units in this regard – but it should suffice for basic travel.
(Image credit: Future)
As for software, the Aspire 14 AI (2025) is mercifully free from bloatware – although that statement largely depends on how you feel about AI features. Thankfully, those that are installed are unintrusive and only there if you need them.
The included AI features of the Aspire 14 AI (2025) are mainly confined to image and video editing, courtesy of Acer LiveSense. This app has some very basic image editing and webcam effects to play around with, but to call this an AI feature is a stretch. Its generative features boil down to buttons that open Microsoft's Copilot app instead.
If you want more AI offerings from Acer than those preinstalled, you’ll have to download Acer Intelligence Space, which acts as a hub for its suite of AI apps. However, I couldn’t get this to install on my unit, with the app failing to appear once the installer had finished running.
As a side note, if you’re looking to install third-party apps, keep in mind that the Aspire 14 AI (2025) uses an ARM processor, so you may run into compatibility issues. Check with the software provider where you can to determine suitability for the architecture.
There’s a well-judged selection of ports on the Aspire 14 AI (2025). It features two USB-C ports, both of which employ the Thunderbolt 4 standard. These are both located on the left-hand side, in front of the HDMI 2.1 port and USB-A port, which may prove inconvenient for certain setups, since you’ll need to connect the power adapter to one of them.
On the right you’ll find a USB-A port, followed by a headset jack and a microSD slot. It’s a shame there isn’t at least one more port on this side, but this is a minor complaint.
Design: 3.5/ 5
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) review: Performance
(Image credit: Future)
Reasonable workaday performance
AI apps eat memory
Noisy even under moderate loads
The performance of the Aspire 14 AI (2025) is good, if nothing spectacular. It can handle most everyday tasks, including word processing, spreadsheet editing, and video streaming, although 4K content can result in significant pauses for buffering. There were also a few occasions where it was a little sluggish, such as when waking from sleep.
The AI apps and features run well enough, although they do tend to eat up a considerable amount of memory, despite the 16GB of RAM on board. Models with more would be preferable to deal with such workloads on a regular basis.
Even under moderate loads, the fans of the Aspire 14 AI (2025) are audible. The noise isn’t too loud or shrill, but it’s still noticeable and unexpected. The volume does increase with heavier tasking, though – but at least the unit remains cool throughout.
I also noticed a strange rattling sound at times, as if some part was loose and vibrating. Pressing the offending area fixed the issue temporarily, but this speaks further to the less-than-stellar build quality of the Aspire 14 AI (2025).
(Image credit: Future)
Intensive tasks are beyond the Aspire 14 AI (2025). It doesn’t handle gaming very well, even when playing moderately demanding titles with modest settings. I encountered severe stuttering and lag when playing Counter-Strike 2 on the Medium preset, rendering it virtually unplayable; this certainly isn’t a device to replace the best gaming laptops.
The 1920 x 1200 display is sharp and renders colors quite well, although it’s not the most vibrant you’ll ever see. It has high levels of brightness, too, which helps to keep reflections at bay.
The keys are large and generously spaced, which makes them easy to type with. They lack the feedback and satisfying feel of the best laptops for writers, and the omission of a number pad might deter those after maximum productivity, but for basic note taking and essay writing, the keyboard should suffice.
The trackpad manages to stay out of the way while typing for the most part, with it refraining from registering palm contact. It’s smooth and pleasingly large, but the taps are a little inconsistent, and the click feels quite nasty and lacks feedback, making it awkward to use for constant navigation around documents and web pages.
Performance: 3.5 / 5
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) review: Battery Life
(Image credit: Future)
Incredible longevity
Beats all the competition
The battery life of the Aspire 14 AI (2025) is very impressive. During our movie playback test, it managed to last an incredible 22 hours – a few hours shy of Acer’s 28-hour claim, but this is forgivable given there are very few rivals that can match this kind of endurance.
It trounces even more premium laptops, such as the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) (the best student laptop in our view), which only managed a little over 14 hours. The Microsoft Surface Laptop managed just over 17 hours, while the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus lasted over 18 hours.
Battery Life: 5 / 5
Should I buy the Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025)?
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) Scorecard
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Value
It’s at the lower end of the mid-range pack, but there are perhaps better value alternatives.
3.5 / 5
Design
It’s light and slender, but hardly the most solid. The included AI software is poor.
3.5 / 5
Performance
It’ll suffice for everyday tasks and productivity, but more serious workloads are beyond it. The display is bright and clear.
3.5 / 5
Battery Life
You’ll struggle to find many laptops that can last as long as the Aspire 14 AI (2025).
5 / 5
Total
The Aspire 14 AI (2025) is somewhat inconsistent, with great portability and battery life, but middling performance and build quality. There are better options if you’re prepared to pay a bit more.
3.5 / 5
Buy the Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) if...
You want the best battery life The battery life of the Aspire 14 AI (2025) is truly phenomenal – no other laptop can beat it.
You want something easy to use The light and thin chassis makes this easy to carry around, and the 180-degree folding display makes it versatile, too.
Don't buy it if...
You want the strongest build The Aspire 14 AI (2025) is far from the sturdiest laptop out there, so best kept out of intrepid situations.
You want the best performance For everyday tasks you should be fine, but it can’t handle demanding workloads. It can get noisy, too.
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) review: Also Consider
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch As the best Windows 11 laptop in our eyes, the Surface Laptop is a great all-rounder. It’s better made than the Aspire 14 AI (2025), and although its battery life is shorter, it’s still top-tier. The starting price is higher, but you get a laptop that equates to better all-round value.
Dell 14 Plus If you’re looking for another affordable yet capable laptop, the 14 Plus fits the bill very well. This has a more impressive performance, and yet again has a battery that’ll last all day and then some.
I tested the Aspire 14 AI (2025) for a few days, using it for productivity, entertainment, and general browsing.
I did plenty of typing and content streaming, and even tested its gaming credentials. I also ran our series of benchmarks to assess various aspects of its performance, and made sure to use as many of its in-built AI apps and features as I could.
I have reviewed many laptops before, ranging in their price points and usage types. I’ve also used them consistently for decades for all manner of tasks.
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 (2025) is a gaming laptop that promises top-tier performance at an affordable price. It doesn’t exactly convey its power visually, looking rather muted compared to others in this class. However, it does exude a fair amount of elegance, which belies its budget price tag.
It’s surprisingly thin and free from bulk, although it’s still quite heavy. The lid hinges are pleasingly small, and the bezel around the screen is very minimal – in fact you’ll struggle to find a more slender frame on even the best gaming laptop models.
Build quality is also respectable, although the keyboard doesn’t look the most premium. Thankfully, the keys themselves feel great, offering sufficient dampening, travel, and feedback, which makes them a joy to use when gaming.
And, on that front, the TUF Gaming A16 (2025) acquits itself very well. The RTX 5050 in my unit performed remarkably well, achieving very high frame rates with demanding graphics settings selected, although Cyberpunk 2077 labored considerably on the highest preset, with disruptive stutters, lag, and visual glitches. But dropping the settings down slightly improved the experience greatly, while maintaining plenty of visual fidelity.
(Image credit: Future)
More bothersome, however, was the noise the TUF Gaming A16 (2025) generated, which is distractingly loud and pretty much rules out playing without headphones. At least the unit stays relatively cool for the most part, with any heat steering clear from any touchable surface.
The large 16-inch, 1920 x 1200 display of the TUF Gaming A16 (2025) is certainly good enough to represent AAA games faithfully, but it’s not the best in class, guilty of looking a little washed out at times. It also lacks the high brightness levels of its rivals, and is a little too reflective.
As mentioned, the keys feel great to use when gaming, but the cramped layout – owing to the inclusion of a number pad – can make typing awkward, at least for someone as ham-fisted as me.
This isn’t too big a gripe, though, and if you’re willing to put up with the incessant noise and can settle for gaming at close-to maximum settings, the TUF Gaming A16 (2025) is a respectable performer that won’t break the bank – at least not to the extent other gaming laptops will.
ASUS TUF Gaming A16 (2025) review: Price & Availability
$1,449.99 / £1,399.99 / AU$2,499
Available now
Well-priced for the spec
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 (2025) starts from $1,449.99 / £1,399.99 / AU$2,499 and is available now. In the US, we couldn't find a model equipped with an RTX 5050; the base model here appears to start with a 5060 instead.
This is a decent price for a 16-inch laptop with an RTX 5000 series GPU. There are few compromises, too, with the 1920 x 1200 resolution being the main concession. But the overall design and build quality of the TUF Gaming A16 (2025) aren’t what you’d call cheap.
However, the Acer Nitro 16 AMD is cheaper by a significant amount. This has a less impressive spec, though: the base Nitro 16 AMD gets an RTX 4050 GPU, an AMD Ryzen 5 CPU, and only 512GB of storage. It’s also quite bulky and doesn’t exactly look premium. We were very pleased with its 1080p performance, though, and we also liked its keyboard.
Value: 4 / 5
ASUS TUF Gaming A16 (2025) review: Specs
ASUS TUF Gaming A16 (2025) Base Config
ASUS TUF Gaming A16 (2025) Maximum Config
Price
$1,449.99 / £1,399.99 / AU$2,499
$1,699.99 / £1,699.99
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 260 Processor 3.8GHz (24MB Cache, up to 5.1 GHz, 8 cores, 16 Threads)
AMD Ryzen 9 270 Processor 4.0GHz (24MB Cache, up to 5.2GHz, 8 cores, 16 Threads)
1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack, 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x USB-A (1x USB 2.0 and 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2), 2x USB-C (1x USB 3.2 Gen2 and 1x USB 4), 1x RJ45, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack, 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x USB-A (1x USB 2.0 and 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2), 2x USB-C (1x USB 3.2 Gen2 and 1x USB 4), 1x RJ45, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Battery
90WHrs
90WHrs
Dimensions
13.94 x 10.59 x 0.70 inches (354 x 269 x 17.9mm)
13.94 x 10.59 x 0.70 inches (354 x 269 x 17.9mm)
Weight
4.85lbs (2.20kg)
4.85lbs (2.20kg)
ASUS TUF Gaming A16 (2025) review: Design
(Image credit: Future)
Surprisingly thin
Very thin screen bezel
Good-feeling keyboard
To my personal delight, ASUS hasn’t done much to gamify the appearance of the TUF Gaming A16 (2025). It has a minimal aesthetic and the whole unit looks surprisingly elegant for a gaming machine.
It isn’t saddled with the typical gaming laptop bulk, either. The chassis is pleasingly thin and the rear protrusion is comparatively small. While it's still quite weighty, again it’s not as heavy as some of its rivals.
The lid hinges look rather smart, and are easy to operate yet provide plenty of stability, while the bezel around the display is very small, allowing almost all of the allotted space to be used.
There are a few missteps in the design, though: the corners of the base are a little too sharp, and the keyboard looks a little cheap. A number pad is also included, which unfortunately makes the whole layout a little more cramped than it otherwise would be. Still, I did appreciate the translucent WASD keys, which distinguishes them from the others.
Underneath the TUF Gaming A16 (2025) are four rubber feet and plastic strips that raise the unit from the surface by a fair amount, which helps to improve airflow.
You’ll find the usual selection of ports on the TUF Gaming A16 (2025), with most of them located on the left side. They’re sensibly ordered, too; I particularly appreciated the headset jack being at the front and the power port at the back.
Along with an ethernet port and an HDMI port, you’ll also find two USB-C ports on the left – one is 3.2 Gen 2 and the other 4, but both support external display connections. On the right are two USB-A ports, which are again logically located, since it makes them amenable to connecting peripherals such as mice.
Design: 4/ 5
ASUS TUF Gaming A16 (2025) review: Performance
(Image credit: Future)
Impressive AAA performance
Quite loud
Display not the most vibrant
I was impressed by the overall performance of the TUF Gaming A16 (2025). When I played Cyberpunk 2077 on the Ray Tracing: Low preset – which the game selected by default – I was getting roughly between 175-200fps, depending on the in-game environment.
Turning the preset to Ray Tracing: Ultra naturally resulted in a decrease, but I was still in the respectable region of 115-150fps. Ray Tracing: Overdrive caused a further dip, down to 70-100fps, but with the added bane of significant stuttering and input lag, as well as some strange visual artefacts and pop-in effects. Suffice to say this isn’t a setting I can recommend playing on.
Nonetheless, the above demonstrates a laudable effort on the part of the TUF Gaming A16 (2025). However, the price is paid in noise – a loud one. Under load it’s a veritable cacophony, as the fans whir away with considerable force. Needless to say this can be quite disruptive, requiring one of the best PC gaming headsets with strong noise cancellation to drown it out.
At least the TUF Gaming A16 (2025) stays relatively cool. Any heat generated is confined to reasonable temperatures, and concentrated mainly at the very back of the unit – although this can spread to the underside, so if you are using the TUF Gaming A16 (2025) on your lap, your legs might get a little toasty. Mercifully, though, the heat doesn’t encroach on the keyboard or the sides of the chassis, so there’s no chance of scorching your fingers.
The 1920 x 1200 display on my unit provided sufficient sharpness, even at 16 inches, and proved to be very bit as smooth and responsive as you’d expect from its 165Hz refresh rate. Colors appear vibrant enough, but they can look a little washed out at times. What’s more, the maximum brightness level isn’t that high, and reflections can rear their ugly heads under certain lighting conditions.
(Image credit: Future)
The keys are tactile and well damped, and have more travel and resistance than those on your typical laptop, which makes them easy and satisfying to use when gaming. I also appreciated the prominent nub on the W key, making it easy to locate.
While the keys also feel good to type on, the aforementioned cramped layout can hamper the A16's productivity credentials. I never fully got used to it, and what’s more the large trackpad does encroach on your hand placement, so you need to take care in not pressing down too hard.
The trackpad is smooth and makes for effortless swipes and gestures, but it can be inconsistent in registering taps, sometimes requiring a harder hit than normal. This might be a moot point for many gamers, though, since they’ll likely be pairing the TUF Gaming A16 (2025) with one of the best gaming mice.
Typical of many Asus products, there are a few annoying pop-ups from Armory Crate, as well as some bizarre notifications from Nvidia about display mode changes, which usually appear when booting up a game; for some unknown reason the system frequently thought two displays were connected.
Thankfully, this didn’t seem to affect performance in any way, and Windows at least makes it easy to change projection settings with the Win+P shortcut. Aside from these niggles, the TUF Gaming A16 (2025) provides a pretty seamless experience overall, as you might expect given the power on tap.
Performance: 4 / 5
ASUS TUF Gaming A16 (2025) review: Battery Life
(Image credit: Future)
The battery life of the TUF Gaming A16 (2025) is pretty impressive. It managed to last two hours and ten minutes in the PCMark gaming battery test, which is close to the time achieved by the Acer Nitro 16 AMD.
In our movie playback test, where we ran a short film on a continuous loop, it lasted an impressive 12 hours and 18 minutes. What’s more, the TUF Gaming A16 (2025) is also quick to charge, taking just under two hours to fully replenish.
Battery Life: 4 / 5
Should I buy the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 (2025)?
ASUS TUF Gaming A16 (2025) Scorecard
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Value
The TUF Gaming A16 (2025) is priced very competitively considering the spec. The relatively low resolution is about the only sacrifice.
4 / 5
Design
It’s surprisingly thin and elegant for a gaming laptop, and it also appears built to a high standard
4 / 5
Performance
The TUF Gaming A16 (2025) delivers high frame rates in AAA titles with demanding settings, although it won’t handle max presets all that well, and the noise is bothersome.
4 / 5
Battery Life
It performed well in our series of battery benchmarks, and it's fast to charge, too.
4 / 5
Total
The TUF Gaming A16 (2025) seems to have achieved its aim of delivering high performance at a relatively low price point, which makes it a tempting proposition for those on a budget – if they can put up with the noise.
4 / 5
Buy the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 (2025) if...
