It's been 15 years since Acer first announced its Predator line of games. The range of gaming devices presented included mobile and desktop units. Given its strong roster of gaming devices, the brand continues to expand its lineup in 2022. One of the devices that received an update in 2022 is the Acer Predator Triton 300 SE.
As the South African market continues to grow in the mobile gaming segment, we are receiving more and more options when it comes to products in this segment. Additionally, the mobile gaming segment has been growing at an accelerated pace, with more people seemingly purchasing gaming laptops compared to desktop machines. This could be due to its “pick-up-and-play” operating model, which makes it an easier choice for first-time buyers.
With so many new options, many brands have continually updated their permanent ranges with updated specifications. The Predator Triton 300 SE is one such unit, descended from a range of previous versions. So how does this newly updated gaming laptop fare with its 2022 revision?
See also: Acer Predator Triton 900 Review – A Powerful Experience
Build and design of the Acer Predator Triton 300 SE
With Acer's extensive line of gaming units in its arsenal, they have the luxury of offering a variety of units for many tastes. It may not be the best expression to use, but the Triton 300 has always been the newest addition to the Triton range. It offers a compact frame for those who don't want their laptop to take up too much space.
Acer's designers took the opposite approach to a gaming unit with a flashy aesthetic. The design of the unit is quite sober. Its frame is relatively square, which makes it look more like a business laptop than a gaming laptop.
It's not completely devoid of style, however. For starters, it has a brushed metal lid with a cross-hatch pattern. He uses about 75% of the surface for this pattern, with the smooth part bearing the Predator logo. The rear vents also add a touch of flare to the design with its diagonal grille.
Since this is a gaming unit, it is quite heavy. It weighs 1.9 kg. This is not bad for the category at all. In fact, it's one of the lightest gaming laptops on the scene in 2022. Anything under 2.5kg is usually reasonable, while anything over that weight would then be discounted. in question to find out where the extra weight is. So he’s doing very well in that regard.
Overall, the design of the Acer Predator Triton 300 SE is not bad. It doesn't stand out as much as other gaming laptops, but it's not bad either. It is simple and solid.
Acer Predator Triton 300 SE Ports and Inputs
As far as ports included, there aren't that many. Given its small size, it is reasonable to expect that one of the main sacrifices will be in the number of ports available.
That being said, it still offers the basics in this regard. It has two USB 3.1 Type-A ports on either side of the chassis, as well as a USB Type-C port to round it all out.
Additionally, it has a 3.5mm audio jack and a full-sized HDMI jack, which is very useful.
Again, due to its size, there are limitations in this regard. For starters, there's no RJ45 Ethernet port or SD card slot. That being said, few other gaming laptops come with it.
One of the inputs not often found on other gaming laptops is the webcam. This is especially true for units that aim for a bezel-less look. Acer has included a 1080p camera here, which isn't too bad.
Screen and display
The Acer Predator Triton 300 SE has a 14-inch screen. For most people, this isn't the ideal size for your gaming needs. However, given its focus on keeping things compact, it does quite well.
In fact, the 14-inch screen is much more than just a screen. To begin with, it has an OLED panel. This gives it a very good visual aesthetic, bright colors and deep blacks. It looks amazing and definitely enhances your games with its vivid images.
Additionally, it also has a resolution of 2880×1800 pixels. This is larger than the standard 2K resolution but smaller than what is officially considered 4K. Maybe 3K?
Finally, it also has a decent 90Hz refresh rate. This is a higher rate than standard 60Hz panels, but it's not quite up to par with modern 120+ other flagship gaming laptops.
Although it is small, it packs a punch and produces great images. Personally, it would have been ideal at 17 inches, but for those who prefer a smaller frame, the screen is almost perfect.
Specifications
Under the hood, the Acer Predator Triton 300 SE has something to seduce. To begin with, it is equipped with the 12th generation Intel Core i7 (12700H) processor at 2.3 GHz. It has been paired with the NVIDIA Geforce RTX 3060 GPU for all your gaming needs.
Additionally, it is equipped with a 1TB Micron PCIe NVMe SSD and 16GB of RAM. It runs on the latest Windows 11 Pro 64-bit to get the most out of its performance.
See also: Acer Predator Helios 500 Review – Worth every penny
Performance and battery life
With a laptop this small, with just a 14-inch screen, it has to deliver in terms of performance and battery life. And, in short, that's what it does.
Considering its aforementioned specifications, it can easily handle daily tasks. This point is almost trivial here, but it is still worth mentioning for confirmation. During the few weeks of the evaluation period, there were no periods of lag or jitter. It even passed all the load tests with ease, as expected.
His real judgment lies in his gaming performance. However, he is doing relatively well. When playing 1080p games on Ultra graphics, the frame rate is above the key 90fps mark to get the most out of its 90Hz panel. Moving to 2K games, frame rates drop slightly to around 60 frames per second. Then, with 4K settings, it hovers around the magic 30fps mark.
These aren't bad results for the Acer Predator Triton 300 SE. That said, he's not going to win any prizes. It is slightly above average in this area. Where it really stands out is visually, thanks to its OLED panel. The games are simply magnificent. It's easy to get lost in the images during gameplay.
In normal use, the battery can easily last between 10 and 12 hours. Here you can work to your heart's content and easily fill an entire day's work. Its results are above average, based on recent gaming laptops I've reviewed over the past two or three years. The results are boosted by the smaller 14-inch screen, meaning it doesn't use as much power to illuminate a larger area.
If we move on to gaming, we can still get an impressive battery life of over 3 hours. It's not bad under this load using standard settings. Switching to 4K and using Ultra settings will get you just under the three hour mark.
Is it worth buying the Acer Predator Triton 300 SE?
The Acer Predator Triton 300 SE is an excellent gaming laptop. Its graphics card is capable of delivering 4K graphics at over 30 frames per second and, combined with its 90 Hz OLED panel, it offers excellent visual performance. together. Despite its dull appearance, it focuses more on internal components than external appearances. As such, it gets the job done with ease.
One obstacle that potential buyers will have to overcome, however, is the price. With a retail price of R29,999, the device isn't the most affordable. That being said, it's a pretty powerful gaming laptop that can handle anything thrown at it. With many other brands competing in the same field, buyers are spoiled for choice – a good thing in the South African market. You will not easily regret your purchasing decision if you chose the Acer Predator Triton 300 SE. And if you really want this device, there is also the more powerful Intel Core i9 variant.
Review
Acer Predator Triton 300 SE
PROS
- OLED panel
- Portable frame and 14-inch monitor
- Supports 4K gaming graphics
- Decent battery life
- 1080p webcam included
CONS
- Some missing ports
- Not quite 60fps in games at maximum settings
- Construction and design are rather poor