Acer has new Predator gaming laptops and peripherals, including a 5G router

Acer Prdator Triton 500 SE open at a 90-degree angle seen from the front and rear

Acer recently refreshed the Predator Triton 300 and Helios 300 gaming laptops, but it's already back with more gaming laptops today. The company has announced the new Predator Triton 500 SE and Predator Helios 500, along with some peripherals that aim to improve the mobile gaming experience.

The Predator Triton 500 SE is the more subdued of the two, packing a lot of power in a clean-looking laptop that could easily be taken into an office environment. It's just 19.9mm thick and it packs up to an 11th-generation Intel Core i9 H-series CPU, along with GeForce RTX 3080 laptop GPU and up to 64GB of 3200MHz RAM. You also get up to 4TB of PCIe Gen4 SSD storage. For cooling, Acer is using its VortexFlow cooling system with three fans and five copper heat pipes covering the CPU and GPU.

Acer Predator 500 SE seen from the back with the lid in a semi-open position

Acer is trying to nail a balance between gaming and productivity here, and the 16-inch display uses a 16:10 aspect ratio that's often preferred for reading or writing documents. There are a few configuration options for it, too. You can choose a 165Hz refresh rate LCD panel, a 165HZ mini LED panel with 1,250 nits of peak brightness and 100% coverage of sRGB, or a 240Hz IPS PolarBlack panel with 3ms response time and 100% coverage of DCI-P3.

In terms of connectivity, there's two Thunderbolt 4, two USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, HDMI, 2.5Gbps Intel Killer Ethernet, a combo audio jack, and an SD card reader. There's also support for Wi-Fi 6.

The Acer Prdator Helios 500 seen from the front and back in different positions

If you do enjoy the more typical gamer aesthetic, the Predator Helios 500 might be up your alley. It comes with up to an Intel Core i9 processor with overclocking support, along with a GeForce RTX 3080 and 64GB of RAM. For storage, you can get up to two PCIe NVMe SSDs in RAID 0 along with a SATA HDD for bulk storage. The cooling system uses two fans including a fifth-generation AeroBlade 3D fan.

The display is a 17.3-inch panel and you can choose between a 120Hz MiniLED display with full-array local dimming and support for VESA Display HDR 1000, or a 360Hz refresh rate panel with 3ms response time if you enjoy games that require quick reactions.

Angled view of the back of the Acer Predator Helios 500 with the lid partly open

With the Helios 500, you get plenty of RGB instead of the more toned-down look for the Triton. The keyboard has per-key RGB backlighting, and you can also customize the lighting effects on the lid and light bars along some of the edges of the laptop. Speaking of the laptop, the WASD keys can also be configured with analog-style switches, so they can detect different levels of pressure.

The Predator Helios 500 also has all the ports you could want, with two Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C ports, three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, HDMI 2.1, mini-DisplayPort 1.4, 2.5Gbps Ethernet, and separate audio jacks for a microphone and headset. You can also get it with optional 5G connectivity with the Intel Killer DoubleShot Pro 5G.

The Acer Predator Connect X5 5G CPE Router — Predator Connect X5 5G CPE Router

Aside from the laptops, Acer also introduced a couple of peripherals today, and 5G seems to be a big focus for the company. First, there's the Predator Connect X5 5G CPE router, which can offer 5G speeds up to 4.7Gbps and distribute the connection via LAN or Wi-Fi 6. It has a dedicated Game LAN port, too, for the "fastest uncompromised throughput". The uplink and downlink speeds can be fine-tuned using the Intel Killer Intelligence Center so traffic can be prioritized to the user's needs.

There's also the Predator Connect 5G Dongle, which connects to a laptop via USB Type-C to leverage a 5G connection. The dongle features active cooling to keep running at peak performance for longer, and it can even be paired with the DoubleShot Pro 5G built into a laptop for dual connectivity.

Finally, there's a new Predator Cestus Gaming Mouse 335, with a 2,000Hz polling rate and 19,000DPI. It has 10 programmable buttons and they can be configured in five different profiles that you can switch between as necessary.

The Predator Triton 500 SE will be available in June in North America starting at $1,749,99 in the U.S., and in Europe in July, starting at €1,999. As for the Predator Helios 500, it'll be available in August in the U.S. starting at $2,499.99, while Europe will get it in June starting at €2,499. Pricing for the peripherals wasn't announced.