You want a sleek design For a large powerhouse, the TUF Gaming A16 (2025) does remarkably well to keep the bulk to a minimum, and the build quality seems reasonably solid, too.
You’re on a budget The TUF Gaming A16 (2025) is very well priced, especially considering its powerful spec. The 1920 x 1200 resolution is about the only major cutback.
Don't buy it if...
You want the best display While it’s perfectly good enough for gaming, the colors can look a little washed out, and it’s prone to irksome reflections, too.
You want peace and quiet The sound of the fans when gaming, even at moderate settings, is persistent and distracting, so a good pair of headphones are a must.
ASUS TUF Gaming A16 (2025) review: Also Consider
Acer Nitro 16 AMD Our current pick as the best affordable gaming laptop, the Nitro 16 AMD does most of the important things right. The 1080p performance impressed us, while the 165Hz refresh rate is very welcome at this price point, especially since it’s cheaper than the TUF Gaming A16 (2025). Read our full Acer Nitro 16 AMD review.
MSI Katana 15 (2023) If you’re willing to go with a model a few years old, the MSI Katana 15 (2023) is another capable gaming laptop at a relatively low cost. This again has solid 1080p performance and a fast refresh rate, although it’s let down somewhat by the middling battery life and poor trackpad. Thankfully, these areas are where compromises are some of the least egregious. Read our full MSI Katana 15 (2023) review.
How I tested the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 (2025)
Tested for a few days
Used for gaming and everyday tasks
Plentiful PC gaming hardware experience
I tested the TUF Gaming A16 (2025) for a couple of days, during which time I used it for gaming and everyday tasks such as typing and browsing.
I played various games, including Cyberpunk 2077, which is a demanding test for systems and remains a cutting-edge AAA experience. I also ran our series of benchmark tests, designed to assess the gaming, creative, and productivity credentials of PCs, as well as storage speeds and battery life.
I’ve been PC gaming for over a decade, and during that time I’ve experienced plenty of systems and hardware. I’ve also reviewed a number of laptops, from gaming machines to those designed for productivity and general use.
The Dell 14 Premium is finally here, and it is definitely worth the wait.
The 14 Premium is the latest Dell laptop to launch as part of its rebranding, replacing the fan-favorite Dell XPS lineup of laptops, which ranked among the best laptops year after year for as long as I've been reviewing laptops for TechRadar.
Like the Dell 16 Premium, the Dell 14 Premium essentially carries on the XPS formula with little changed beyond the branding, but that's not a bad thing at all. The Dell XPS 14 (2024) was one of the best Dell laptops I've ever reviewed, and the 14 Premium is even better still.
Starting at $1,499.99 / £1,499 / AU$2,798.40, the 14 Premium matches the starting price of the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4) that it is competing with, though the 14 Premium does max out a bit cheaper than the MacBook Pro 14.
Obviously, you won't get the same kind of performance from the base-spec 14 Premium as you do if you go the discrete graphics, non-OLED route, which starts at $1,999.99 / £1,999 / AU$$3,297.8. Content creators, or those who want one of the best displays you're going to find on a laptop right now, will want to check out the RTX 4050/OLED configurations, which start at $2,199.99 / £2,199 / AU$3,598.10.
The Dell 14 Premium is on sale right now, with configurations starting as low as $1,499.99 in the US, with higher-tier configurations marked down more than $250 at Dell's website.View Deal
If performance is what you're after, the Dell 14 Premium beats out the MacBook Pro 14-inch, overall, in my testing, but it's not a total knockout. Given the performance I've seen from the MacBook Pro 14-inch base-spec, the 14 Premium really can't keep up on the low-end, and those looking to keep things within a tighter budget will likely be better off with a MacBook Pro (as much as it pains me to say it as a diehard Windows user).
If you're looking for high-end performance, however, the MacBook Pro 14-inch's M4 just can't keep up with the 14 Premium's RTX 4050 discrete graphics. It makes a huge difference in some workloads, like 3D modeling, and especially when it comes to gaming.
One other thing the 14 Premium has over the MacBook Pro 14-inch is the option for an OLED display, which looks gorgeous. The rest of the laptop is solid and has a much more premium feel to it than the 14 Plus, but there are some design quirks that keep it from truly laying out its competition on the mat.
While the discrete graphics and OLED upgrades do push the price considerably higher, there's no question that the upgrade is worth it, especially the upgrade to the RTX 4050 GPU, which unlocks a lot of power necessary for high-end applications.
This, of course, considerably impacts the device's battery life, dragging it down below nine hours in my testing. But for a laptop this compact with a high-end display and discrete graphics, it's definitely a worthwhile compromise.
So, bottom line: does the Dell 14 Premium defeat the current MacBook Pro 14-inch with M4? Yes, but it's down to the judges rather than a KO, and so your mileage may vary depending on your needs and budget. If you're going with high-end specs, the Dell 14 Premium is probably the best Windows laptop going right now, but if you're not going to go with the RTX 4050 GPU, the MacBook Pro 14-inch is probably the better bet for those looking to stay on budget.
Dell 14 Premium: Price & availability
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
How much does it cost? Starts at $1,499.99 / £1,499 / AU$2,798.40
When is it available? It's available now
Where can you get it? You can buy it in the US, UK, and Australia through Dell’s website and other retailers.
The Dell 14 Premium is available now in the US, UK, and Australia, starting at $1,499.99 / £1,499 / AU$2,798.40, respectively.
This puts it in line with the starting price of the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4), and is roughly in line with where the XPS 14 (2024) launched last year, though the 14 Premium is cheaper to start in the UK and Australia than its predecessor.
Given its premium status, this isn't really that bad a price for a laptop like this, and its high-end configurations are cheaper than a comparable MacBook Pro 14-inch, which definitely can't be overlooked. Still, it's expensive, especially in an era where everyone is a bit less free with their spending than they were even a year ago.
Value: 4 / 5
Dell 14 Premium: Specs
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Up to RTX 4050 GPU
Wi-Fi 7
Only Thunderbolt 4
The specs for the Dell 14 Premium are pretty much identical to the Dell XPS 14 that preceded it, with some important differences.
This is not an Intel Lunar Lake laptop; it's an Arrow Lake H laptop, so while the processor model numbers might look very similar, they are two different architectures.
This allows the Intel Core Ultra 255H chip to be paired with an Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, something last year's model wasn't capable of due to the limitations of the Lunar Lake chip design.
The 14 Premium is also configured with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity, though it only has Thunderbolt 4 ports rather than the newer Thunderbolt 5 that the top-spec Dell 16 Premium has.
1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1
1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1
1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1
Battery
69.5WHr
69.5WHr
69.5WHr
Wireless
Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4
Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4
Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4
Camera
1080p IR camera
1080p IR camera
1080p IR camera
Weight
3.66 lbs | 1.66kg
3.66 lbs | 1.66kg
3.66 lbs | 1.66kg
Dimensions
12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 ins | 320 x 215.97 x 18mm
12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 ins | 320 x 215.97 x 18mm
12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 ins | 320 x 215.97 x 18mm
The base specs are fairly modest, though you do start out with at least 16GB LPDDR5x RAM and a 512GB SSD, which is necessary if you're planning on using Windows 11's Copilot+ AI features. There's also no difference in starting configuration between the US, UK, and Australia.
1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 5, 1 x microSDXC 7.1
1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1
1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1
Battery
69.5WHr
69.5WHr
69.5WHr
Wireless
Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4
Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4
Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4
Camera
1080p IR camera
1080p IR camera
1080p IR camera
Weight
3.79 lbs | 1.72kg
3.79 lbs | 1.72kg
3.79 lbs | 1.72kg
Dimensions
12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 ins | 320 x 215.97 x 18mm
12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 ins | 320 x 215.97 x 18mm
12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 ins | 320 x 215.97 x 18mm
On the top-end, the Dell 14 Premium configurations are nearly identical, save that in the UK, you can opt for a slightly more powerful Core Ultra 7 265H chip rather than the Core Ultra 7 255H in every other configuration.
For this review, I tested out the top US configuration listed above.
Specs: 4.5 / 5
Dell 14 Premium: Design
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Gorgeous OLED display
Excellent port selection
Trackpad and function key row still controversial
From the outside, the Dell 14 Premium is identical to last year's XPS 14 (save for the new logo on the lid), and that's not a bad thing. The 14 Premium's construction and minimalist aesthetic definitely make it look like it's all business, something you'd expect from a company like Dell, renowned as it is for its business and enterprise market dominance.
That doesn't make it ugly, though. It's a good-looking laptop, somewhat undercut by its two colorways, Graphite and Platinum, which are honestly rather boring at this point.
With the new Surface Laptop 7 coming in a gorgeous Sapphire colorway and even Apple adding a Sky Blue option for this year's MacBook Air models (not to mention my beloved Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch having a Violet option), laptops are starting to finally have more personality than the design deadend that Apple pushed us all into with its MacBook Silver and Space Gray colorways in the 2010s.
In this regard, I hope Dell catches up next year, but one thing at a time, I guess. Dropping the XPS branding and introducing a splash of color in one release might have pushed some Dell fans over the edge, so steady as she goes, design-wise.
Image 1 of 3
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Image 2 of 3
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Image 3 of 3
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
I've spilled enough ink over the past couple of years about my mixed feelings when it comes to the borderless trackpad (and loss of the delightful carbon-fibery palm rests), so I'll let that critique go. Finally.
I've yet to fully embrace the solid strip beneath the keyboard, as it does take some getting used to for finding out exactly how to right click on something, but it's easy enough to pick up and soon becomes second nature. It's still an accessibility nightmare, as is the lack of physical function keys along the top of the keydeck. On the plus side, there are top-firing speakers, which isn't always a sure thing on a 14-inch laptop.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
The keyboard itself is decent enough, though these aren't my favorite keys to type on. I'm very used to mechanical keyboards, so the travel and tactile responsiveness of the 14 Premium's take getting used to, and I'm not sure I ever will. If this is going to be your only or even just your primary laptop, however, you'll get used to it just fine.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Some are going to complain about the lack of USB Type-A ports on the 14 Premium, but frankly, it's 2025. At some point, older, slower interfaces will be retired, and it's time, honestly. There are plenty of adapters out there to convert USB-A to USB-C, and you can even add the option for a mini-hub dongle with USB-A and HDMI ports that can plug into one of the three Thunderbolt 4 ports on the device. All three provide power delivery and DisplayPort out, with up to 4 monitors supported overall.
You also get a microSD slot, which is great for creative pros who work with SD cards alot, and a dedicated 3.5mm combo jack. All in all, a solid port selection for a device this small.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
One other knock I have to give the 14 Premium though is its webcam. The 1080p IR webcam itself is perfectly good, and gets up to 30 FPS 1080p video, which is great for video calls and meetings. My problem, though, is the lack of a privacy shutter. It's 2025, and this should be the default on a 'premium' laptop.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
The overall aesthetics of the 14 Premium are as good as its XPS pedigree, but it could use some freshening up in the next couple of years, in my opinion. It's built solid and won't be embarrassing to whip out in the office in five year's time, but we are kind of coming up against this design's shelf life, and I hope we see something new next year.
Design: 4 / 5
Dell 14 Premium: Performance
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Powerful creative chops
Decent 1080p gaming
Falls a good bit behind Apple's MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4) on some benchmarks
So, when it comes down to it, performance really is the most important factor in a laptop like the Dell 14 Premium. It's competing against one of the best MacBooks ever made in the recent MacBook Pro 14-inch, and given its pricing, the 14 Premium has to deliver on something other than cost.
It's a bit of a mixed bag, ultimately. The CPU performance for the M4 chip outperforms the Intel Core Ultra 255H in all tests but Geekbench 6.4 multicore performance, where they are very close, with the Dell 14 Premium in the lead.
That said, the Intel Core Ultra 255H is mostly competitive with the M4 in CPU computing tasks, and the difference is such that you'd be very hard-pressed to notice the M4's faster performance in actual use. The 14 Premium falls behind quite a bit on single-core performance, which is important for running some high-impact creative apps like Adobe Photoshop or Pro Tools, but that's only part of the story.
The very strong single-core performance for the MacBook Pro 14-inch is offset quite a bit by the relatively slow SSD performance I saw in my Blackmagic Disk Speed Test benchmark. The Dell 14 Premium clocked in with an impressive 4,235 MB/s read speed to the MacBook Pro 14-inch's 2,900 MB/s. That's a nearly 50% faster read speed for the 14 Premium, and that translates directly into faster load times for programs and opening files.
The MacBook Pro 14-inch might beat the 14 Premium in single-core performance, but when it comes to system and app startup, downloads, and other file operations, that extra sluggishness on Apple's part will noticeably cut into its advantage here. That doesn't mean the 14 Premium will somehow eek out a win when it comes to video encoding or processing photos in Photoshop. What it does do, however, is help keep the 14 Premium in the hunt when its Intel chip is being outclassed by the M4's processing power (ironically, last year's Dell XPS 14 scored the highest in my storage benchmark tests).
Swing things around to GPU performance, though, and things fall apart for Apple pretty quick. There just isn't a way for an integrated GPU to compete with even a budget discrete Nvidia GPU like the RTX 4050.
There are only a few cross-platform GPU tests that I can use for both the Dell 14 Premium and the MacBook Pro 14-inch, but in all cases, the RTX 4050 just outclasses the M4 10-core GPU, especially in ray-tracing workloads like Solar Bay
Meanwhile, in areas like video and photo editing, the MacBook Pro 14-inch might have an advantage over the 14 Premium, but it's not earth-shattering.
The 14 Premium encoded a 4K video into 1080p about 22% slower than the MacBook Pro 14-inch, which is definitely something for video editors to consider (who are we kidding, we know y'all are just going to buy a MacBook Pro. Your entire industry is built around macOS). In my PugetBench for Creators-Adobe Photoshop tests, the Dell 14 Premium came in about 29% slower. For video and photography pros, this will absolutely be a dealbreaker and push you firmly back into the Apple camp, and that's understandable if that's what you're looking to use your next laptop for.
However, compare those results to the MacBook Pro 14-inch's Blender Benchmark 4.3.0 performance, which is about 60% slower, overall, than the 14 Premium's.
When it comes to machine learning workloads, the situation will be similar, since Pytorch, the software framework that drives pretty much all AI development right now, is deeply tied to Nvidia's tensor core hardware. We don't have any good cross-platform AI benchmarks right now to give quantitative numbers, so giving a percentage of which laptop is better isn't really possible yet (I'm working on it, I promise).
That said, I've spent the better part of a decade studying computer science to earn my Master's degree in the field, and I can tell you that not a single person I know uses anything other than Nvidia hardware for this kind of work, and the Dell 14 Premium will be able to run AI inference and GAN workloads far better than the MacBook Pro 14-inch.
Finally, when it comes to gaming, none of these laptops are making it onto our best gaming laptop list, but the RTX 4050 GPU in the 14 Premium I tested made it much easier to play modern AAA PC games, with reasonable adjustments made to settings.
At 1080p on the highest settings in those games where I can compare results across devices, the Dell 14 Premium averaged about 75% faster FPS on average overall compared to the MacBook Pro 14-inch.
Of course, there's also the issue with whether or not the game you want can run on a Mac, which isn't a guarantee, while Windows is the default for all PC games on major platforms like Steam or GOG. I wouldn't go out of your way to buy the 14 Premium to play games on, but it's nice to know that you can effectively game if you're on the road for work and you're tired of writing up reports or designing work presentations in your hotel room.
Performance: 4.5 / 5
Dell 14 Premium: Battery Life
How long does it last on a single charge? 8 hours, 16 minutes
How long does it take to charge from empty to full? It takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes to charge to full with a 100W AC adapter
For battery life, the Dell 14 Premium doesn't have spectacular longevity, especially compared to something like the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch, which run about 55% longer than the 14 Premium, but there are costs involved in using discrete graphics and more power hungry OLED displays.
Overall, I think the tradeoff is worth it, but if batter life is a major concern for you, sticking with an LCD display and integrated graphics are the way to go here, and should get you a good bit more juice on a single charge.
