Acer’s new Intel-powered Nitro V 16S gets a welcome graphics boost

Acer has levelled up its skinny Nitro gaming laptop line for 2025, bringing Intel internals for the first time this CPU generation – and making room for even faster Nvidia RTX graphics in the process. The Nitro V 16S was already available with AMD Ryzen hardware, but price-conscious gamers will soon be able to get one with a Core 9 270H running the show.

This is still an impressively skinny machine, being just 19.9mm at its thickest point and tipping the scales at just 2.1kg. Not too shabby for a 16in laptop with dedicated graphics. The metal build is a step up from previous Nitro models, too: the lid and keyboard surround are a fingerprint-resistant alloy, while the underside stays plastic. The Nitro logo on the lid doesn’t light up here, so the overall look is pretty subtle – useful if you’re after a gaming laptop that can go incognito when away from home.

A 4-zone RGB backlit keyboard is one of the only hints the Nitro V 16S was built to a budget. The other is the display, which gets an IPS LCD panel rather than the OLEDs or Mini-LEDs seen on Acer’s higher-end Predator models. You still get a choice of choice of 2560×1600 and 1920×1200 resolutions, and the 180Hz refresh rate should guarantee stutter-free gaming. The higher-end version looked sharp and plenty bright enough in my brief hands-on session.

It’s thin, sure, but Acer has still found room for a Thunderbolt 4-ready Type-C port, three USB-As, an HDMI 2.1 video out, microSD card reader, Ethernet port and 3.5mm headphone socket around the sides. I’d have preferred a full-size SD card reader personally, but appreciate the video and power ports being moved to the rear to keep cable clutter to a minimum when at a desk.

The real action takes place inside. There’ll be Nitro V 16S models with up to Intel Core 9 270H CPUs, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB of PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage. Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5070 then provides the gaming grunt; it’s a step up from the 5060 seen on the AMD-powered Nitro V 16S.

A MUX switch means the GPU isn’t draining the battery when you aren’t on mains power, though there’s no word on what kind of lifespan buyers can expect for things like productivity and video playback. Gaming is always going to drain the cells in double-quick time.

The Acer Nitro V 16S is hitting North America and Europe from November. Prices will start from $1100/€1399.

That’s a small premium over the regular Nitro V 16, which arrives with similar specs but a slightly chunkier chassis that weighs in at 2.4kg. It launches in the US in October for $1000 and Europe from November for €1299.