By There are several options available to consumers searching for a 16-inch laptop. Another choice in this crowded field is the MSI Stealth A16 AI+, which, as its name suggests, does not immediately catch the eye. But if you need a laptop that can do a little bit of everything, the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ is worth looking at.
Specs and features
The AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor and the Nvidia RTX 4070 mobile GPU are paired in the MSI Stealth A16 AI+. For laptops that want to provide powerful performance in a comparatively light and thin chassis, this is a popular option.
- Number of models: A3XVEG
- AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 CPU
- 32GB LPDDR5x-7500 RAM; Nvidia RTX 4070 mobile graphics/processor
- NPU: Up to 50 TOPs Integrated NPU
- Display: IPS 240Hz, 2560 x 1600, 16:10
- Storage: 1TB solid-state PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 storage
- Webcam: IR 3D camera for Windows Hello, 1080p 30 frames per second, and a physical privacy shutter
- Communication: Two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, one HDMI 2.1 port, one USB-C with DisplayPort, USB Power Delivery, and one 2.5GbE LAN Ethernet
- Networking: Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 7.
- Windows Hello facial recognition as a biometric
- 99.9 watt-hour battery capacity; 14.01 x 10.22 x 0.79-inch dimensions
- 4.63 pounds in weight
- MSRP is $1,999.99.
One of the several physical connectivity options offered by MSI is an Ethernet port, which is a feature that many laptops no longer have. Along with a huge battery, the Stealth A16 AI+ provides biometric login via facial recognition and fingerprint reader. While none of these capabilities are very noteworthy on their own, it is wonderful to see them all combined in a $2,000 laptop.
Design and build quality
The MSI Stealth A16 AI+ appears to be understated. It is made of metal and polycarbonate panels, which together create a stylish yet modest appearance, just like the majority of laptops. The laptop is easily mistaken for competitors because of its slim (but not very thin) construction, 16-inch display panel, and black color scheme. Particularly when closed, Lenovo’s thinnest Legion laptops and Acer’s Swift X series share a similar appearance.
However, MSI is excellent at the details. An understated glossy accent strip on the laptop’s back adds a sense of luxury, and the aluminum panels that cover the outside and interior have a pleasing shiny sheen that catches ambient light. Additionally, the laptop is securely fastened. The laptop’s chassis seemed sturdy when I took it up from a corner, and when I opened it, I saw barely the smallest display flex.
MSI Stealth 16 AI+ Studio 16” 240Hz QHD+ Gaming Laptop: Intel Core Ultra 9, NVIDIA Geforce RTX 4060, 32GB DDR5, 1TB NVMe SSD, Thunderbolt 4,
While not any more portable than the competitors, the Stealth A16 AI+ is nonetheless portable. It weighs about 4.6 pounds and is about 14 inches wide and eight-tenths of an inch thick. Though many competitors offer comparable or superior portability, such as the Dell XPS 16 and the Asus ProArt P16, that is undoubtedly light enough to not feel heavy in a backpack.
MSI Stealth A16 AI+: Keyboard, trackpad
One controversial decision made by MSI is the inclusion of a keyboard in the numpad of the Stealth A16 AI+. Because the numpad takes up so little room, the keys are incredibly tiny. By moving the keyboard to the left, the numpad offsets the touchpad, which stays in the middle. A center-aligned keyboard without a numpad would have been my preference, but I eventually adapted.
The keyboard provides a nice typing feel and good key travel despite its awkward arrangement. With a faint but distinct tactile snap, each key comes to life. The RGB-LED backlighting of the keyboard is also configurable and branded by SteelSeries, and it is controlled by SteelSeries software. Given how appealing and user-friendly SteelSeries’ software is, this is a good choice.
The Stealth A16 AI+ boasts a sufficient touchpad that is roughly three inches deep and five inches wide. The touchpads of the majority of rival laptops are comparable in size, but they are smaller than those of industry leaders like the Razer Blade 16 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 15. However, the surface of the touchpad felt responsive and smooth, and there is still space to perform Windows’ multi-touch gestures.
Connectivity
similar to ports? The MSI Stealth A16 AI+ will appeal to you. Although the laptop’s power brick does not support USB-C, it does have one Thunderbolt 4 connector with USB-C 4, DisplayPort, and USB Power Delivery. Two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, one HDMI 2.1 port, and 2.5GbE LAN Ethernet connect them.
For a contemporary laptop, that is a respectable number of ports. There are numerous possibilities for connecting to older wired peripherals, a television, or a network, in addition to lots of connectivity for new Thunderbolt 4 and USB-C devices. This benefits MSI because most of its rivals lack wired Ethernet and several lack HDMI.
Performance
Despite its small size, the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ is packed with more powerful hardware. Nvidia’s RTX 4070 mobile provides graphics, while AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 365 provides CPU grunt. PCMark 10, a comprehensive synthetic benchmark that partially depends on CPU, GPU, and memory performance, gave the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ a good score of 7,718.
This is the second-best result among the laptops selected for comparison, although it is comparable to the majority of competitive laptops with AMD Ryzen AI 9 or Intel Core Ultra 9 CPUs. That is a fantastic start for the MSI Stealth A16 AI+. Next up is Cinebench R23, a short-duration, highly multithreaded CPU test, where the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ shows a respectable but not particularly impressive result. It is not slow, but it loses to three alternatives with better-tier AMD and Intel hardware, indicating that, despite its overall speed, the Stealth A16 AI+ is not the best option if you are running software that uses a lot of CPU power but gets little to no GPU gain.
Another CPU benchmark that uses a lot of threads is Handbrake, although it takes longer—typically 10 to 30 minutes. In this test, the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ performed better than anticipated, defeating the Asus ProArt P16 by a narrow margin. This is a positive outcome that suggests the MSI is a suitable option for CPU workloads that require longer processing times.
Battery life
According to its specifications, the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ boasts a 99.9-watt-hour battery. I say “claims” since Windows did not disclose that. Rather, it put the battery’s capacity just under 97 watt-hours. In any case, it is nearly the biggest battery a contemporary laptop can have.
The MSI Stealth A16 AI+’s battery lasted for nearly ten hours. This is an excellent outcome for a laptop with a potent mobile GPU. The MSI Stealth A16 AI+ is in a different performance category, but it still lags well behind the 20 hours or more that the longest-lasting portable laptops can achieve.
Conclusion
A versatile laptop, the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ is ideal for users who require a single device that can perform multiple activities. It boasts a GPU that can play contemporary games at reasonable resolutions and detail settings (and speed up some productivity tasks), is fast enough to handle intensive content creation, and has a long enough battery life to make the laptop a useful travel companion.
This laptop is not ideal for a single task. Some substitutes provide a better display, more powerful performance, or longer battery life. However, the Stealth A16 AI+ is a good choice if you need a laptop that can do a little bit of everything. Speaking of costs, the standard MSRP of $1999.99 is reasonably priced when compared to more upscale options such as the Dell XPS 16, Asus ProArt P16, and Razer Blade 16.