Battery Life: 3.5 / 5
Should you buy the Dell 14 Premium?
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Dell 14 Premium Scorecard
Category
Notes
Rating
Value
The 14 Premium is not totally out of line price-wise for its market. This is still a premium device, so budget-conscious buyers might be better off looking elsewhere. That said, for the level of performance and portability, it will likely offer a better value than a similarly specced MacBook Pro 14-inch.
4 / 5
Specs
There aren't a whole lot of configuration options available, you do get three Thunderbolt 4 ports, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and options for an RTX 4050 GPU and a gorgeous OLED display.
4.5 / 5
Design
The 14 Premium is a good looking device that is well-made and portable. Its 'virtual' function keys, borderless trackpad, and lack of webcam privacy shutter knocks some points off though.
4 / 5
Performance
While it doesn't dethrone the MacBook Pro 14-inch as the go-to device for creative pros, it more than holds its own against Apple's popular laptop and even outperforms it in key areas.
4.5 / 5
Battery Life
At just over 8 hours of battery life on a charge, this isn't the longest-lasting laptop going. If batter life is a concern, skip the RTX 4050 GPU and OLED display to reduce strain on the 69.5WHr battery.
3.5 / 5
Final Score
The Dell 14 Premium outperforms the MacBook Pro 14-inch when every score is averaged, but there's enough nuance here that it's not a laptop I can unconditionally recommend to everybody. Most people? Yes; but creatives will still want to look at the MacBook Pro 14-inch.
4.10 / 5
Buy the Dell 14 Premium if...
You want a high-performance 14-inch ultrabook The highly portable form factor belies some seriously powerful hardware inside.
You need an Nvidia GPU for on-the-go work There are some tasks that simply require an Nvidia GPU, and this is one of the most portable laptops you'll find that offers one.
You want to do some moderate PC gaming The RTX 4050 GPU in the 14 Premium has 1080p gaming chops, just keep your graphics settings reasonable.
Don't buy it if...
You're on a tight budget As the name suggests, the 14 Premium doesn't come cheap. You might be better off with the Dell 14 Plus if money's tight.
You plan on doing heavy-duty video editing While the 14 Premium can handle serious video editing tasks, the MacBook Pro 14-inch is simply better suited for that workload.
You need all-day battery life The battery life on the 14 Premium isn't terrible, but you will need to bring a charger with you in you plan on working on it all day.
Also consider
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4) The Dell 14 Premium is directly competing with the MacBook Pro 14-inch, and both are pretty evenly matched in the end.
I ran it through our standard battery of benchmark tests
I spent about two weeks working with the Dell 14 Premium, putting it through my typical battery of benchmark tests, and using it for everyday productivity and creative work.
I used standard benchmarking tools like 3DMark, Geekbench, PugetBench for Creators, and in-game benchmarks for PC gaming performance analysis.
I also used the laptop as my everyday device, including some light gaming in addition to working with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.
I've been reviewing laptops for Techradar for more than five years, and I've tested more than a hundred laptops in that time, both for reviews and for investigative testing to support special computing features and content in that time, so I know better than most when a laptop is hitting the mark and when and where it misses.
The Dell 16 Premium is Dell’s newest flagship machine for professionals, creatives, and developers who demand a blend of portability, performance, and polish, and it has a pretty high bar to clear.
Its predecessor, the Dell XPS 16, was consistently one of the best laptops produced in every year it was available, and a lot of XPS fans were disappointed to hear about its rebranding. But, at the end of the day, that’s really all it is, as the 16 Premium is everything people loved about the XPS 16 in recent years along with some fancy new tricks.
Starting at $1,799.99 / £1,699 / AU$4,379.10, the Dell 16 Premium isn’t necessarily cheap, but it is fairly in line with similar creative-focused laptops like the MacBook Pro, and given how often Dell has sales on its laptops, you can often find it for much cheaper than the competition.
There are a few configuration options available, but you do start off with an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H CPU with Intel Arc 140V graphics, 16GB LPDDR5x RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 16.3-inch non-touch 2K display. From there, you can add in RTX 5050, RTX 5060, and RTX 5070 GPUs, depending on the region, and configure it up to 64GB memory and 4TB SSD storage (though these options will limit which GPU you can pick).
Right now, the Dell 16 Premium is on sale starting at $1,549.99 in the US, while the review configuration is available for $2,799.99, a $400 discount.View Deal
What truly sets it apart, though, is the outstanding 16.3-inch 4K OLED touchscreen with 120Hz refresh rate, perfect for high-res content creation, editing, and media consumption, though the OLED display will substantially cut into the device’s battery life.
With premium build quality, great speakers, and modern I/O, this laptop nails almost everything it sets out to do, though its borderless touchpad and keyless function bar design remain controversial.
All that said, chances are you’re really looking for performance with this laptop, and here, the unit I reviewed often ran circles around the competing MacBook Pro 16-inch with M4 Pro, especially in creative workloads where the MacBook Pro’s strong industry reputation does a lot of heavy lifting. In this regard, the Dell 16 Premium is easily the best laptop for creative pros who want MacBook Pro performance on a Windows 11 device.
Dell 16 Premium: Price & availability
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
How much does it cost? Starts at $1,799.99 / £1,699 / AU$4,379.10
When is it available? It's available now
Where can you get it? You can buy it in the US, UK, and Australia through Dell’s website and other retailers.
The Dell 16 Premium is available now in the US, UK, and Australia through Dell’s official website and major retailers. Prices start at $1,799 in the US, £1,699 in the UK, and AU$4,379.10 in Australia.
Upgrading the configuration can significantly increase the price, but even when the price is maxed out, the highest level configuration is still substantially less than a competing MacBook Pro 16-inch with M4 Pro, much less one with an M4 Max chip.
Value: 4 / 5
Dell 16 Premium: Specs
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Up to RTX 5070 GPU
Up to Thunderbolt 5
Wi-Fi 7
Dell offers multiple configurations of the Dell 16 Premium laptop across different regions. The starting models include a Core Ultra 7 processor, 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, 512GB SSD, and integrated Intel Arc graphics (Australia starts with an RTX 5050 GPU), as well as a 2K IPS non-touch display.
1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1
1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1
1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1
Battery
99.5WHr
99.5WHr
99.5WHr
Wireless
Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4
Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4
Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4
Camera
1080p IR camera
1080p IR camera
1080p IR camera
Weight
4.56 lbs | 2.06kg
4.56 lbs | 2.06kg
4.56 lbs | 2.06kg
Dimensions
14.1 x 9.4 x 0.75 ins | 358.1 x 240 x 19mm
14.1 x 9.4 x 0.75 ins | 358.1 x 240 x 19mm
14.1 x 9.4 x 0.75 ins | 358.1 x 240 x 19mm
The max spec on the 16 Premium vary by region, with the US topping out at an RTX 5070 GPU, which also comes with three Thunderbolt 5 ports rather than the three Thunderbolt 4 ports on RTX 5060 models and lower. In the UK and Australia, there are no RTX 5070 configurations available yet, but they do max out with a 4TB PCIe SSD. All models max out at a UHD+ (2400p) OLED panel with 100% DCI-P3 color coverage.
1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 5 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1
1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1
1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1
Battery
99.5WHr
99.5WHr
99.5WHr
Wireless
Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4
Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4
Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4
Camera
1080p IR camera
1080p IR camera
1080p IR camera
Weight
4.65 lbs | 2.11kg
4.65 lbs | 2.11kg
4.65 lbs | 2.11kg
Dimensions
14.1 x 9.4 x 0.75 ins | 358.1 x 240 x 19mm
14.1 x 9.4 x 0.75 ins | 358.1 x 240 x 19mm
14.1 x 9.4 x 0.75 ins | 358.1 x 240 x 19mm
All configurations come with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, a substantial boost over the rival MacBook Pro 16-inch, as well as a microSDXC 7.1 slot.
The configuration I tested for review is the maximum configuration available in the US.
Specs: 5 / 5
Dell 16 Premium: Design
Gorgeous OLED display
Excellent port selection
Trackpad and function key row still controversial
Design-wise, there is little difference between the Dell 16 Premium and the Dell XPS 16 it replaces. The same borderless trackpad and keyless function bar remain from the XPS, and for the most part, the form factor is essentially unchanged.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
The touchbar is definitely one of the more controversial design choices of the Dell 16 Premium, held over from the earlier XPS redesign from 2023. It's a bit of an accessibility challenge for those who struggle with low vision, as the only thing that indicates where a given function key is is a backlit label on a completely smooth and flat glossy surface.
Even if you don't have limited vision though, if there's an especially bright light (say, a sunny day outside), finding any given F-key might be challenging.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Likewise, the borderless trackpad isn't great either, and for similar reasons. It takes some time to learn and figure out where exactly the trackpad is, but once you do, it works pretty well.
The keyboard is ok. It's never been the best feature on the Dell XPS line, but it's not terrible and functions well enough.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
For ports, you get at least three Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 ports, a MicroSD card slot, and a 3.5mm combo jack. This is about as much as you can expect on a chassis this size, and while it would be nice to have a USB-A port, there is an adapter dongle that you can buy while configuring your laptop (about $35) that lets you get HDMI 2.0 and USB-A 3.0 connectivity if your have a mouse and monitor that require it.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
The audio is pretty good on the 16 Premium, largely thanks to the top-firing speakers, but it's not spectacular. If you plan on working on audio projects, a headset would be advised.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
The webcam is a 1080p IR camera, meaning that it's compatible with Windows Hello, and it's fairly good for video conferencing and the like. That said, it lacks a physical privacy shutter, which isn't really acceptable in 2025, so I have to take some points off for that.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
While it might seem like I have a lot of complaints about the design of the 16 Premium, I only highlight the above issues because they are somewhat controversial in some corners, as is the rebranding away from XPS to Premium.
I get those concerns, but in my estimation, this is an exceptionally built laptop, and the issues I have with it don't detract that much from the overall quality of the device. If you opt for the OLED panel rather than the base IPS, pretty much every other consideration feels like nitpicking for a device that looks and feels great—better than the MacBook Pro in many ways.
Design: 4 / 5
Dell 16 Premium: Performance
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Often outperforms the MacBook Pro 16-inch with M4 Pro
Discrete RTX GPU embarrasses the MacBook Pro in several workloads
Not a bad gaming laptop either
Ultimately, if you're paying this much for this laptop, performance is going to be front of mind, especially since this is really targeted toward the MacBook Pro creative crowd.
In that regard, the 16 Premium might even be a better creative laptop than the MacBook Pro 16-inch, despite the strong performance of the MacBook Pro 16-inch in some areas.
In terms of synthetic CPU performance, the MacBook Pro 16-inch with M4 Pro greatly outperforms the Dell 16 Premium in workloads like GeekBench 6.4.
However, once you start adding in real-world tests that actually test its performance in workloads creatives and gamers are actually interested in, the MacBook Pro only wins out in our PugetBench Photoshop benchmarks. Otherwise, the RTX 5070 GPU in the 16 Premium wrecks the MacBook Pro 16-inch just about everywhere else.
Now, the MacBook Pro 16-inch can be configured with an M4 Max chip, which might substantially change the comparative assessment, but it would add more than a grand to the price you'd pay compared to the best Dell 16 Premium.
Plus, even though the MacBook Pro 16 can now play Cyberpunk 2077 natively, Macs just aren't serious PC gaming devices. They've come a long way in recent years, but you simply don't have anything concerns about that with the Dell 16 Premium. If a game is on Steam, the Dell 16 Premium will be able to play it, something that even the best MacBook will never be able to claim.
Performance: 5 / 5
Dell 16 Premium: Battery Life
How long does it last on a single charge? 5 hours, 18 minutes
So, there is a major caveat when it comes to battery life on the 16 Premium unit I tested. OLED displays are notoriously unforgiving toward battery life. Add in the power-hungry RTX 5070 GPU, and we are really talking about battery life that is just slightly better than you'd find with the best gaming laptops.
With a max battery life of about 9 hours, according to Dell, the OLED configuration cannot keep pace with the MacBook Pro 16-inch, which can make it about 20 hours on a charge in our testing. In my testing, the Dell 16 Premium only gets about 5 hours in mixed use, and at best, about 2.5 hours under heavy load.
Of course, the MacBook Pro 16-inch isn't going to make it 20 hours if it's playing Shadow of the Tomb Raider or rendering a 4K video overnight on battery power, so the difference between the two laptops is probably closer than my tests show. But there's no getting around the fact that the MacBook Pro 16-inch is going to last far longer than the Dell 16 Premium, and that's something to consider.
Battery Life: 3 / 5
Should you buy the Dell 16 Premium?
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Dell 16 Premium Scorecard
Category
Notes
Rating
Value
Premium priced, but delivers excellent performance and features
4 / 5
Specs
Lots of options, including powerful GPUs with Thunderbolt 5 and a gorgeous OLED display.
5 / 5
Design
Though it has great port selection, display, and aesthetics, there are legacy issues from its XPS heritage.
4.5 / 5
Performance
Simply outstanding performance across every workload, beating out the MacBook Pro 16-inch in all but a few cases.
5 / 5
Battery Life
Not great if you get an OLED panel, but better than other similar laptops with its specs.
3 / 5
Final Score
On balance, if the Dell 16 Premium fixed some of its design issues, it would be a true MacBook Pro killer, but it does battle Apple's best to a draw.
4.3 / 5
Buy the Dell 16 Premium if...
You want a high-performance laptop with discrete graphics With up to an RTX 5070, the Dell 16 Premium has outstanding configuration options for top-tier performance.
You need a stunning OLED display for creative work The OLED display option is simply gorgeous and fantastic for creative pros.
Don't buy it if...
You need long battery life The battery life on the 16 Premium is not great, but it's in line with what you'd expect for an OLED laptop.
You're on a tight budget The base spec for this laptop starts out expensive and only gets pricier the better you configure it.
Also consider
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch If you're considering the Dell 16 Premium, the only other laptop worth considering is the MacBook Pro 16-inch, especially if you're a creative pro.
I ran it through our standard battery of benchmark tests
I used the Dell 16 Premium for everyday work and creative tasks for about two weeks, including writing this review and editing all the photos therein on the device.
I put it through our standard battery of benchmark tests, as well as used it for everything from creative work to gaming to really push it to its limits.
I've tested several dozen laptops for TechRadar over the past several years, so I am very familiar with what makes a laptop a great value for its market, and my extensive experience gives me insight that lets me better assess its benchmark results.
The Acer Predator Helios 18 AI is a top-tier gaming laptop with a phenomenal spec that’s sure to whet the appetites of even casual gamers. Despite what lurks inside, its exterior is remarkably restrained. At 18 inches, it's obviously very large, but the black finish and lack of branding keep its profile reasonably low. However, that large rear protrusion and ostentatious RGB lighting give away its intentions.
I think Acer has done well to keep the Predator Helios 18 AI as slender as possible. Of course, this is all relative given the size of laptop we’re dealing with here, but it’s impressively thin for the most part, although it thickens at the rear.
Build quality is also excellent, equaling the best gaming laptops in this regard. Premium materials are employed everywhere, and the hinge for the lid is smooth and easy to operate, while offering plenty of stability once set.
The keyboard is tactile and snappy, and the generous spacing of the keys makes it easy to type and game on the Predator Helios 18 AI. The number pad somewhat compromises the layout, though, with the space bar paying the highest price; it’s a little too short for my liking.
On the other hand, the large trackpad does a fine job of not interfering while using the keyboard, with accidental contact failing to register in my experience. It’s also very smooth and accurate, should you wish to use it over one of the best gaming mice.
Considering its mighty spec, the Predator Helios 18 AI performs as well as you might expect. Cyberpunk 2077 and Doom: The Dark Ages ran with aplomb, each delivering fps figures in the hundreds with maximum graphics settings, including those for ray tracing.
