10 reviews for MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo Laptop: Intel Ultra 7-155H, 16" UHD+ OLED Display, 32GB DDR5, 2TB NVMe SSD, HDMI, SD Card Reader, Win 11 Pro: Stellar Gray B1MG-020US

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   simplysunshineblog (verified owner) – September 9, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent laptop for a good price, but there are a few cons.
   As the title says, this is an excellent laptop, but there are a few cons. My last few laptops have been 13″-14″ for portability, schoolwork, etc. I am no longer in school, and I regularly do a lot of productivity work such as excel on my laptop. I wanted a laptop that was a bit more powerful with a much bigger display.

   I will list the major pros and cons here, with a more detailed review below:

   PROS:
   Display
   Battery Life
   Keyboard
   Performance
   I/O Ports
   Design/Thin/Weight
   Build Quality
   16″ screen, but still portable

   CONS:
   60hz Refresh Rate
   Trackpad

   I bought this laptop a few months ago and I’m very happy with it. This laptop runs Windows 11 smoothly and handles all the tasks I need it to do, including browsing the web, editing photos and videos, and productivity work such as large excel files. It has a sleek design, a bright and colorful display.

   I only have one negative thing to say about the display and that is the 60hz refresh rate. I assumed the display refresh rate was 120hz, as every single one of the other 15 laptops on my list were at least 120hz or higher. That was very disappointing. The refresh rate was not listed anywhere unlike most other laptops…. now I know why. Very irritating, but far from a deal breaker because the rest of the laptop is so nice.

   The keyboard is comfortable with soft keys and a good typing experience. The keyboard also includes a number pad to the right. There is no flex AT ALL on the keyboard, as it is extremely sturdy and well built. The trackpad is extra-large and responsive, but it is off center to the left, which I hate. There is not enough room for my left hand to the left of the trackpad while typing, but I have large hands so this will not be an issue for everyone.

   The battery life is also impressive, but it certainly is not ground-breaking. The battery life of this laptop should not be compared to a 13″-14″ laptop. However, the battery life will be much better from previous models due to the new intel core ultra processors.

   The speakers are loud and clear, and the webcam is decent for video calls.

   One of the biggest selling points is that this laptop has plenty of ports, including 1x USB-A, 2x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, 1x HDMI, 1x full size SD card reader, and a headphone jack.

   The laptop can get a bit warm and noisy under heavy load, but it’s not a deal-breaker for me. Like I said before, it is still a significant improvement from the previous generation of intel processors.

   For being a 16″ powerful laptop, it is EXTREMELY thin, lightweight, and portable. It feels extremely sturdy as well.

   Overall, this is a great laptop for anyone looking for a portable and powerful device that won’t break the bank. I highly recommend it.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Privacy Advocating Family (verified owner) – September 9, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent ultralight with great performance
   Excellent value!

   There has been a little FUD and disparaging commentary out there in the tech press regarding the Intel integrated G7/Xe graphics. My advice is **Pay no attention** This reviewed MSI system has an Intel i7-1185G7 with integrated G7 graphics. Intel finally has an integrated graphics with really decent graphics performance. It won’t compete with high-end Nvidia and AMD discrete GPUs for gaming, but, for everything else, it is more than adequate. Specifically, I tested a number of “4K” 3840x2160p60 HDR video streams, and, the system is actually cruising, running cool and silent. A Youtube 4K 60fps test video used by some as a benchmark showed 0 (zero, zed) frame drops in 4K. Unfortunately, the MSI doesn’t have a built-in HDMI port, but, I inserted a TB3/4 USB-C => HDMI 2.1 adapter, it negotiated with the TV to 3840x2160p60 10-bit HDR, and the results from 25-30 Mbps quality 4K videos are great. And, while viewing 4K videos, the system was so cool and quiet that it could actually be used as a laptop. In fact, it even tested out with one of the few 8K 60 fps (7680x4320p60) videos available and it looked fine with less than .1% frame drops (at 4K – I don’t have an 8K monitor).

   Note that this is a 16GB system– I would advise anyone to get 16GB (not 8GB) to ensure that you get full use– the integrated graphics sometimes does requisition 4-5GB of the available memory.

   Other features about the MSI that I like are the two TB4/power USB-C ports, the almost symmetric keyboard that thankfully has no numeric keypad, the very-good not-glossy HD display, the decent keyboard, and the excellent touchpad (far better than most windows laptops – more like an Apple in fact). Overall, the system feels a lot like a MacBook Air– that is a good thing compared to most Windows laptops. Graphics performance is comparable to a previous generation laptop a family member uses that has an Nvidia 960M GPU. That system is heavier and noisier, and, when I compared graphics performance, is similar in graphics performance. In my testing, the 1185G7 has similar performance to the 960M.

   This laptop is an ultralight – light, compact, quiet, runs cool, has a great-feeling trackpad, and phenomenal performance for such a minimalist system. Less is more in several ways — no discrete GPU, and no numeric keypad. The Intel 1185G7 and the Apple M1 represent the next wave of integrated CPU/GPU that have more than enough CPU and GPU speed for almost all everyday uses.

   What’s missing from this MSI? Built-in HDMI 2.1 port, built-in wired Ethernet port, one more USB-A port. I would have sprung for a 4K display, but, unfortunately, it is difficult to find one without a discrete GPU added. So I went with the HD display. I would have appreciated 1 and 2 TB SSD options. For the price, this ultralight has amazing performance.

3. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Bob Chan (verified owner) – September 9, 2024

   4.0 out of 5 stars Good performance value
   Update Oct 21: a screw came loose from the bottom corner and damaged the case and hinge when opening and closing. I RMA’d the device under warranty and they replaced the bottom casing and returned it in a reasonable amount of time. I did have to pay for shipping to MSI, but they paid return shipping. Overall pleased with the service, although of course I wish the screw hadn’t fallen out…

   Original review:

   Overall a good value for the amount of performance received.

   Keyboard: comfortable, good travel, and nice back lighting. I like the full sized arrow keys, I don’t like having to use function keys for Home/End (which I personally use more than Page Up / Page Down).

   Trackpad: works well, short but wide. It’s so wide, though, that I often find that when I’m using it comfortably, I’m on the right side and clicks occasionally trigger a right-click action.

   Screen: decent, matte finish. It’s not 3:2, which is what all the cool kids like these days, but it gets bright enough and looks nice enough.

   Performance: quite good! You can find benchmarks online, all I know is it seems to load everything quickly.

   Port selection: better than most this size. Two thunderbolt ports right next to each other is very convenient. The USB-A port I think is slower than it could be.

   Noise: Fans are audible during regular usage, although not in a way I find too distracting. However, under load (gaming) or while charging when the battery is below 90%, this thing blows like crazy. It can be distracting, although headphones will block it out.

   IR Camera / Fingerprint sensor: I can’t tell you because I’m using LInux and MSI doesn’t offer drivers for either of those things.

   Audio: Very good.

   Build quality: quite solid and good looking in an understated way. The bottom panel is a little flexible, but you’ll only notice when lifting. It otherwise feels pretty nice, not cheap, but not like something machined from aluminum. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make for weight and price.

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Knight At Last (verified owner) – September 9, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars One of best laptops around
   I have purchased all brands and like the MSI one as one of the best. First MSI I have purchased. Solid, fast, well built. Brilliant screen. The software that comes with it makes customizing it worth every penny. I WA pleasantly surprised. Recommend them.

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Cynthia C (verified owner) – September 9, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars MSI keeps the bar high
   This is one great looking and working laptop. Got for my daughters school work and classes and she loves it. Battery lasts longer than expected and it very light weight. She said it’s super fast and boots instantly. The large mouse pad with multitouch features are awesome. The light blue anodized edging is a great finishing touch. MSI is the go-to for all my laptops.

6. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   Thomas (verified owner) – September 9, 2024

   3.0 out of 5 stars Fast, light, reliable, with poor battery
   Really like this one. Nice design, light, and very nice to use it. Keyboard and trackpad are very good. Love the fingerprint scanner. It term of performance, it works flawlessly. Really good experience.
   My main complaint is the battery. You definitely cannot rely on it the whole day. Best is about 4h of screen time. On the other hand, you can use a very portable charger, just as phone charger, and it charged good and fast. This laptop feels almost perfect for the price, with his biggest cons is the battery.

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Kyle Fedorek (verified owner) – September 9, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars Great laptop for the price
   Great laptop for the cost to specs. High end processor and great specs for a good price in todays market.

8. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   Johnny (verified owner) – September 9, 2024

   1.0 out of 5 stars Errors a few months after owning it
   I wanted a 2-in-1 touchscreen, but I got this for a good deal.

   It’s fast and works well. Good battery life. 180 hinge allows me to put it on a steep laptop stand and put a keyboard in front for longer typing sessions.

   The Iris xe graphics card is great for Premiere Pro and Photoshop, and it dual boots Linux distros fine.

   It’s very lightweight. I didn’t know laptops were so light these days, or I would have gotten a 15.6 inch.

   Edit: started having weird errors. I still have the plastic on the back, its in mint conditon. But now sometimes it won’t turn on for half an hour. The backlight will come on and off, the accessories will come on and off during this time… It doesn’t seem that reliable now.

9. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Sara (verified owner) – September 9, 2024

   4.0 out of 5 stars Wanted the lightest laptop I could find with built in AI function
   After one month here are some pros and cons:
   Pros
   Very light and portable
   Seems fast
   Screen quality very good
   Works well with all the software I work with
   Cons
   No touch screen
   Battery does seem to drain fairly quickly (luckily I plug it in airports or leave it plugged in)
   Slow start up after sleep
   Should have gone for a 14”, 13 is too small (my fault)
   Track pad is half left click and half right click and I always seem to be hitting right when I want left.
   Expensive for having these cons
   Poor Wi-Fi range. My iPad gets Wi-Fi outside my house no problem, this laptop doesn’t.

10. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Zahara J. Schaefer (verified owner) – September 9, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing work laptop once I got the crap off
    Laptop came with Windows 11, no thanks Microsoft, but, openSUSE 15.5 Leap with kernel 6.6.10 works beautifully on this.
    Love it when I find a good pick
    Notable mention for the pictures of the io, hence why adjusted to 4 stars
    There is not accurate pictures of this laptops ports anywhere on this listing. I’ve added some, the last one is with a dell thunderbolt 4 dock

    Running OpenSUSE 15.5 Leap, idk why the other reviews said the fingerprint reader didn’t work, works with fprintd on kernel 6.7.1