Acer reveals $4,000 Predator Triton 900, cheaper Triton 700 at CES 2019
Acer's new Predator Triton laptops pack serious power and fix prior model's touchpad flaw.
- Coauthor of Uninvested (Random House, 2015)
Acer's Predator Triton 900.
Following a quick sneak peek at IFA in August, Acer has introduced two new models in its premium-meets-portable line of Predator Triton gaming laptops. With an interesting cantilevered hinged design, the new $4,000 Predator Triton 900 comes equipped with a 17-inch 4K display, eighth-gen Intel Core i7 processors and Nvidia's GeForce RTX 2080 GPU series. The $1,800 Predator Triton 500, on the other hand, loads much -- though not all -- of the same hardware into a more compact and traditional 15.6-inch body.
When we reviewed the Predator Triton 700 in 2017, we admired its fabulous mechanical keyboard, powerful performance, 4K display and relatively slim profile. But we found the unconventional placement of the Gorilla Glass touchpad, above the keyboard, regrettable.
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The positioning made it unwieldy and that it was made of glass and seated above key components made it uncomfortably hot to the touch -- awkward at best and potentially infuriating for a $3,000 machine. As such, we're relieved to see Acer take a fresh approach with the Predator Triton 900, whose touchpad sits to the right of the keyboard, remedying the fatal design flaw of its predecessor.
We clocked Predator Triton 700's glass touchpad at over 118 degrees during our testing. Ouch.
We also like the look of the more affordable Predator Triton 500, which puts the touchpad in another acceptable location -- right below the keyboard. At 4.6 pounds, it's a few ounces heavier than the Razer Blade, which starts at $1,600, and the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin, which starts at $1,800. But though all three can be configured with eighth-gen Intel Core i7 CPUs, only the Predator Triton 500 (for now) offers Nvidia's GeForce RTX 2080 GPUs.
Other noteworthy specs include NVMe PCIe RAID 0 SSDs, up to 32GB of DDR4 memory and a 15.6-inch IPS display with 3ms response time, 144Hz refresh rates and support for Nvidia G-Sync. Acer says the Predator Triton will deliver up to 8 hours of battery life.
The Predator Triton 500 will be available on Feb. 15 followed by the Predator Triton 900 on March 15. Acer has not yet announced international pricing or availability.
Updated 12:15 p.m. PT: Corrected errors about the Predator Triton 700's clamshell design, the Predator Triton's weight (4.6 pounds) and the Predator Triton 900's touchpad, which sits to the right of the keyboard -- not above it.
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