(Image credit: Future)
You will have to endure constant fan noise when gaming, but thankfully this isn’t egregious when the default Balanced mode is selected in the Predator Sense app. The Predator Helios 18 AI also generates a fair amount of heat, which can spread to the sides and the keyboard after a while. Again, though, this isn’t bad enough to cause an issue.
The biggest price you’ll have to pay for all this performance is… well, the price. Starting at $3,000, the Predator Helios 18 AI is incredibly expensive. I struggle to think who’ll need such a large and powerful laptop, and be willing to pay this much for one.
Of course, the entire gaming laptop market is a premium one, but there are better value alternatives out there if you don’t need an 18-inch display and triple-digit frame rates, such as the excellent Razer Blade 16 (2025) or the MSI Katana 15 (2023), the latter of which we think is currently the best budget gaming laptop around.
Acer Predator Helios 18 AI review: Price & Availability
Starts from $2,999.99 / £3,499.99 / AU$7,299
Hugely expensive
Better value alternatives
The Predator Helios 18 AI starts from $2,999.99 / £3,499.99 / AU$7,299 and is available now. It comes with spare WASD and arrow keys, as well as a thermal pad upgrade kit for the RAM.
You don’t need me to tell you what an eye-watering sum this is. It’s understandable considering the spec, and my review unit was even more outlandish, equipped with a 3840 x 2400 display and 192GB of RAM(!).
Prices are similar to the Razer Blade, which performs similarly too. If you want something that’s even better value, the MSI Katana 15 (2023) is, in our view, one of the best budget gaming laptops around, if you’re happy to game at 1080p.
Value: 2.5 / 5
Acer Predator Helios 18 AI review: Specs
Acer Predator Helios 18 AI Specs
Acer Predator Helios 18 AI Base Config
Acer Predator Helios 18 AI Review Config
Price
$2,999.99 / £3,499.99 / AU$7299
TBC
CPU
Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24 Cores), 2.70 GHz
Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24 Cores), 2.70 GHz
GPU
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 (16GB)
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 (24GB)
RAM
64GB DDR5
192GB DDR5
Storage
2TB PCIe NVMe SED SSD
2TB PCIe NVMe SED SSD
Display
18-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600), 16:10 ComfyView (Matte), 250Hz, IPS
18-inch WQUXGA (3840 x 2400), 16:10 ComfyView (Matte), 250Hz, IPS
Ports and Connectivity
3 x USB-A, 2 x USB-C, 1 x RJ-45, 1 x SD card, 1 x HDMI, 1 x 3.5mm audio in/out; Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
3 x USB-A, 2 x USB-C, 1 x RJ-45, 1 x SD card, 1 x HDMI, 1 x 3.5mm audio in/out; Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Battery
99Wh
99Wh
Dimensions
401 x 308 x 29.6mm
401 x 308 x 29.6mm
Weight
3.5kg / 7.7lbs
3.5kg / 7.7lbs
Acer Predator Helios 18 AI review: Design
(Image credit: Future)
Large but surprisingly thin
Relatively understated
Excellent build quality
Given its large display size, the Predator Helios 18 AI is a reasonably understated gaming laptop. The rear bulge that extends beyond the lid hinge gives it some distinction, and the RGB lighting can light up the whole unit like a Christmas tree if you want it to (the bar that runs along the front edge and wraps around the side is especially striking). But switch this off and you’ll struggle to tell it apart from the best business laptops.
It’s quite bulky, although I think the Predator Helios 18 AI does an admirable job of keeping its dimensions contained considering the beastly components that lay within. The front end is reasonably thin, but thickens as it moves towards the back. This increased size does allow for larger vent openings, though, so it’s a worthy sacrifice to improve cooling performance.
The overall build quality is hard to fault. All the materials that are used look and feel premium and durable. The lid is also impressively smooth to operate yet remains sufficiently stable when set in position.
Underneath you’ll find three feet that run across the width of the Predator Helios 18 AI, and they provide plenty of grip on desktop surfaces. They also raise the chassis from the surface by a significant degree, again allowing for improved ventilation.
There are plenty of ports on the Predator Helios 18 AI. On the left, you’ll find an ethernet and a USB-A port, as well as an SD card slot and a 3.5mm audio in/ out jack. On the right are two more USB-A ports, which is a sensible location considering this is where you’ll likely be connecting external peripherals.
On the rear are two USB-C ports, an HDMI port, and a large power cable port. As you would imagine, the power supply is large, but unfortunately the cable running from the brick to the jack end is quite short. Owing to my setup, this meant I had to keep the brick on my desk rather than placing it on the floor, which was quite the inconvenience.
Design: 4/ 5
Acer Predator Helios 18 AI review: Performance
(Image credit: Future)
Fantastic AAA performance
Vibrant and sharp display
Some fan noise and heat
Gaming with the Predator Helios 18 AI didn’t get off to a particularly auspicious start. When I ran Cyberpunk 2077 for the first time, the game’s benchmark function recorded a disappointing 42fps, with the maximum 3840 x 2400 resolution and Ray Tracing: Ultra preset selected.
Some tinkering with the graphics settings resulted in modest improvements to performance, but it wasn’t until after restarting the game a couple of times that things suddenly improved: I started getting about 100fps, even in busy in-game environments, without lowering the resolution or any other graphical settings.
Similar figures were achieved when I played Doom: The Dark Ages, although I did have to change the DLSS mode from Auto to Ultra Performance to get there. Thankfully, this made no discernible difference to the image quality.
And on that front, both games looked fantastic on the WQUXGA display. Colors were accurate and vibrant, if very slightly washed-out. This is a common issue on many IPS displays, but here the effect did little to detract from the awesomeness of the visuals.
The ultra-high 3840 x 2400 resolution in my review unit offered incredible levels of sharpness, while the high response times resulted in super-smooth gameplay. It’s also capable of very high brightness levels, which helps to keep pesky reflections at bay.
(Image credit: Future)
Acer Predator Helios 18 AI Benchmarks
Here's how the Acer Predator Helios 18 AI performed in our series of benchmark tests:
Geekbench 6.2: Single - 2,803 Multi - 16,720 Cinebench R24: Single - 125 13.89x Multi - 1,728 3DMark: Fire Strike - 36,158 Time Spy - 17,341 Port Royal - 12,994 Night Raid - 60,951 PCMark10: 8,885 Cyberpunk 2077: 1080p Low - 469fps 1080p Ultra - 361fps 1080p Ray Tracing: Overdrive - 128fps Battery test: Movie playback - 3 hours and 2 minutes PCMark10 (Gaming) - 1 hour 27 minutes
Fan noise is constant when gaming on the Predator Helios 18 AI, but I didn’t find it distractingly loud. The volume increases considerably if you set the Predator Sense profile to Performance mode, though – then you’ll really need one of the best PC gaming headsets to drown out the noise.
The Predator Helios 18 AI does a good job of keeping temperatures down. Its underside doesn’t get too hot, although over time heat leaks out of both sides, which can be a little distracting for your mouse hand. After a couple of hours of gaming, I noticed the bottom of the keyboard became quite hot, too, especially around the space bar.
It wasn’t hot enough to make using the keyboard a problem, though. And what’s more, the keyboard on the Predator Helios 18 AI is great to game with. The keys are clicky but damped enough to make them tactile.
They’re a little on the small side (although they’re generously spaced apart), owing to the inclusion of the aforementioned number pad. This compromises the layout somewhat – especially the space bar, which isn’t as long as I would’ve liked, and therefore somewhat awkward to hit with my left thumb.
The trackpad on the Predator Helios 18 AI is large and very smooth, making it easy to use. Mercifully, it also appears unaffected by contact with the sides of your palms, meaning it won’t accidentally register movements while your hands lean over it to use the keyboard.
Performance: 5 / 5
Acer Predator Helios 18 AI review: Battery Life
(Image credit: Future)
Large 99Wh capacity
Underwhelming longevity
Quick to charge
The battery life of the Predator Helios 18 AI isn't particularly impressive. Despite its 99Wh capacity, it lasted just under 90 minutes PCMark10's battery test for gaming scenarios.
This makes it considerably worse than the Razer Blade 16 (2025), which managed about an hour more, but much better than the MSI Katana 15 (2023), which didn’t even last one hour.
Charging the Predator Helios 18 AI back up to full is a surprisingly quick process, though – and given the size of the power brick, you would hope it would be.
Battery Life: 3.5 / 5
Should I buy the Predator Helios 18 AI?
Acer Predator Helios 18 AI Scorecard
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Value
The Predator Helios 18 AI is incredibly expensive, and only worth it if you need the absolute best gaming performance in laptop form.
2.5 / 5
Design
The Predator Helios 18 AI is very large, but is admirably thin considering what’s inside. It’s brilliantly made, too, and the RGB lighting is tastefully vibrant.
4 / 5
Performance
My review unit had an RTX 5090 and an Intel Core Ultra 9, so naturally its performance is out of this world. The display is excellent, too.
5 / 5
Battery Life
The Predator Helios 18 AI can't last an especially long time, but at least it's capable of replenishing quickly.
3.5 / 5
Total
There’s no denying this is a ferocious gaming machine; you can’t really ask for more from a gaming laptop. But the astronomical price puts it beyond the reach of many gamers, and there are many better value propositions out there.
3.5 / 5
Buy it if...
You want the best portable performance With Nvidia RTX 5000 series GPUs available, the Predator Helios 18 AI can achieve astonishing fps figures, while the CPU and configurable RAM are equally capable components.
You want a large display At 18 inches, the screen is more than big enough for laptop gaming, and renders AAA titles in all their glory.
Don't buy it if...
You want to save money You’ll need plenty of cash to buy even the base model, and there are better value options out there.
You want a truly portable device You’ll want something much smaller and lighter than the Acer Predator Helios 18 AI if you’re constantly on the go.
Acer Predator Helios 18 AI review: Also Consider
Razer Blade 16 (2025) We were already big fans of the Razer Blade 14 from 2024, but the Blade 16 (2025) surpasses it in many ways. Like the Predator Helios 18 AI, it too can be equipped with an RTX 5090, and is built to a similarly high standard. It’s a shame there’s no 4K option this time round, though, and it’s still about as expensive as the Predator Helios 18 AI. Read our full Razer Blade 16 (2025) review.
MSI Katana 15 (2023) Our current pick as the best gaming laptop for those on a budget, the MSI Katana 15 (2023) gets the balance right between price and performance, impressing us with its 1080p gaming. The trackpad and battery life might be weak points, but these are areas in gaming laptops where we’re willing to forgive shortcomings. As your first foray into the sector, it’s a great place to start. Read our full MSI Katana 15 (2023) review.
How I tested the Predator Helios 18 AI
Tested for a few days
Played AAA games
Extensive PC gaming experience
I tested the Predator Helios 18 AI for a few days, during which time I played games such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Doom: The Dark Ages, both AAA titles that provide stern tests for rigs owing to their demanding, cutting-edge graphics.
I also ran TechRadar’s series of benchmarking tests, including a battery test where I played a movie on a continuous loop until the Predator Helios 18 AI shut down.
I have been PC gaming for over a decade, and during that time I have experienced a number of systems and components. I have also reviewed laptops previously, as well as copious amounts of gaming hardware.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch: Two-minute review
I have been begging Apple to release a purple MacBook for a few years now and have been repeatedly disappointed year after year, so when I found out that the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch was going to sport a pastel purple colorway, it really was Microsoft's game to lose here.
And while it doesn't quite come close enough to dethroning the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch, performance-wise, it's a very solid everyday laptop that looks undeniably superior to Apple's rather boring MacBook Air design over the past couple of years.
The Surface Laptop 13-inch starts at $899.99 / £1,099 / AU$1,699 on Microsoft's website, which is roughly the same price as the MacBook Air 13-inch (which starts at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699), but its performance, at times, is substantially slower than Apple's best laptop, making it an iffy value proposition for those who could go either way as far as operating systems go.
Had the Surface Laptop 13-inch shipped with an Intel Lunar Lake chip rather than the underpowered Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 8-core SoC, this would be an entirely different review, as I'd be giving this laptop six-out-of-five stars, because in just about every other way than its performance and minor compatibility issues, this is the best ultrabook I've ever put my hands on.
Aesthetically, it's an upgrade over its larger Surface Laptop 7 sibling that launched last year, with a tighter form factor that is exceptionally lightweight and sleek. It's 3:2 display offers plenty of real estate for a laptop this small, and its keyboard and trackpad are a dream to type on.
Best of all, it comes in purple (technically 'Violet'), though you will pay slightly more for this color option than the base platinum colorway as it is only available on the higher capacity configuration.
Meanwhile, the ARM-based Snapdragon X Plus is an incredibly efficient chip, getting just over 17 hours of battery life on a single charge in my testing, which easily translates into two full workdays or more without recharging, outlasting even the latest MacBook Air 13-inch models.
If all you're looking for is a gorgeous-looking laptop that is great for everyday computing tasks, school work, and general productivity—while liberating you from having to keep a constant eye out for power outlets to recharge day after day—then the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch is one of the best Windows laptops you can buy. It just isn't the knockout blow against the MacBook Air that Windows fans might be hoping for.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch: Price & availability
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
How much does it cost? Starts at $899.99 / £1,039 / AU$1,699
When is it available? It's available now
Where can you get it? You can buy it in the US, UK, and Australia
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch is available now, starting at $899.99 / £899 / AU$1,699 directly from Microsoft or at retail partners. It comes in slightly cheaper than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 in the US and UK, (starting at $1,099.99 and £1,039, respectively). In Australia, however, the larger Surface Laptop 7 13.8-inch starts out cheaper at AU$1,597 (and it comes with more powerful hardware to boot).
The Surface Laptop 7 13.8-inch also features a more powerful Qualcomm chip, a sharper screen, and better port support (though no Violet colorway, you'll have to settle for the equally gorgeous Sapphire option).
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch starts with an 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus SoC, 16GB LPDDR5x RAM, 256GB storage, and a Platinum colorway. You can increase the storage by 256GB for an additional $100, which also gives you the option of picking either the Violet or Ocean colorway.View Deal
Similarly, the Surface Laptop 13-inch is also slightly cheaper than the MacBook Air 13-inch with M4 in the US (starting at $999), while being slightly more expensive in the UK (the base MacBook Air 13-inch start at £999), while there is no difference in starting price between the two in Australia.
Compare this, however, with a similar memory-and-storage-specced Dell 14 Plus, starting at $799.99 / £999 / AU$1,298, but which comes with more powerful x86 processors from AMD and Intel, meaning that you get better performance without any compatibility worries that comes with ARM-based chips.
Granted, none of these competing laptops look anywhere near as good as the Surface Laptop 13-inch, but if your main interest is performance, there are cheaper options that will get you what you want.
All that said, however, this is the best-looking laptop you're going to find at this price, in my opinion, and yes, that includes the entire MacBook lineup. If you want to look good at a cafe while reading emails, or streaming Netflix in an airport lounge while waiting for a flight, this laptop will turn heads (at least in Violet) without totally breaking the bank.
The only real knock I can point to is that the long-term value of the Surface Laptop 13-inch is lower than a MacBook Air 13-inch with M4. The latter is much more performant and it will stay 'current' for a few years longer than the Surface Laptop 13-inch, in all likelihood.
Value: 3.5 / 5
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch: Specs
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 8-core SoC
16GB LPDDR5x
The display could be better
There isn't a whole lot of variation in terms of spec configurations for the Surface Laptop 13-inch, with the biggest difference being some extra storage and two additional colorway options.
2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 w/ DP and Power Delivery, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1 x combo jack
Battery (WHr):
50WHr
Wireless:
WiFi 7, BT 5.4
Camera:
1080p
Weight:
2.7 lbs (1.22 kg)
Dimensions:
11.25 x 8.43 x 0.61 ins | (285.65 x 214.14 x 15.6mm)
For $100 / £100 / AU$200 more, you can upgrade the storage on the Surface Laptop 13-inch to 512GB and get additional Violet and Ocean colorway options, but otherwise the more expensive configuration (which I tested out for this review) is identical to the base configuration.
