The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo is an excellent notebook with a phenomenal battery, which is currently not enough to justify the AI ​​label.

With the Prestige 16 AI Evo, MSI is bringing a rock-solid premium notebook with powerful hardware onto the market. With this device, the manufacturer demonstrates all of its skills and leaves an impression as soon as you unpack it. The weight of 1.56 kg seems low considering the 16-inch size of the device. This is thanks to the magnesium-aluminum alloy of the casing, which gives it a premium feel.

The keyboard has room for a number pad, and we always appreciate that. The keys also click pleasantly, although in our opinion Lenovo continues to be the front runner when it comes to keystrokes. MSI relies on a generous and precise touchpad that we enjoy working with.

Evo badge

In addition, the laptop manufacturer consistently uses an Intel processor. It has to be that way because the Evo logo was created by Intel’s marketing team. Devices receive this award if they meet certain performance requirements in terms of performance and battery and the manufacturer packages the whole thing in an attractive and sufficiently thin case. That is certainly the case here.

Our test model is equipped with the latest generation Intel chip: the Core 7 Ultra 155H with its sixteen cores (including six P-cores with a maximum frequency of 4.8 GHz). Our laptop does not have an additional graphics card on board and uses an integrated one Intel Arc graphics. The processor is flanked by 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD.

Strong muscles

Baked using Intel’s 4nm baking process, the Meteor Lake chip is no walk in the park. The chip proves to be more powerful than the Intel Core Ultra 7 165U vPro in the Lenovo X1 Carbon, but the base TDP is different. At fifteen watts, the U chip is more efficient than the H processor in the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo at 28 watts, which gives MSI’s laptop more room to breathe.

We find exactly the same processor in the Huawei MateBook 14. There, MSI shows that it is better than Huawei at getting the most out of the CPU. However, Intel and x86 aren’t the only options since the introduction of the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite. In the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s we see how this ARM-based chip can easily keep up with the Core Ultra 7 in the MSI laptop.

However, the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo is not always the fastest in comparison. We analyze typical office workloads in Microsoft Office and find that the CPU and 32 GB of RAM really come into their own when it comes to heavier work in Excel.

For lighter workloads like Word and Edge browsing, it’s less important that the Prestige 16 AI Evo has strong muscles and the difference is less significant. The ThinkPad with an ARM processor is ideal for less demanding tasks. In practice, simple tasks are carried out very smoothly; even when the work becomes more difficult, the MSI Prestige continues to work smoothly.

Phenomenal condition

This doesn’t come at the expense of the battery, which is simply phenomenal. Despite the performance of the notebook and the fact that MSI has opted for a larger 16-inch screen, the device can be operated for a very long time without a power outlet.

The results of our test are spectacular. The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo clearly leaves the Lenovo X1 Carbon and the Huawei MateBook behind, even though they are ultra-mobile devices with economical hardware and a smaller screen. Only the efficient ARM processor in the ThinkPad performs better, although we have no doubt that this MSI would be the comparison winner if the screen sizes were the same.

Quick recovery

The great results are the result of the huge battery that MSI builds into the notebook. You get a 99.9Wh copy: just not too much to legally take on a plane. The other laptops have a significantly smaller battery on board.

However, the device charges very quickly. In about half an hour the tank will be half full again and you can continue for many hours. The other laptops don’t do much better with their smaller batteries. MSI achieves this by providing a powerful 100-watt charger, while 65 watts is the standard for the other three devices.

Red or red?

In terms of performance, the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo is an excellently balanced device and the case is also great. We can only complain about the screen. The 16-inch display looks nice and sharp with its thin bezels and 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, but the calibration of the panel on our test model leaves something to be desired.

What we mean by this is that the colors shown may differ slightly from reality. This is imperceptible to average users, but can be a stumbling block for graphics professionals who want the shading they see on their screen to be completely accurate. We see a discrepancy in both white balance and colors.

Connections

MSI offers the usual ports for the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo, with one USB 3-A port and two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt. Ethernet (RJ45) and HDMI are also available, as is a 3.5-inch audio connection in an SD card slot. Only the placement of the connections is a bit strange. All USB ports and the HDMI port are on the back. This is not always practical.

You can make (video) calls using the FHD webcam, which performs well and supports Windows Hello. The tone is also great: we understand everyone and are understandable.

What about AI?

Finally, we need to talk about the AI ​​in the name. Let’s keep it brief: The marketing department clearly had a say in the naming of the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo. The device has some AI-powered features that you’ll find in any modern laptop, and a small selection of them run more smoothly on the NPU in the Intel chip.

As a user, you’ll especially notice that things like background blurring work well in Teams and use little battery. MSI integrates its own MSI AI Engine into the laptop to optimize it for the workloads you run. However, we consider this not to be a product. MSI, like all other manufacturers today, is jumping on the AI ​​bandwagon and doesn’t really differentiate itself from other devices with an AI label, which also contribute little to the user experience.

Topper

Don’t let this put you off under any circumstances. The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo is a very good 16-inch notebook that doesn’t make any major mistakes. Only graphics professionals can be a little worried about the color reproduction on the panel. In addition, MSI offers a powerful notebook for various office tasks, even if they are a little heavier. Photo and video editing is also possible, provided the above-mentioned color fastness is not absolutely necessary.

The build quality, excellent battery and fast charging complement the good performance and make the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo something we would recommend to almost anyone looking for a powerful 16-inch laptop without batting an eyelid can recommend. Just don’t expect miracles from the AI ​​aspect.

Tested configuration: MSI Prestige 16 AI EVO B1MG-022NL – Intel Core 7 Ultra 155H, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, 16 inch glossy IPS display (2,560 x 1,440 pixels) – 1,280 euros plus VAT.