Based on the Predator Triton 300 SE released earlier this year, the Triton 500 SE offers improved specs and display size, all while squeezing it into a relatively compact frame. In short, Acer has got a laptop that is neat enough for work, yet powerful enough for high-end gaming.
The Predator Triton 500 SE is very similar to the 300 SE, but the most noticeable difference is the 16" display, which has a much slimmer bezel. By trimming the bezel, the Triton 500 SE achieves a screen-to-body ratio of 87%, putting the 16" screen in a 15" footprint.
The 16:10 aspect ratio and claimed 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut also make this laptop suitable for creative work such as video and photo editing, which should also make the Cyberpunk 2077 look pretty good.
The screen is not as bezel-eating as the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16, but the Trion 500 SE's screen is still quite impressive. It also offers several panel options, including a 2,560 x 1,600 165 Hz mini-LED display, a 240 Hz refresh rate, a 3 ms response time, and an IPS panel with Nvidia's G-Sync anti-frame tearing technology.
The Triton 500 SE is powered by an 11th generation Intel Core i9 processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 graphics, and 64 GB of 3200 MHz DDR4 RAM. Up to 4TB of PCIe Gen4 SSD space is available for storage. With prices starting at $2,499 for the laptop, which goes on sale this month, the top-end specs are not cheap, but they offer ample storage space for gaming and, for example, video editing files in a compact form.
Returning to the somewhat unassuming chassis, there are a few gaming-like accents, such as angled rear vents and a "Turbo" button for one-touch overclocking, and the gray machine has per-key RGB lighting on the keyboard.
Also, unlike most thin and light laptops these days, it has a full set of ports, including HDMI 2.1, a USB-C port with Thunderbolt 4, and a trio of USB 3.2 Type-A connections.
We were able to get a closer look at the Predator Triton 500 SE at a hands-on event hosted by Acer, but unfortunately there were no games included to test its performance.
However, the sleek design is a breath of fresh air compared to Acer's previous gaming laptops. The minimal bezels help maintain the spacious feel of the display, and the taller-than-average aspect ratio should make it better suited to work than traditional 16:9 laptop screens. It is difficult to discern how well the 1,250 nits of peak brightness is handled and how the display handles saturation.
I liked the trackpad. The keyboard was a bit mushy, as it lacked the key travel and tactile response that rival laptops from Asus, Razer, and Alienware excel at. However, some may prefer keys with less travel than mine.
The Predator Triton 500 SE is not as light as some ultraportables, but it is light enough to stick in a backpack and carry around for a day. As such, it could be used as a device to take with you to work or on vacation.
The Predator Triton 500 SE needs to be properly tested and reviewed before I or Tom's Guide can make a definitive judgment. However, Acer has made an impressively refined gaming laptop here. The main problem may be stiff competition from other gaming laptop makers who are making machines that target not only gamers but also creators.
Then there is the new HP Omen 16, which offers the latest Intel and Nvidia hardware at a price below many other gaming laptops. Still, such competition should mean gaming laptops with sharper prices and sleeker packaging to bolster our picks for the best gaming laptops.
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