2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 w/ DP and Power Delivery, 1 x USB Type-A 3.1, 1 x 3.5mm combo jack
Battery (WHr):
50WHr
Wireless:
WiFi 7, BT 5.4
Camera:
1080p
Weight:
2.7 lbs (1.22 kg)
Dimensions:
11.25 x 8.43 x 0.61 ins | (285.65 x 214.14 x 15.6mm)
There's no option to upgrade the memory or storage on any of these models beyond the configuration options at the time of purchase, which does make the longevity of the Surface Laptop 13-inch's specs more limited than laptops like the Dell 14 Plus, where you can at least upgrade the storage if you'd like.
And while the specs on the MacBook Air 13-inch with M4 might not be upgradable either, they are simply better overall for a relatively small increase in price, meaning the long-term value of the MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) is superior overall.
Specs: 3.5 / 5
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch: Design
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Beautiful color options and fantastic aesthetics
Light and portable
Display resolution is only 1280pwith no HDR
The design of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch is simply stunning. There's no other way to describe it. Starting with the exterior aesthetics, the Surface Laptop 13-inch is as close to a MacBook Air for Windows as you're going to find on the market, and in my opinion, it's even better looking thanks to the additional Violet and Ocean colorways alongside the default Platinum look of the base model. You pay extra for the splash of color, but it's a worthwhile investment. The machined aluminum finish of the laptop chassis, along with the pastel-ish hue of the chassis and the darker, more matte color of the keycaps and trackpad.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
The display on the Surface Laptop 13-inch is a step down from the larger 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 7 from 2024, which had a maximum resolution of 2,304x1,536p (a PPI of 201, compared to the 1,920x1,280p Surface Laptop 13-inch's 178 PPI) and 120Hz refresh compared to just 60Hz for the Surface Laptop 13-inch.
It also has a lower contrast ratio of 1,000:1 compared to the larger version's 1,400:1. The Surface Laptop 7's display is also made of Corning Gorilla Glass 5. In contrast, the Surface Laptop 13-inch's display is only "Strengthened glass" according to Microsoft's official spec sheet for the Surface Laptop lineup.
The display does max out at 400-nits, though, which is nice and bright enough for most people and situations, but you might struggle to see the screen properly if you're using the laptop outside on a bright sunny day.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
I found that carrying the Surface Laptop 13-inch around was very easy, as it fit in pretty much any bag and was thin and compact enough that I was able to use it sitting in an airplane seat during my 15-hour flight to Computex 2025 last month with almost no issue.
Speaking of using the laptop, the key switches are quiet and have good travel and responsiveness, and everything is well-spaced, so you don't feel cramped despite the laptop's smaller size. The trackpad is likewise responsive and smooth, making navigation and clicking around the desktop a breeze.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
One thing that's not that great is the port selection, which is limited to two USB-C Gen 3.2 ports, a USB-A Gen 3.1 port, and a 3.5mm jack for a headset. It'd have been nice to get some USB4 ports in there like you get with the larger Surface Laptop 7 models, but both USB-C ports do support power delivery and DP 1.4 output (though if you're trying to connect to more than one monitor, you need one port per monitor, rather than being able to daisy-chain them to just a single port).
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
The webcam, meanwhile, is a 1080p Surface Studio Camera that is crisp enough, but unlike the larger Surface Laptop models from last year, it does not support Windows Hello authentication, and it doesn't have a physical privacy shutter, which in 2025 should be pretty much mandatory, so along with the port and display downgrades, I've got to ding what is otherwise a nearly perfect design.
Design: 4.5 / 5
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch: Performance
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
A performance downgrade from last year's Surface Laptop
Some compatibility issues with ARM architecture still linger
Gaming is functionally a no-go
What holds the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch from really being the fierce MacBook Air competitor that many of us hoped it would be is the 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus SoC.
When I reviewed the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 last year, I was genuinely impressed by the performance of the Snapdragon X Elite chip, despite the compatibility challenges that Windows-on-Arm is still working through. That was a much more powerful chip, though, and even the 10-core Snapdragon X Plus SoC offers noticeably better performance than what the Surface Laptop 13-inch is packing.
The 8-core chip isn't awful, to be clear. It's perfectly good for general computing tasks like streaming, school work, and office productivity, and it's probably one of the best student laptops out there for those who want a little bit of style to go along with their studies.
But if you need this laptop to do anything other than writing up papers and reports, streaming movies, or using web-based cloud software, you will likely be unhappy with what you're getting here for the price.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
The most direct and obvious comparisons I can make with this laptop is the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch with Apple Silicon (starting with the Apple M2), the larger 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 7, the recently released Dell 14 Plus, last year's Dell XPS 13 (with both Intel and Qualcomm SoCs), and the Asus Zenbook A14 with the entry-level Snapdragon X SoC.
Only the M2 MacBook Air 13-inch and Dell 14 Plus are cheaper than the Surface Laptop 13-inch (at least at the time of review), and all of these laptops start around the same price, give or take a hundred bucks or so.
The models I've tested and that TechRadar has reviewed in the past vary by spec, so it's not entirely an apples-to-apples comparison laid out in the charts above, as some of the Dell and Apple notebooks' advantages can be easily chalked up to more expensive processors.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
If you go with any of those systems at the same price as the Surface Laptop 13-inch I tested, the performance difference might not be nearly as dramatic on paper, and almost certainly won't be all that noticeable.
Still, it's pretty clear that the Surface Laptop 13-inch either lands somewhere in the middle of its competition, or comes in second or third from the bottom. Add to that some performance issues stemming from Microsoft's Prism software layer that translates x86-architecture-designed programs, which is pretty much every Windows program, to be ARM-compatible.
Generally, this works rather well, but it does introduce system overhead that will slow things down. In short, unless you're running a piece of rare ARM-native software, you will almost never get as good an experience with Windows software on ARM as you would with the x86 architecture powering Intel and AMD chips.
The question really comes down to whether or not the performance is good enough, and I think that for most people, it will be (unless you want to load up Steam and get into PC gaming. The best gaming laptop, this is not).
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Much like the MacBook Air 13-inch, the Surface Laptop 13-inch is more geared toward casual computing needs and productivity work, and it excels at these tasks.
So, even though the MacBook Air 13-inch with M4 gets roughly twice as many FPS as the Surface Laptop 13-inch, the MacBook Air 13-inch still struggles to maintain playable frame rates unless you seriously scale back your graphics settings.
The MacBook's gaming advantage, then, only really looks intimidating as a percentage, but in practice, none of the laptops I tested were suitable for the task of playing, say, Cyberpunk 2077 at max settings and native resolution.
What it really boils down to, then, is whether you're just looking for a new laptop to keep up with friends and family, maybe do some office work, or write that Sci-Fi novel at the local coffee shop that you've been meaning to finally get around to this year.
If those are the boxes that need ticking, any of the laptops listed above will get the job done, but none will look as good as the Violet Surface Laptop 13-inch.
Performance: 3.5 / 5
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch: Battery Life
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
How long does it last on a single charge? 17 hours and 14 minutes
How long to recharge from empty to full? With the included 45W charger, it takes about two and a half hours to charge to full.
One other key area where the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch shines is its stellar battery life. In my testing, it ran about 17 hours and 14 minutes on average in my battery test, thanks to the super efficient ARM architecture. This puts it in fourth place overall in my 10 laptop test group, but it does outlast all three MacBook Air 13-inch models in the group by an hour or more.
So even though it's not officially in the battery life winner's circle, you can't ask for much more from a laptop this thin and light.
Battery Life: 5 / 5
Should you buy the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch?
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 Scorecard
Category
Notes
Rating
Value
While not as cheap as something like the Dell 14 Plus, it is on par or cheaper than similar offerings from Dell and Apple.
3.5 / 5
Specs
There aren't a whole lot of configuration options, and the lack of USB4 is unfortunate.
3.5 / 5
Design
It's simply gorgeous and a joy to type on. If it had a physical camera privacy shutter, better ports, and a better display, it'd be a 6 out of 5.
4.5 / 5
Performance
For a casual use notebook, it's in line with similarly specced Windows laptops, but the MacBook Air 13-inch with M4 runs circles around it.
3.5 / 5
Battery Life
At just over 17 hours of battery life in my testing, this is one of the longest lasting Windows laptops around.
5 / 5
Final Score
It's not perfect, and had Microsoft flexed some muscle to get a 10-core chip in this laptop without raising its price, it'd truly be the Windows MacBook Air we've been waiting for, but it'll be more than close enough for most people and looks better than anything Apple has put out in years.
4 / 5
Buy the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch if...
You want a truly eye-catching laptop This is the look we should have gotten on the M2 MacBook Air redesign, rather than the dull, uninteresting colors we got. Apple's mistep is Microsoft's advantage.
You want an all-day laptop At 17+ hours of battery life in my testing—including using it throughout an almost 15-hour flight to Taipei—this laptop has the juice.
Don't buy it if...
You want a high-performance laptop If you want a laptop for serious professional workloads like video editing or for PC gaming, you're going to want to opt for a beefier device.
You want worry-free app compatibility While most Windows apps will work on this device thanks to Microsoft's Prism compatibility layer, you will still occasionally run into some apps that won't work on ARM devices.
Also consider
If my Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch review has you looking at other options, here are three other laptops you should consider instead...
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) The most recent Apple MacBook Air 13-inch offers substantially better performance than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13, making it a much better value.
Dell XPS 13 9350 If you don't want to hassle with the quirks of Qualcomm's ARM-based chips, the Intel Lunar Lake-powered XPS 13 is a fantastic alternative.
I used our standard suite of benchmarking tools and performance tests
I used it as my primary work laptop, including taking it on an international work trip
I spent about a month with the Surface Laptop 13-inch, far longer than I usually spend with a device under review. While this was mostly due to circumstance (Computex and WWDC, in particular), this did allow me to do a much deeper dive.
In addition to my normal benchmarking process, I took extra time to retest some competing laptops we had in the office to come up with a more thorough comparison against the Surface Laptop 13-inch's competitors.
The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is the latest hybrid laptop from the venerable Windows laptop maker, marking its first 2-in-1 since the company's major rebranding earlier this year, which replaced the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 2-in-1.
Fortunately, as with the clamshell Dell 14 Plus, Dell's latest 2-in-1 offers very solid performance at a fantastic price. But given that this is a 2-in-1, typically a form factor where the display takes center stage, the dim, lackluster panel makes this a less attractive option as a 2-in-1 than its clamshell sibling.
Starting at $649.99 / £849 / AU$1,498.20, the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 does earn its place among the best 2-in-1 laptops this year thanks to its affordable starting price, especially in the US and Australia where the AMD Ryzen AI 300 configurations are available. When these configurations make it to the UK, the prices there ought to be much cheaper to start as well.
Performance-wise, the 14 Plus 2-in-1 isn't much different than the standard 14 Plus, so what you're really looking for here is the versatility that comes with a 2-in-1.
Unfortunately, this versatility is undermined by the display quality, which is much more important on a 2-in-1. So while I found the rather dim FHD+ display on the 14 Plus to be an acceptable compromise to keep the price down, it's a much bigger negative on the 14 Plus 2-in-1.
That's not to say the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is necessarily bad, or even that its display is an absolute dealbreaker. Given its price and level of performance, the display doesn't keep it from being one of the best student laptops on the market right now, and it also remains one of the best Dell laptops on offer currently. Just be prepared to look past a couple of flaws if you decide to pick one up.
Dell 14 Plus: Price & availability
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
How much does it cost? Starts at $649.99 / £849 / AU$1,498.20
When is it available? It's available now
Where can you get it? You can buy it in the US, UK, and Australia through Dell’s website and other retailers.
Easily the best feature of the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is its excellent pricing. Starting at $649.99 / £849 / AU$1,498.20, there aren't going to be many Windows laptops with solid entry-level specs at this price point. For those who are more price-sensitive (such as students, general users, and enterprise fleet managers), the 14 Plus 2-in-1 really should be at the top of your list if you're in the market for a 2-in-1.
Even better, of course, is that Dell regularly runs sales on its products, so it should be fairly easy to find this laptop for even cheaper (especially around holidays or other major sales events like Amazon Prime Day).
Value: 5 / 5
Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Specs
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Configurations vary considerably between the US, UK, and Australia
Options for both Intel Core Ultra 200V and AMD Ryzen AI 300 processors
No discrete graphics options
The starting specs for the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 feature 16GB DDR5 RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD storage, and a 16:10 FHD+ (1200p) IPS touchscreen display with 300-nit max brightness. The only difference between the US, UK, and Australia is that the US and Aussies start off with an AMD Ryzen 5 AI 340 processor with Radeon 840M graphics, and the UK starting configuration comes with an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V chip.
This also means that while the US and Australian starting configuration only has two USB-C Gen 3.2 ports, the UK swaps one of these out for a full Thunderbolt 4 port.
2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 w/ DP and Power Delivery, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x combo jack
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C w/ DP 1.4 and Power Delivery, 1 x Thunderbolt 4 w/ DP 2.1 and Power Delivery, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x combo jack
2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 w/ DP and Power Delivery, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x combo jack
Battery (WHr):
64 WHr
64 WHr
64 WHr
Wireless:
WiFi 7, BT 5.4
WiFi 7, BT 5.4
WiFi 7, BT 5.4
Camera:
1080p@30fps
1080p@30fps
1080p@30fps
Weight:
3.35 lb (1.52 kg)
3.42 lbs (1.55kg)
3.35 lbs (1.52kg)
Dimensions:
12.36 x 8.9 x 0.65 ins | (314 x 226.15 x 16.39mm)
12.36 x 8.9 x 0.65 ins | (314 x 226.15 x 16.39mm)
12.36 x 8.9 x 0.65 ins | (314 x 226.15 x 16.39mm)
For the max spec, the US and UK can configure the 14 Plus 2-in-1 with an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V processor with Intel Arc Xe2 (140V) graphics, while Australia tops out at an AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor with Radeon 840M graphics. The US config also maxes out at 32GB DDR5 RAM and 1TB storage, while the UK and Australia max out at 16GB DDR5 RAM, and 512GB and 1TB storage, respectively.
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C w/ DP 1.4 and Power Delivery, 1 x Thunderbolt 4 w/ DP 2.1 and Power Delivery, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x combo jack
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C w/ DP 1.4 and Power Delivery, 1 x Thunderbolt 4 w/ DP 2.1 and Power Delivery, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x combo jack
2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 w/ DP and Power Delivery, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x combo jack
Battery (WHr):
64 WHr
64 WHr
64 WHr
Wireless:
WiFi 7, BT 5.4
WiFi 7, BT 5.4
WiFi 7, BT 5.4
Camera:
1080p@30fps
1080p@30fps
1080p@30fps
Weight:
3.42 lbs (1.55kg)
3.42 lbs (1.55kg)
3.35 lb (1.52 kg)
Dimensions:
12.36 x 8.9 x 0.65 ins | (314 x 226.15 x 16.39mm)
12.36 x 8.9 x 0.65 ins | (314 x 226.15 x 16.39mm)
12.36 x 8.9 x 0.65 ins | (314 x 226.15 x 16.39mm)
The configuration I reviewed is much more in the middle of the pack, featuring an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V chip, 16GB LPDDR5x RAM, and a 1TB SSD. This specific configuration isn't available in the UK and Australia, but the UK can get close enough (though with half the storage capacity).
