When I review products, I try to consider as many other perspectives and use cases as possible. I am aware that I am not the target audience for all devices. But every now and then I come across something that seems designed specifically for me and resonates differently. This is more or less the case with the Acer Predator Triton 14 AI. While it’s not the flashiest or most powerful gaming laptop on the market, it offers pretty much everything I’m looking for in a portable system for gaming on the go and more.
Design and presentation
The term “ultraportable” is usually reserved for more traditional thin and light productivity machines, but I think it certainly applies to the Triton 14 AI. At just 3.5 pounds and 0.71 inches thick, Acer’s machine is actually slightly lighter and as thin as a Dell 14 Premium (3.7 pounds and 0.71 inches), despite a much beefier GPU. And even compared to competitors like the Razer Blade 14 (3.6 pounds and 0.64 inches thick), the Triton 14 AI doesn’t lose much ground here either.
While some gaming laptops can seem over the top with their unusual aesthetics and lots of RGB lighting, the Triton 14 AI looks pleasantly understated. Of course, it still has customizable LEDs behind the Predator logo on the lid and keyboard lighting. Moreover, wearable seems to be an exercise in restraint for a category that often favors excess. The other small design accent is the pixelated Predator logo (which appears to be created by a small dot matrix display) to the right of the touchpad. I think it’s a smart touch that suggests you should focus on laptop gaming without overwhelming yourself.
Despite its size, the Triton 14 AI also has good connectivity options. You get two USB-C ports (one on each side), with Thunderbolt 4 support on the right, while the other is used for power and USB 4 data speeds (both can be used for charging). There are also two USB-A 3.2 connectors, 3.5mm audio, a full-sized HDMI 2.1 port and even a microSD card reader. This makes it easy to connect it to an external monitor (which you should definitely have if you work from home). When you’re not gaming, this can also be a great mobile editing station, as it’s easy to transfer photos and videos from a camera via microSD.
On the right side of the Acer Predator Triton 14 AI is a microSD card reader, two USB ports (one type C and one type A) and a full-sized HDMI connector.
Acer has also made no compromises with the Triton 14 AI’s display. Sure, the 120Hz refresh rate could have been a little faster, or with a slightly taller 3.2K display like the Dell 14 Premium, but these are real flaws. The OLED panel delivers rich colors, and in my testing the screen on my test unit even exceeded Acer’s specified brightness of 340 nits by a few percent.
Although Acer has included six speakers, which are very loud, my only minor complaint is that they are not placed in the best places to maximize sound quality. Two controls are hidden behind small grilles on either side of the laptop, and four more are on the bottom. This means that the audio will often sound muffled or muffled unless the laptop is placed on a hard, reflective surface like a desk (without something like a desktop wallpaper in between). This is not a problem and I understand that the small size of the Triton 14 AI does not leave much room for the speakers, but I wish Acer had found a solution that sounded a little better.
Keyboard, touchpad and great features
In addition to per-key lighting and a nice, springy typing feel, Acer has added additional features to the Triton 14 AI’s mouse and keyboard not normally seen on gaming laptops. On the left, above the row of functions, there is a physical button that allows you to quickly and easily switch between different performance modes with the press of a button. There’s also a dedicated Predator button that acts as a shortcut to the Acer app, so you can adjust settings or adjust the laptop’s lighting, for example.
On the underside, the Triton 14 AI has a large, transparent Gorilla Glass touchscreen, similar to the one on the Dell 14 Premium. But to solve the problem of not knowing where the trackpad ends and the rest of the laptop begins, Acer has added two light strips on each side. It’s a simple and elegant solution that also looks good.
The real advantage of the Triton, however, is that it also supports pen input (via MPP 2.0) with 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity. This allows you to use it as a small integrated Wacom tablet. In addition, the laptop comes with an active pen, so you don’t have to spend extra money on it. And since Windows recognizes the pen immediately, no additional configuration is required. While I won’t use it all the time, it’s nice when I want to take notes, draw, or just electronically sign a document.
Performance
Our $2,500 review model has an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD, as well as an NVIDIA RTX 5070 GPU. What’s notable is that this is as big a graphics card as the Triton 14’s AI, but given that similarly sized competitors like the Razer Blade 14 have the same limitations, it’s hard to get too excited. More importantly, even without the RTX 5080 or 5090 options, Acer’s little gaming PC still offers respectable performance.
IN Cyberpunk 2077 At the 1080p and Ultra RT settings, the Triton 14’s AI hit 55fps, which is a step up from the 45fps I got with the Radeon 8060S on the ROG Z Flow 13. This also means that with just a few minor tweaks, it’s easy to push frame rates across almost all 60 frames while keeping the graphics settings at maximum. in now Backwards At 1080p on the Epic, the AI Triton 14 performed even better, clocking in at 115 fps. This is lower than what I saw on the Alienware 16 Area-51 (154 fps), but since this is a larger system with an RTX 5080, the difference between the two units is understandable.
When it comes to cooling, Acer has gone further than just using an integrated vapor chamber. Instead of the paste or liquid metal used by the competition, the company says this is the first time a graphene-based thermal interface material has been used in a gaming laptop. This makes a difference, especially on such a thin laptop, as it is suitable for less demanding games. Teamfight TacticsIf you set it to performance mode, you can play them on your lap without worrying about burning your legs. However, you still have to be careful as there are also two large fans on the bottom, so for more serious titles you still have to use a table or desk.
Battery life
Thanks to a vapor chamber and graphene-based thermal interface material, the Acer Predator Triton 14 AI stays relatively cool during normal use. But under heavy load it still gets a bit warm.
Longevity is often an issue with small, power-hungry gaming laptops like this one. But somehow Acer managed to fit in a more than adequate 76Wh battery. In PCMark 10’s Modern Office Rundown test, the Triton 14 AI lasted seven hours and 26 minutes. That’s three hours better than larger systems like the Alienware 16 Area-51 (4:13) and half an hour better than smaller rivals like the ASUS ROG Z Flow 13 (6:54). And while that’s an hour less than a traditional ultraportable like the Dell 14 Premium (8:30), it’s still very solid given the Triton’s more powerful graphics.
Summary
If you’re looking for a more powerful, mobile gaming laptop that can only be moved a few times a month (if it can be moved at all), then the Triton 14 AI might not be for you. But as someone who prefers really portable gaming laptops, this device is pretty much my favorite laptop.
Priced at $2,500 as tested, the Predator Triton 14 AI offers a vibrant OLED display, solid performance, surprisingly good battery life, and an incredibly thin body that makes it easy to take this device anywhere. It’s a bit pricey, but considering a similarly specced Blade 14 costs $2,700 (not including sales or rebates), you might even say it’s a good deal. What makes this over the top though is that Acer could have stopped there and no one would have complained. But then came additional features, like tons of ports, powerful cooling, and built-in stylus support (not to mention the included pen). In many ways, this is not just a travel-friendly slot machine, but a truly versatile ultra-portable machine.