Dell 14 Plus Review Unit Specs
Price:
$1,099.99 / £999 / (about AU$1,650, but Intel systems not yet available in Australia)
CPU:
Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
GPU:
Intel Arc Xe2 (140V) Graphics
Memory:
16GB LPDDR5X-8533
Storage:
1TB NVMe SSD (512GB in the UK)
Screen:
14-inch 16:10 FHD+ (1200p), 300 nit, touch IPS
Ports:
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C w/ DP 1.4 and Power Delivery, 1 x Thunderbolt 4 w/ DP 2.1 and Power Delivery, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x combo jack
Battery (WHr):
64 WHr
Wireless:
WiFi 7, BT 5.4
Camera:
1080p@30fps
Weight:
3.42 lbs (1.55kg)
Dimensions:
12.36 x 8.9 x 0.67 ins | (314 x 226.15 x 16.95mm)
Specs: 4 / 5
Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Design
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Thin and light
Trackpad can feel 'sticky'
Display isn't great for a 2-in-1
The design of the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is nearly identical to the standard 14 Plus, with the major difference being its 360-degree hinge. Otherwise, it sports a functional design language that, while not premium, doesn't necessarily look or feel cheap either.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
The keyboard on the 14 Plus 2-in-1 is functional, if not incredible, but for most people it'll do the job just fine. The trackpad occassionally felt somewhat 'sticky' to me, however, and it's something that kind of gives away the laptop's price point, if I'm being honest. I've felt similar trackpads on much cheaper Chromebooks in the past.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
The webcam is a solid 1080p at 30 frames per second, which is pretty much standard nowadays. It does feature a physical privacy shutter though, which is excellent.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
For ports, you have a good mix, especially for a laptop this thin, and if you're using an Intel-based configuration, you get a Thunderbolt 4 port, which is very handy. Regardless of the processor brand, though, with USB-C Gen 3.2 ports available, you can display out using DisplayPort 1.4, and all USB-C ports support power delivery.
Where this laptop was more of a letdown than its clamshell cousin is the display. At 300 nits peak brightness and just 67.5% of the sRGB color gamut and only 47.8% DCI-P3 (according to my testing), the color quality and brightness on the display just isn't very good.
It's one thing when the display on a cheap clamshell isn't great, but if you plan on taking notes or maybe even do some sketch work on your 2-in-1, this display is not going to give you the best experience. If you plan on using this laptop for school, try to avoid using it outside on a sunny day, or else you're really going to struggle to see things clearly.
Design: 3 / 5
Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Performance
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Solid performance
Can do some modest gaming
Not the best for creative work
Here's how the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
The performance of the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is going to vary quite a bit depending on your configuration, but like the clamshell 14 Plus, the 14 Plus 2-in-1 is a very solid performer when it comes to everyday computing and general productivity tasks that are typical of laptops at this price point.
To be clear, this isn't a professional mobile workstation like the MacBook Pro 14, and definitely isn't one of the best gaming laptops, but if what you're looking for is a laptop that does its job, does it reasonably well, and doesn't try to do too much beyond the everyday, then the 14 Plus 2-in-1 is a very solid pick (especially if you're on a budget).
Thanks to the integrated Intel Arc Xe2 or Radeon 840M graphics (depending on your configuration), you'll also be able to get some casual to moderate gaming out of this laptop, though you'll definitely want to keep things at or below 1080p and reasonable graphics settings.
In my testing, Civilization VII (one of the more graphically demanding sim games out there) managed to get close to 60 FPS on average on medium settings, which is more than enough for a thin and light laptop like this.
This is a 2-in-1, though, and the focus really is on note-taking, drawing, and the like, and for that the responsiveness of the display was good enough for the price, though nothing spectacular.
Performance: 4 / 5
Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Battery Life
How long does it last on a single charge? 15 hours and 14 minutes
How long to fully charge it to 100%? 2 hours and 36 minutes
I haven't tested one of the AMD Ryzen AI 300 models of this laptop, but the Intel Core Ultra 256V in my review unit is a very energy-efficient chip, so this laptop's battery life is good enough to rival many of the best laptops of the past few years, though it's not in the top five or anything like that.
It ran for just over 15 hours in my battery test, which involves using a script and custom server to simulate typical web browsing behavior. This is more than enough for a typical work or school day, and with the included 65W charger, it took about two and a half hours to recharge the 64WHr battery to full from empty (though higher wattage chargers will likely get you there faster).
Battery Life: 4 / 5
Should you buy the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1?
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 Scorecard
Category
Notes
Rating
Value
The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 offers great value for its price.
5 / 5
Specs
Available configurations are generally very good.
4 / 5
Design
The 14 Plus 2-in-1 looks good on the outside, but its display really brings its design down.
3 / 5
Performance
Everyday computing and productivity performance are solid, but it can't hold up to intense workloads like gaming at high settings.
4 / 5
Battery Life
Solid battery life capable of many hours of use on one charge.
4 / 5
Buy the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 if...
You want solid productivity and general computing performance The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 offers solid performance for most users, especially for the price.
You want a laptop that doesn’t look too cheap While it isn't going to win any major design awards, it's still a pretty good-looking laptop for its price.
Don't buy it if...
You need a high-performance laptop Whileits general performance is very good, you're not going to be able to push it much further than general use and casual PC gaming.
You need a quality display While the clamshell 14 Plus might have been able to skate by with this display, it's not really good enough for a 2-in-1.
Microsoft Surface Pro 12 (2025): Two-minute review
The new Microsoft Surface Pro 12 (2025) comes at an interesting time for the Surface family of devices. Once upon a time, Surface products were pitched as flagship devices that were showcases for the latest and greatest Windows features, while also allowing Microsoft to directly compete with its arch nemesis Apple and its MacBook and iPad devices.
Surface devices were also often quite innovative, with unusual form factors that would again be used to showcase various Windows features, and they were championed by Panos Paney, an enthusiastic spokesperson for Surface devices. This meant that despite Surface devices never gaining the kind of mainstream success that Apple’s devices enjoyed, it was always interesting to see what new products the Surface team were working on.
But times change. Panay left for Amazon, and a lot of the enthusiasm and excitement about Surface devices seemed to leave Microsoft with him. The company simplified the Surface lineup, dropping some of the more experimental models, and focused more on commercial customers. The Surface Pro 12 (2025) is seemingly out to prove that Microsoft hasn’t abandoned its consumers, nor has it forgotten about its Surface lineup – I just worry if it’s a case of too little, too late.
(Image credit: Future)
The trimming down of the Surface product line means there’s going to be no more Surface Go devices (I asked Microsoft about this directly), which were affordable versions of the usual premium Surface devices. While I appreciated the aim of Surface Go devices – it’s always nice to see a company make more affordable versions of its expensive devices – they never quite hit the mark in my view, with a few too many compromises being made to lower the price at the expense of performance.
Thankfully, that doesn’t mean that people on a budget won’t be able to afford a Surface device, as the base model of the new Surface Pro 12-inch (2025) is now considered the entry level model. Starting at $799.99 / £799 / AU$1,499, it is now the cheapest Surface Pro model, and is a fair bit less expensive than last year’s Surface Pro 11, which started at $999.99 /£1,049.99 / AU$1,899.99.
It’s also a lot less expensive than its biggest competitor, the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024), which launched at a rather staggering $1,299 / £1,299 / $2,199.
While at first glance this seems like a great deal – a newer model for a lot less than the previous model – there are a number of differences between the Surface Pro 12 and Surface Pro 11 that show that Microsoft has still made certain sacrifices to lower the price of the new model. I certainly wouldn’t think of it as an upgrade, rather a more affordable alternative to last year’s model. That’s not a bad thing, of course, but it’s worth pointing out so you know what you’re getting if you buy the new Surface Pro 12 (2025).
Let’s start with the screen: rather confusingly, the number in the Surface Pro 11’s name refers to the fact that it is the 11th edition of the Surface Pro.
Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 12 is named after its screen-size. So, the Surface Pro 11 actually has a larger screen – and a higher resolution as well.
The Surface Pro 12 comes with a 12-inch screen with a 2196 x 1464 resolution and refresh rate of up to 90Hz. The Surface Pro 11, meanwhile, comes with a 13-inch screen with a 2880 x 1920 resolution and up to 120Hz refresh rate. It can also be configured to come with an OLED panel.
Other changes are that the Surface Pro 12 comes with just one memory configuration: 16GB, whereas last year’s model can be configured up to 32GB. The Surface Pro 12 comes with a single processor choice – the Arm-based, eight-core Snapdragon X Plus, a more affordable, yet less powerful, version of the 10-core X Plus that comes in the Surface Pro 11. That model can also be configured with the even more powerful 12-core Snapdragon X Elite chip.
The Surface Pro 12 also drops support for 5G data connections (though it still features cutting-edge Wi-Fi 7 technology), and the two USB-C ports in this model are USB 3.2, rather than the faster USB4 connections in last year's model.
These are quite substantial differences, and while some people might consider them a downgrade compared to the Surface Pro 11, it’s important to note that Microsoft continues to sell that model alongside the Surface Pro 12, so if you’re looking for a flagship experience, you’ll want the (slightly) older model. This could, of course, confuse people who assume the latest model is also the most powerful, or that the only difference between them are the screen sizes. But, you know: Microsoft and confusing product names – name a more iconic duo.
As with previous Surface Pro devices, the Surface Pro 12 is a Windows 11 tablet, and Microsoft is one of the few companies continuing to release them. The dominance of iPads running iPadOS and Android tablets has seemingly turned off many manufacturers from making Windows tablets.
In a way that’s a shame, as while Windows 11 isn’t an operating system primarily designed for touchscreen devices, unlike iPadOS or Android, the touchscreen experience has come a long way, and you can comfortably find your way around Windows 11 and run most tasks and actions via the touchscreen thanks to large, easy-to-hit, icons and buttons. However, there are still times when Windows 11’s origins as an operating system designed for desktop PCs are apparent, such as when a menu or dialogue box appears that feels clumsy when prodded by a finger and requires a mouse and keyboard for the best experience.
(Image credit: Future)
On the other hand, by running Windows 11, you can install full desktop versions of applications, such as Microsoft Word or Adobe Photoshop, rather than the more limited tablet apps. This is the one area I feel Microsoft has the advantage over Apple’s iPad Pro, which, despite featuring the powerful M4 chip found in the best MacBooks and Macs, still uses iPadOS, which means it’s limited to the same basic apps that the iPad mini and iPad Air can run. This makes it feel like a lot of that power is wasted, and it’s something that the Surface Pro 12 avoids by being able to run almost any full desktop program. Plus, the Surface Pro 12 (2025) is nowhere near as powerful, or as expensive, as the iPad Pro, meaning you won’t be quite as concerned about paying for performance you’re not using.
I say ‘almost’ every Windows 11 app because it’s important to note that the Surface Pro 12 uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus chip, which is based on Arm architecture. Without getting too caught up in the weeds of tech mumbo-jumbo, in the past most consumer laptops and PCs used x86-based chips, primarily from Intel and AMD, and that meant that the majority of Windows applications were coded for x86 hardware, so Windows devices using Arm hardware couldn’t run them – instead you had to hope that the app makers would take the time to make an Arm-compatible version, and because sales of Windows on Arm hardware was so small compared to x86, very few developers thought it was worth doing.
Thankfully that’s changed a lot, mainly because the recent generation of Windows 11 laptops using Arm hardware (specifically the Snapdragon X), pushed by Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC branding, have been very popular (and deservedly so, just check out our Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 review and Dell XPS 13 (2024) review for two recent examples of why Snapdragon X laptops are so good).
Microsoft has also released its Prism tool, which is essentially an emulator that allows x86 apps to run on Arm hardware with minimal impact to performance. This, combined with a growing library of native Arm apps for Windows 11 means that most of your favorite apps will run on the Surface Pro 12 – though there might still be cases where an app you often use can’t run.
The Surface Pro 12 (2025) can also be fitted with the Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard, which offers a tactile, comfortable-to-use, full-size keyboard and trackpad, while also doubling as a protective cover for the screen. This turns the Surface Pro 12 into a 2-in-1 device that can be used as both a tablet and a keyboard, and for pretty much any task where you need to write reams of text, it’s an essential add-on.
Sadly, you have to buy it separately, which adds a further $149.99 / £149.99 / AU$274.95 – a not insubstantial extra expense that I feel most people will need to pay for to get the most out of the Surface Pro 12.
The Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard snaps on easily thanks to a proprietary magnetic connection, but because of the new screen size, it means you can’t use keyboards from older Surface devices. You can, at least, use a standard Bluetooth or wired keyboard, but that means you miss out on the portability.
Where can you get it? You can get it in the US, UK, and Australia
With the affordable Surface Go lineup seemingly chucked in the trash, the Surface Pro 12 (2025) is now the most affordable way to get a new Surface Pro, with a starting price of $799.99 / £799 / AU$1,499, which is a fair bit cheaper than 2024’s Surface Pro 11 which starts at $999.99 /£1,049.99 / AU$1,899.99. Microsoft is continuing to sell the Surface Pro 11 alongside the Surface Pro 12, pitching the older model as the premium, flagship device, while the Surface Pro 12 takes the place of the Surface Go as the entry-level.
For that starting price, you get a Snapdragon X Plus 8-core CPU, 16GB RAM, and 256GB of storage. You can also configure it to come with 512GB of SSD storage for an extra $100 / £100 / AU$200. Apart from that, you’re unable to configure any other aspect of the hardware, though you can choose different colors (more of that in a moment).
The starting price is certainly competitive, especially considering the iPad Pro 13-inch starts at $1,299 / £1,299 / $2,199. Meanwhile, the latest iPad Air 13-inch starts at a similar $799 / £799 / AU$1,299 price, but comes with less storage and memory, and lacks Wi-Fi 7 support.
As a reasonably powerful tablet, then, the price is very good, though there are budget Android tablets out there for a lot less.
What’s not included in the price is a wall charger. The Surface Pro 12 no longer uses the proprietary Surface Connect port to charge – instead, any USB-C charger will work, so the lack of an included charger probably won’t be a huge deal for a lot of people, and at least helps keep the price down and reduce waste. If you need a charger, then you can buy an official one for $69.99 / £49.99 / AU$89.95, but because any USB-C power supply above 27W will work, there are plenty of cheaper options.
However, to get the most out of the Surface Pro 12 (and Windows 11, the operating system it runs), you’ll need the Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard, which turns it into a 2-in-1 device that can be used as either a tablet or a laptop.
The Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard is sold separately and will set you back $149.99 / £149.99 / AU$274.95, so unless you just want to use the Surface Pro 12 as a tablet, you should factor that into the price.
You can also get the 12-inch Keyboard with the Slim Pen stylus in a bundle for $249.99 / £249.99 / $454.95.
In the US and Australia, you can also buy the Surface Slim Pen on its own for $129.99 / AU$229.5. While the stylus is less essential to the overall experience, this does show that from the reasonable starting price, the Surface Pro 12 can quickly jump in cost when you start configuring it.
Value: 4 / 5
Microsoft Surface Pro 12: Specs
Microsoft Surface Pro 12 (base model)
Microsoft Surface Pro 12 (highest specs)
Microsoft Surface Pro 11
Price
$799.99 / £799 / AU$1,499
$899.99 / £899.99 / AU$1,699
Starting at $999.99 /£1,049.99 / AU$1,899.99
CPU
8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus
8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus
10-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus
GPU
Qualcomm Adreno
Qualcomm Adreno
Qualcomm Adreno
NPU
Qualcomm Hexagon (45 TOPS)
Qualcomm Hexagon (45 TOPS)
Qualcomm Hexagon (45 TOPS)
RAM
16GB
16GB
16GB
Storage
256GB
512GB
256GB, 512GB
Display
12 inches LCD (2196 x 1464)
12 inches LCD (2196 x 1464)
13 inches LCD (2880 x 1920)
Ports
2x USB-C (3.2)
2x USB-C (3.2)
2x Thunderbolt 4
Connectivity
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Size
10.8 x 7.47 x 0.30 ins | 274 x 190 x 7.8mm
10.8 x 7.47 x 0.30 ins | 274 x 190 x 7.8mm
11.3 x 8.2 x 0.37 ins | 287 x 209 x 9.3mm
Weight
1.5 lbs | 686g
1.5 lbs | 686g
1.97 lbs | 895g
Microsoft Surface Pro 12 (2025): Design
(Image credit: Future)
New screen size
Thinnest Copilot+ PC
New color options
If you’ve ever seen a Surface Pro device in the wild, then you’ll pretty much know what to expect with the Surface Pro 12 (2025). On its own it looks like a pretty standard tablet, though I have to say that the thick bezels around the screen does make it feel a little outdated compared to some of its rivals (and even the older Surface Pro 11 has thinner bezels on two of the sides of the screen).
As with previous models, the back has an embossed Windows logo, and the bottom half can be pulled out to make a kick stand, a nice feature that the likes of the iPad don’t have. In the center of the bottom side, there’s also a magnetic port that you use to affix the Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard to – though if you have an existing Surface Keyboard or Type Cover it won’t work due to the new size.
There are some subtle – and mostly welcome – changes introduced to the design of the Surface Pro 12, however. The proprietary Surface Connect port has been ditched – thankfully – and instead you charge the Surface Pro 12 (2025) via one of the two USB-C ports. While this change has been mainly introduced to comply with a European Union (EU) directive that states that all new electronic devices sold in the EU must support USB-C charging, it’s a positive one for consumers I feel, and does mean that for many of us that already have plenty of USB-C chargers we’re not getting yet another charger that will just be wasted.
(Image credit: Future)
Because of the new, smaller, screen, the Surface Pro 12 feels more comfortable to hold in the hand than the larger 13-inch Surface Pro from 2024 (I have both). The Surface Pro 12’s dimensions of 10.8 x 7.47 x 0.30 inches (274mm x 190mm x 7.8mm) are noticeably more compact than the Surface Pro 11’s dimensions of 11.3 x 8.2 x 0.37 inches (287mm x 208.6mm x 9.3mm), and the weight difference (1.5 pounds (686g) for the Surface Pro 12 vs 1.97 pounds (0.89kg) for the Pro 11) means if portability is a priority for you (and if you’re planning on using it as a tablet, then it should be), the Surface Pro 12 could, on paper, be the device to get.
However, it’s not just the screensize that’s different, and you should be aware of some of the changes Microsoft has made to keep the price of the Surface Pro 12 down.
For a start, there’s no OLED model, and the refresh rate is capped at 90Hz (rather than 120Hz of the Surface Pro 11).
The Surface Pro 12 also has a lower resolution of 2196 x 1464 vs 2880 x 1920 of the Pro 11, and that also means a lower pixel density of 220 PPI (pixels per inch) compared to the 267 PPI of the Pro 11. This means the image quality isn’t as sharp on the Pro 12.
The Surface Pro 12 also lacks the easily accessed NVMe port of the Surface Pro 11, which was located on the older model behind the kickstand, and was a nice addition that allowed you to quickly upgrade the storage space of the Pro 11.
(Image credit: Future)
On the back of the Surface Pro 12 is a new indent which is where you magnetically attach the Slim Pen stylus (sold separately). Microsoft sent me one to review along with the Surface Pro 12, and I was impressed with how secure the Slim Pen felt when it was magnetically attached – I certainly didn’t worry that the stylus would drop off the tablet.
The Slim Pen also wirelessly charges when attached, which is a nice touch. Despite the indent, however, having the Slim Pen attached does mean that the Surface Pro 12 doesn’t sit flush when placed back-down on a table or desk.
(Image credit: Future)
Connecting the Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard (also sold separately, and supplied by Microsoft for this review) is also quick and easy thanks to a magnetic connection. It adds a bit more weight and bulk, but when closed will protect the screen. It also allows you to use the Surface Pro 12 as a laptop-like device, and I think it’s worth getting. You’ll need to use the kickstand to support the Surface Pro 12 when it’s used as a screen, which isn’t the most comfortable if you’re using it on your lap, but it does work. However, you can’t really adjust the angle of the screen, unlike Apple’s Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro.
The Surface Pro 12’s USB-C ports are also limited to USB 3.2, rather than USB4, which is supported by the Surface Pro 11. You’ll still be able to plug in the same peripherals, but data transfer will be slower.
(Image credit: Future)
A more positive design tweak are the two new color schemes, Violet and Ocean, along with the same Platinum color that previous Surface Pros came in. I’ve seen the new Surface Laptop in Violet, and it looks lovely. However, the base model of the new Surface Pro, which I have, only comes in Platinum – you’ll need to pay extra for more storage if you want the Surface Pro 12 in either Violet or Ocean.
Overall, the design of the Surface Pro 12 is solid, though not that excited, especially if you get it in Platinum. Compared to the iPad Air (2025), which has a weight of 460g and dimensions of 247.6mm x 178.5mm x 6.1mm for the 11-inch model, it feels chunkier and cheaper than Apple’s tablet. If you’re used to iPad tablets, you will likely much prefer Appe’s design. The compromises to screen quality and USB speeds with the Surface Pro 12 are also a shame.
Design: 3.5 / 5
Microsoft Surface Pro 12 (2025): Performance
(Image credit: Future)
Good for general use
16GB RAM helps with multitasking
AI features remain pointless
Benchmarks
These are the results of our benchmarking tests for the Microsoft Surface Pro 12 (2025):
Microsoft might argue that the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus chip within the Surface Pro 12 is the most exciting component, and I’d agree, but likely not for the same reason.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus is an Arm-based chip (similar to the M4 chip in the MacBook), with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) of 45 Trillion Operations per Second (TOPS) – an essential specification for it to be called a ‘Copilot+ PC’, which is Microsoft’s catch-all term for Windows 11 laptops that come with NPUs that can handle on-device AI tasks.
You might have noticed that a lot of companies are shoving AI into their products, and Microsoft is arguably one of the most ambitious. Like it or not, AI tools are now tightly integrated into Windows 11, and there’s no sign of that slowing down, with Microsoft’s Copilot AI tool becoming a fundamental part of the operating system, even getting its own dedicated key on the keyboard.
Of course, if you don’t have a Copilot+ PC you can still use Copilot – the key difference is that thanks to the NPU, you can use Copilot and other AI tools locally on the Surface Pro 12 itself, rather than relying on an internet connection and cloud-based AI tools.
The benefits are that you can work offline with these tools, and as all the data you provide the AI with is stored locally, there should be no danger of your data being shared with third parties or used to train AI models. This is good if you’re using AI tools with personal and private information, but less so if you’re just messing around with turning scribbles into AI-generated images in Paint.
Speaking of which, doing that is OK on the Surface Pro 12. Asking Paint to generate an image based on a photo I loaded took about 20 seconds, and the results were… well, what you’d expect from AI-generated art these days. Fine, and initially impressive, but not much more than a brief diversion, as the ‘art’ it produces comes with familiar tell-tale signs that it’s been made by AI. It’s likely a tool you’ll try once and then forget about it.
(Image credit: Future)
The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus’ NPU also gives you access to some exclusive Windows 11 features, namely Click To Do. This feature, which is still in ‘preview’, so not the finished article, is pitched by Microsoft as a way to do things more quickly and easily in Windows 11 with the help of AI.
By holding down the Windows key on the keyboard, you’ll see the mouse cursor turn into a white dot. Clicking on something (or tapping using the Surface Pro 12 screen) will give the screen a blue tint to show that Click To Do is enabled. If you only have the Surface Pro 12 and no keyboard, you can also bring this up quickly by swiping from the right-hand side of the screen.
Click To Do should then intelligently offer up some quick actions supposedly based on what it sees on your screen, such as opening an image in the Photos app and removing the background.
In theory, this could save some time, though to be honest, right-clicking a document and choosing what app to open it in covers a lot of that, is much faster, and doesn’t require a Copilot+ PC.
In practice, however, the feature seems pretty useless. I used Click To Do with my Pictures folder open, then clicked on a photo, then selected Remove background with Paint, thinking that this would open the photo in Paint and remove the background. Instead, it opened the thumbnail preview of the image (which is tiny and pixellated) and removed the background.
Thinking maybe it was Paint’s fault, I did it again, but this time selected Blur background with Photos. This opened up the Photos app, but again, it was just the thumbnail; it didn’t actually open the file.
So what Click To Do is really doing is taking a screenshot of whatever is open, and all you can really do is interact with the screenshot, not the actual files. Maybe I got the wrong end of the stick, but it felt like Click To Do was promising something quite complex, but in reality, it was just basic and of no use.
I tried it with a web browser open and some Bing (of course) search results. Click To Do offered to copy text to Notepad. A bit pointless, but I gave it a go, and it pasted a single line of unintelligible nonsense. Sure, Click To Do is supposedly still in ‘preview’, but it’s in no fit state at the moment, and as a key selling point of Copilot+ PCs like the Surface Pro 12, it’s embarrassing.
(Image credit: Future)
Recall, another feature touted as a key selling point for Copilot+ PCs, is in a similar preview state. I’ve gone over the controversies of this plenty of times before but the general thrust of this feature is that it runs in the background and takes constant screenshots that you can then scroll back through and search for things.
Recall was supposed to launch with the initial wave of Copilot+ PCs, but a big backlash amidst privacy and security concerns kept Microsoft from rolling it out. Now it’s here (albeit in preview form), and most of my privacy concerns have been alleviated. First, unusually for Microsoft, you have to turn on this feature yourself; it’s not turned on by default (as it was initially). All the images and data are stored locally, and thanks to the NPU, all AI tasks are done on the Surface Pro 12 itself.
Recall, and the data it collects, can also only be accessed by the user when logged in, and needs to have advanced Windows Hello biometric security enabled.
While the security aspect seems improved, if not completely perfect, my other big concern about just how useful Recall will prove to be remains. On the Surface Pro 12, it can feel a bit sluggish, and it even crashed once, and the results were mixed. It did find screenshots containing search results I’d asked for reasonably well, but once it brings up the screenshots, you’re a bit limited to what you can do – a lot like Click To Do, you can’t click on a file or folder to open it up, though to be fair it does allow you to open the folder location in Windows Explorer.
But it just doesn’t seem that useful, and because you now have to turn it on yourself, and considering the performance and storage impact Recall has when taking all these screenshots, Microsoft needs to really make Recall worth using – and so far it hasn’t.
(Image credit: Future)
On a (much) more positive note, the general performance of the Surface Pro 12 (2025) is good. Even demanding apps like Photoshop installed and launched without issue, and because you’re able to run Windows 11 applications, it makes the Surface Pro 12 (2025) a much better tool, in my mind, than the iPad Pro, which despite all its power is limited to iPadOS apps, which are more basic.
Having multiple desktop apps open at once and switching between them was fine, though if you are going to be mainly using standard Windows 11 apps, you’ll need to invest in the Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard, frankly, as these apps can be fiddly if you’re just using the touchscreen to control them. I did notice, however, that trying to perform too many tasks at once can make the performance of the Surface Pro 12-inch lag, with the occasional app crash. Nothing too out of the ordinary if you’re used to Windows 11, but it means there’s not the slick experience you might expect from an iPad.
Logging into the Surface Pro 12 is handled by the Windows Hello biometric tool, which uses the built-in webcams of the tablet to recognise your face. I found it worked reliably in a range of different lighting conditions, and meant logging in was both quick and secure. If Windows Hello can’t detect you, you can use a PIN or password to log in.
The front-facing webcam does a decent job, though at 1080p, it’s not as sharp or detailed as the 1440p webcam on last year’s model. As the Surface Pro 12 is a Copilot+ PC, you can use the Windows Studio effects tool to tweak the webcam’s footage live. Using AI and the NPU of the Snapdragon chip, you can blur the background, or add creative filters that make you look like a cell-shaded animation, watercolor painting, and automatically center yourself in frame.
(Image credit: Future)
These work fine, but they are nothing we haven’t seen before, and the background blur feature seemed less effective as other background blurring features I’ve tried, such as when using Google Meet, with noticeable gaps in the blur where the clear background could be seen.
One feature I did like was Eye Contact, which uses AI to make it seem like you’re looking directly at the screen. As with a lot of devices, the webcam of the Surface Pro 12 is either at the top, bottom or side of the screen, depending on the orientation, and this can result in video calls where it appears like you’re looking away (as you’re usually focusing on the screen). With this feature, it does a good job of adjusting your eyes so they are looking directly at the person you’re talking to.
It sounds a bit creepy, but it does make video calls (or just taking selfies) feel more natural, and the feature does a good job of matching your eye color. When I first tried this feature a while ago, it felt fake, with a definite element of ‘uncanny valley’ where you can tell something isn’t quite right, but it seems the feature has been improved a lot.
The rear camera is Ultra HD, though the photos I took with it weren’t particularly impressive, with quite a bit of noticeable noise in darker conditions. While taking photos, the Camera app became unresponsive, which means I could not adjust the focus; instead, I had to wait a few seconds. This also means that some photos I thought I had taken hadn’t actually been saved, so I wouldn’t recommend depending on the Surface Pro 12 to take once-in-a-lifetime photos – you’d be much safer sticking to your smartphone.
Throughout my time with the Surface Pro 12, I appreciated how silent it was. Like Apple’s M-series chips in modern MacBook Air laptops, the Snapdragon X Plus is efficient enough that the Surface Pro 12 it powers doesn’t need internal fans to keep it cool, so you don’t get any distracting and annoying fan noise when the tablet is working hard. However, with the occasional hangs that I experienced using Windows 11 on the Surface Pro 12, trading silence for a more reliable experience (as cooling the components could improve performance) might have been one compromise I’d have liked.
Performance: 3 / 5
Microsoft Surface Pro 12: Battery life
Microsoft promises 16 hours of local video playback
Lower refresh rate of screen helps give battery life a boost
Almost 18 hours in our battery tests
A common frustration I have with Copilot+ PC devices running on Arm hardware is that the marketing material often focuses solely on AI features and capabilities, but they are the least interesting thing about products like the Surface Pro 12.
Thanks to the power efficiency of the latest Snapdragon X chips, battery lives of these Copilot+ PC devices are impressively long, and considering that battery life is one of the most important considerations people have when buying a new laptop (it is for me, anyway), it's a shame that this aspect is often glossed over.
The Surface Pro 12 continues this theme, with a battery that lasted an excellent 17 hours and 49 minutes in my battery life benchmark test, which involved playing a looped HD video until the battery died.
While this isn't the longest battery life I've seen with a Copilot+ PC, it's great that we seem to be in an era where battery lives for Windows 11 devices that are near 20 hours are increasingly common (though even the best gaming laptops won't get anywhere near that). You'll certainly be able to bring it on long international flights to work and watch films on, and have plenty of battery left.
Most importantly, it means you can go several work days on a single charge in most cases, since you likely won't be using it for 18 hours straight, making it a great choice for people looking for a thin and light device to work on.
(Image credit: Future)
Battery Life: 5 / 5
Should you buy the Microsoft Surface Pro 12 (2025)?
Microsoft Surface Pro 12 (2025) report card
Remarks
Score
Value
The starting price of the Surface Pro 12 is excellent, though you'll need to pay extra for the keyboard cover.
4 / 5
Design
A slick, if uninspiring, design that's thin and light. Shame about the thick bezels around the screen, though.
3.5 / 5
Performance
Windows 11 runs well for most tasks, and Arm support is improving. It does struggle with intensive use, however.
3 / 5
Battery Life
Almost 18 hours of battery on a single charge is excellent, and testament to the efficiency of the Arm chip powering this tablet.
5 / 5
Buy the Microsoft Surface Pro 12 if...
You want an easily portable Windows 11 device This 2-in-1 can seriously challenge the iPad Pro's claim to the title of best tablet computer.
You’re after a 2-in-1 device The Surface Pro 12 works well as a tablet, and with the addition of the Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard (sold separately), it becomes a decent laptop-like device for more complex tasks.
You hate fan noise It’s a rare joy to use a Windows 11 device and not have the fans kicking in when you’re being too ambitious with your multitasking, but the Surface Pro 12’s fanless design shows it can be done.
Don't buy it if...
You feel like you’re missing out on AI features Given the hype, it’s understandable if you already have a Windows 11 laptop, but want a Copilot+ PC like the Surface Pro 12 for the extra AI features – but trust me, they aren’t worth upgrading for… yet.
You want a slick experience While running the full Windows 11 operating system is a big plus for productivity, it does mean the user experience, especially when the Surface Pro 12 is used exclusively as a tablet, is lacking.
You want the very best Surface Pro The Surface Pro 12 (2025) is the latest Surface Pro, but it’s not the most powerful one – that’ll be last year’s Surface Pro 11. Microsoft has made a lot of compromises to get the price of the new Surface Pro down, which is commendable, but it does limit the device’s potential.
Also consider
Apple iPad Air 11-inch (2025) The latest iPad Air impressed us with its M3-powered performance and overall slickness, and it's priced around the same as the Surface Pro 12 (2025). You're limited to mobile apps with the iPad Air, unlike the Surface Pro 12, but this does mean that the overall experience of using the iPad Air as a tablet is much smoother, thanks to the iPadOS operating system that's been built from the ground-up to support touchscreen controls.
Microsoft Surface Pro 11 The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is slightly older than the Surface Pro 12, but comes with a larger, and nicer screen, faster USB ports and better webcam - though it does cost more. However, you should find it on sale more often, which could make it better value.
I ran our standard suite of Windows laptop benchmarks
I've been using the Surface Pro 11 daily to write articles (including some of this review), browse the web and make video calls. I switched between using it in tablet mode, and with the Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard attached, turning it into a laptop-like device.
As well as using it for real-world tasks, I also ran TechRadar's standard suite of benchmark results. I've reviewed numerous iterations of Surface Pro devices, as well as competing tablets like the iPad Pro and some of the best laptops money can buy.
We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.
The Acer Nitro 14 is the latest compact gaming laptop from the Taiwanese hardware company looking to bring a (largely) affordable solution to an otherwise premium form factor, with a couple of considerations made towards its design and hardware.
While the Acer Nitro 14 doesn't stand among the best thin and light gaming laptops or the best gaming laptops in general, it does offer solid performance, decent enough value for money, and a respectable battery life that makes it worth considering if you can find the machine discounted in 2025.
The main trade-off with a smaller machine as opposed to a more traditional 15-inch and 16-inch model is the choice of graphics cards inside this 14.5-inch gaming laptop. Armed with either an RTX 4050 or RTX 4060 (even during the arrival of the newer RTX 50 series laptops), it's something of a harder sell in 2025 considering it's also more expensive than many different alternatives.
Turning to the performance, the Acer Nitro 14 largely achieves 60fps in 1080p gaming when using its RTX 4060 configuration (the model we received for review). Demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Red Dead Redemption 2 are solid, but factoring in the age of these games, it's not the most telling sign for the things to come in the future. The 8GB GDDR6 VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are (just barely) enough for now, but what does that mean for PC gaming in the next few years?
(Image credit: Future)
Design-wise, the Acer Nitro 14 is solid but far from exciting. On the positive side of things, it has a sleek enough, primarily plastic frame and a bright RGB keyboard. However, getting your hands involved is where the cracks begin to show. The membrane keyboard is on the mushier side of things, and the trackpad is frankly poor. You'll be better off getting a wireless gaming keyboard and a proper mouse for navigation, and be sure to prop the rig up to aid airflow (it gets hot - more on that later).
The deck is somewhat stacked against the Acer Nitro 14. It's not a terrible gaming laptop by any means. However, it also doesn't excel in any particular way, meaning it's worth investing in another similarly priced (or cheaper) alternative instead.
Acer Nitro 14: Price & Availability
How much is it? Starting from $1,099 / £1,199
When is it available? It's available now
Where can you get it? You can get it in the US and the UK
One of the biggest deciding factors for considering the Acer Nitro 14 is its price point. The RTX 4050 variant (the weakest of the lot) is available for $1,099 / £1,199 in the US and the UK, respectively. Our review unit is the RTX 4060 model, which carries an MSRP of $1,249 and an RRP of £1,299. However, it's worth pointing out that this machine has enjoyed regular discounts in the two territories since its launch near the end of 2024, so you may get a better deal by shopping around.
Straight off the bat, we recommend going for the RTX 4060 version as opposed to the RTX 4050 variant, as the former will be much more capable of gaming in 1080p. With that said, $1,249 / £1,299 for an RTX 4060 laptop is on the pricier end of things, especially in 2025 when the RTX 50 series launch is imminent, with budget Blackwell devices on the horizon.
(Image credit: Future)
We then need to look at how the Acer Nitro 14 compares to other small-factor gaming laptops. It's worth noting that 14-inch models are (generally) pricier than their more standard 15-inch equivalents. The similarly priced competition includes the Asus TUF Gaming A14, Gigabyte 14 Aero OLED, and the HP Omen 14 Transcend, all of which can be picked up for around the same price with an RTX 4050 or 4060 configuration in 2025.
The Acer Nitro 14 is definitely on the budget end for a smaller laptop, and leagues cheaper than leading models like the Razer Blade 14. However, its otherwise-aggressive pricing is sure to weaken over time, because it's about to be replaced by more capable hardware, making purchasing it right now less than ideal unless you've found an aggressive discount.
Value: 3 / 5
Acer Nitro 14: Specs
Acer Nitro 14 Specs
Acer Nitro 14 Base Config
Acer Nitro 14 Review Config
Price
$1,099 / £1,199
$1,249 / £1,299
CPU
AMD Ryzen 5 8645HS
AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS
GPU
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 6GB
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 8GB
RAM
16GB LPDDR5
16GB LPDDR5
Storage
512GB Gen 4.0 NVMe SSD
1TB Gen 4.0 NVMe SSD
Display
14.5-inch IPS 1920 x 1200 (WUXGA) 120Hz @ 300 nits
14.5-inch IPS 1920 x 1200 (WUXGA) 120Hz @ 300 nits
Ports and Connectivity
USB Type-C x 1; USB 4 x 1; USB 3.2 x 2; HDMI 2.1 x 1; 3.5 mm jack x 1; Wi-Fi 6E; Bluetooth 5.3
USB Type-C x 1; USB 4 x 1; USB 3.2 x 2; HDMI 2.1 x 1; 3.5 mm jack x 1; Wi-Fi 6E; Bluetooth 5.3
Battery
76Wh 4-cell (Claims up to 9 hours of playback)
76Wh 4-cell (Claims up to 9 hours of playback)
Dimensions
22.84 x 324.12 x 255.9 mm
22.84 x 324.12 x 255.9 mm
Weight
2kg / 4.4lbs
2kg / 4.4lbs
Two configurations of the Acer Nitro 14 are available in the US and UK; one features an RTX 4050 and the other has an RTX 4060 inside. The key difference between the two variants is the available VRAM of the mobile graphics processor, with the former having 6GB GDDR6 memory on a 96-bit bus and the latter having 8GB GDDR6 memory on a larger 128-bit bus. Depending on region, you'll have the choice of either the AMD Ryzen 5 8645HS or the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor.
Outside of the GPUs on offer, the hardware inside of the Acer Nitro 14 is solid. Both Ryzen 8000 series processors are fast and responsive for gaming, productivity, and AI workloads, however, you are paying a premium on the smaller 14-inch form factor considering the lower-end graphics solution here.
It's very common to find much more capable RTX 4070 gaming laptops for around the same price (or cheaper), such as the Asus TUF Gaming A16, Acer Predator Helios Neo 16, Lenovo LOQ 15, and MSI Katana A15 AI in 2025. You'll note that these machines are all a touch larger, at either 15-inch or 16-inch, so be wary of the premium attached to going more compact.
Specs: 3 / 5
Acer Nitro 14: Design
(Image credit: Future)
Average build quality
Primarily plastic construction
Lacking trackpad and keyboard
The most immediate thing about the Acer Nitro 14's design is the size of the display itself. As its name denotes, it's a 14.5-inch gaming laptop, which is fairly lean in terms of weight; it's less than one inch thick and is 2kg / 4.4lbs in heft. It's far more the sleekest or slimmest gaming laptop in the form factor, for that kind of thing, you're better off looking at the Razer Blade 14 (0.7-inch thick at 1.84kg / 4.05lbs), but then you're going to pay double for a device of a similar spec.
Then we get to the style of the Acer Nitro 14, which is so-so. The manufacturer has prioritized function over form here with its primarily plastic construction and (fairly) dull IPS LCD display. While the 1200p resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio are nice additions, filling up the bezel, it's let down by a peak brightness of only 300 nits with no HDR to speak of. It's not entirely unexpected in a laptop of this range, but it is disappointing considering that games and media won't pop much on this panel. The 120Hz refresh rate is nice, and about what you'll top out of in certain lesser-demanding games; any higher would have been wasted on this lower-end rig.
(Image credit: Future)
While the keyboard looks particularly fetching with its multi-zone RGB lighting, actually using it is another story. It's spongey with a lacking tactile feel and one of the cheapest-feeling and acting trackpads that I've used in some time. While fit for purpose, they detract from the user experience. Instead, I would recommend pairing the PC with one of the best gaming keyboards and the best gaming mouse at the very least, but you'll likely also have a Bluetooth (or USB) gamepad, too.
Design: 2.5/ 5
Acer Nitro 14: Performance
Achieves 60fps in 1080p
CPU is held back by the GPU
Gets loud and hot under load
The Acer Nitro 14 is a decent performer in 1080p for gaming and general computing applications. However, it's unlikely to blow you away with its just-respectable performance prowess. Starting with gaming, the laptop did fine in demanding games such as Cyberpunk 2077, Total War: Warhammer 3, and Red Dead Redemption 2, with average framerates in ultra/high settings above the 60fps mark. This is due to the RTX 4060 and its 8GB GDDR6 VRAM; if you are thinking of going for the cheaper RTX 4050 variant (with 6GB GDDR6 memory), then you're unlikely to achieve 1080p and 60fps with the sliders maxed out.
The 120Hz display is more likely to be useful when dropping down the settings or playing less demanding PC games, though. That's because I observed 132fps in Total War: Warhammer 3 on Low (showing the process of CPU-bound games backed by the Ryzen 7 chip), and it was a similar story in Cyberpunk 2077 on Low (83fps). Despite still being visual showcases for hardware, the titles are older now, with the games being released a handful of years ago. You may struggle to achieve 60fps in 1080p in today's games in 2025.
(Image credit: Future)
Acer Nitro 14 Benchmarks
Here's how the Acer Nitro 14 held up in our industry-standard tests conducted over the last few weeks.
Geekbench 6.2: Single - 2,392 Multi - 11,736 Cinebench R24: Single - 1,719Multi - 16,106 3DMark: Fire Strike - 22,862 Time Spy - 9,557 Port Royal - 5,357 Speed Way - 2,347 PCMark10: 7,490 CrossMark: Overall - 1,613 Productivity - 1,583 Creativity - 1,669 Responsiveness - 1,542 Red Dead Redemption 2: 1080p Low - 83fps 1080p Ultra - 64fps Cyberpunk 2077: 1080p Low - 108fps 1080p Ultra - 64fps 1080p Psycho RT - 44fps Total War: Warhammer 3: 1080p Low - 132fps 1080p Ultra - 71fps Battery test: 1 hour 59 minutes
Synthetic benchmarks tell the story of the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS's prowess inside of the Acer Nitro 14. The processor has eight cores (16 threads) and a maximum boost clock of 5.1 GHz, which is how we can see the strong performance in the likes of Cinebench R24 and Geekbench 6. It's a Ryzen AI chip with its own NPU rated at 16 TOPS, so Microsoft Copilot comes pre-installed (even with a dedicated key on the board). Gamers are unlikely to get much use out of this, but the NPU should be respectable enough for AI workloads.
To get the most out of the RTX 4060 mobile graphics processor, I recommend using Nvidia DLSS's upscaling and Frame Generation technology where supported. It'll downscale the picture to 720p and then blow the image back up to 1080p, but it's likely going to be a difference between a playable framerate and a less-than-ideal one. This is evidenced by Cyberpunk 2077 struggling to hit 60fps with "Psycho" RT functionality enabled.
While the Acer Nitro 14 is far from the noisest or hottest gaming laptop I've tested, it certainly lets its presence be known. Acer has confidently backed its "Liquid Metal Thermal Grease" for the heatsink on the CPU to the motherboard, and while the core temperatures are about average, you'll still see upwards of 70° and 80° when moderately gaming (or doing other hardware-intensive tasks).
It's not a problem that's unique to the laptop, but it's more common in 14-inch models, given their more compact design. I recommend using a laptop riser or a dedicated cooling pad to ensure top performance, and never to use it in bed (or on any plush surface) that covers the rear fans.
Performance: 3 / 5
Acer Nitro 14: Battery Life
Acer claims up to nine hours
Windows estimated up to three hours
Around two hours of media playback and less for gaming
The battery life of the Acer Nitro 14 is nothing special, but it's far from the worst I've seen from a budget gaming laptop. The company claims around nine hours of general use, but you certainly won't see a lifeline like that either gaming or consuming media.
Windows estimated just under three hours when on battery power with the machine idle or lightly in use, with activities such as web browsing. Dimming the screen and enabling battery saving mode might get you to the claimed rates, but it seems situational. When on battery power, the laptop lasted just under two hours in our battery test with media playback and just under this when gaming.
It's disappointing, considering the compact size of the Acer Nitro 14 means you would probably want it in your bag to kill time when not working or at school. However, carrying around the bulky charger kind of kills that idea. Again, this isn't an issue unique to the laptop, as many gaming laptops struggle with their battery, but it also doesn't buck the trend either.
Battery Life: 3 / 5
Should you buy the Acer Nitro 14?
Acer Nitro 14 Scorecard
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Value
The Acer Nitro 14 is on the pricier side, considering its hardware, but that's the premium for a more compact laptop.
3 / 5
Design
It's a laptop that puts function over form, with a chunky, plastic chassis. However, it's small enough for your bag.
2.5 / 5
Performance
Gaming in 1080p at 60fps is no problem in demanding games, but it will likely struggle to maintain this in the near future.
3 / 5
Battery Life
Middling battery life with around two hours of media playback and slightly less when gaming. You're going to need to keep its charger nearby (or rely on mains power) for extended use sessions.
3 / 5
Total
The Acer Nitro 14 is a solid gaming laptop that largely achieves what it sets out to do, but there are cheaper and better options out there that you should consider instead.
3 / 5
Buy it if...
A small gaming laptop is a must
If you're opposed to a 15-inch or 16-inch gaming laptop then the Acer Nitro 14 will get the job done. It just don't won't be very exciting.
You can find it discounted
At MSRP, the Acer Nitro 14 is a hard sell. However, with the right discount, it could be a great investment, especially with the arrival of the new RTX 50 series laptops.
Don't buy it if...
You can find an RTX 4070 laptop for less
The RTX 4060 inside of the Acer Nitro 14 is just about enough for today's games, but already shows signs of struggling. You could try and find a higher-end GPU in a laptop if you want more peace of mind, as many can be found for the same price during sale periods.
You need a laptop for work or school
The Acer Nitro 14's lacking battery life, mushy keyboard, poor trackpad, and dull screen make it a poor fit for productivity use, which is a shame given its otherwise excellent CPU.
Acer Nitro 14: Also Consider
Razer Blade 14 (2024)
The Razer Blade 14 (2024) doesn't come cheap. However, it's our number one pick for the best gaming laptop that money can buy. If you want leading performance in a sleek aluminum chassis, then it may be worth considering instead.
It's a touch pricier at MSRP but is frequently discounted in the US and the UK to near that of the Acer Nitro 14. HP's small gaming laptop features a vastly superior OLED display in a smaller and lighter package.
I tested the Acer Nitro 14 over a week, benchmarking the machine with our suite of industry-standard synthetic benchmarks and gaming performance to see what it was capable of before deciding on my verdict.
I've been a hardware editor for over five years and a PC gamer for much longer. In my career, I've reviewed dozens of laptops over the years and have experience with all kinds of machines, of which I've weighed the Acer Nitro 14.
