Given its combination of horsepower and portability, MSI’s Stealth laptops have long been one of my favourite gaming notebook brands. However, last year’s model was a letdown. After a few years of using the same chassis, its chassis began to feel weary, and new specifications did not address the system’s core flaws. However, for 2023, MSI has completely revamped the Stealth, with a totally new design, an optional 240Hz display, more powerful components, and not one, but two sizes to select from. MSI even changed the name of the entire series to The Stealth Studio because there have been so many additions. After using one for a few weeks, I believe we are looking at the best gaming laptop of the year.
Design
I’ve been exploring the 14-inch model, but there’s also a larger 16-inch variant, both featuring a smooth magnesium aluminium shell in two colours: pure white and star blue. The white variant isn’t particularly stealthy, but I don’t mind because it looks amazing and is extremely light. It weighs just 3.75 pounds, which is nearly half a pound less than competitors like the Alienware x14 R2.
Despite its compact size, it provides reliable connectivity, with three USB ports (one Type-A and two Type-C) and a full-size HDMI jack. But, more crucially, there are several small details throughout the system that demonstrate MSI’s attention to detail. The grille on the back vents spells out the name of the system, similar to what you’d find on a sports car. In the front, MSI has collaborated with SteelSeries to provide stunning RGB lighting on its keyboard. MSI also included some small, front-firing stereo speakers, which provide a noticeable improvement in audio quality over the prior generation. There’s even a physical shutter for the webcam. It’s only a small plastic flap, but I’m delighted it’s there.
My two minor complaints are that the webcam is just 720p – come on, MSI, it’s 2023 – and that the chin below the screen is a little awkward. Even if you overlook the size, I wish MSI had chosen a hinge that reduced the gap between the display and the deck, because seeing the rear lights shine through when working or gaming can be distracting.
Display
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio comes standard with a 1920 x 1200 165Hz IPS display, which is an excellent starting point. Our review unit, on the other hand, has MSI’s improved 2560 x 1600 240Hz screen, which is a true delight. I measured peak brightness just shy of 450 nits during testing, which is nearly double what we achieved from last year’s machine. That makes it ideal for gaming, and thanks to a colour gamut that covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 spectrum, it can also serve as a picture or video editing workstation.
Performance
With an Intel Core i7-13700H processor, NVIDIA RTX 4060 graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, the Stealth 14 Studio offers more than enough power for most tasks. In games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Returnal at 1080p and top settings, the Stealth Studio achieved 67 and 78 frames per second, respectively, which is somewhat higher than what I obtained from a Razer Blade 18 with the same GPU and an i9 processor.
When you consider that the MSI’s smaller chassis means it has far less space inside to handle thermals, it’s rather astounding. Even on synthetic tests such as PCMark 10, the Stealth Studio outperformed the Blade 18 with a score of 8,126 versus 7,236, despite the Razer costing more than $1,000 more.
I’ve been playing a lot of Diablo 4, which really shows off the Stealth 14 Studio’s possibilities. You can dial down the graphics to take advantage of the screen’s fast refresh rate, or you can enable all of the game’s bells and whistles while still maintaining a frame rate considerably above 60 frames per second.
The Stealth 14 Studio’s performance has two minor drawbacks: it runs hot and only supports an RTX 4070, which is fair given its size. I tried playing with it on my lap while watching TV, and believe me when I say it gets hot. So, unless you have a lapboard, you should sit at a desk or table.
Battery
MSI has provided some big advances here as well, compared to last year’s model, which conked out after a little more than four hours. The Stealth 14 Studio lasted five hours and 19 minutes on our video rundown test, which is a 25% improvement over last year’s system. What’s more, it outperforms larger competitors (with larger batteries), such as the Blade 16 (5:01) and ASUS’ ROG Zephyrus M16 (4:38).
Verdict
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio represents a near-complete 180-degree turn for MSI’s thin-and-light gaming line. It boasts a beautiful new design, updated internals, and a slew of nice quality-of-life enhancements – all in a chassis that’s easy to transport; I’ve already made several cross-country journeys with it and it hasn’t let me down. In fact, the Stealth 14 Studio has almost everything I seek for in a superb all-arounder, with the exception of an OLED screen and an SD card port (though the larger 16-inch variant does have one).
If those aren’t deal breakers for you, MSI has developed a machine with a lovely build and solid performance for gaming or whatever else you may require. And, at $1,900 (or approximately $1,700 for the base model), you get more storage and a better CPU and GPU than a base Alienware x14 R2 for only $150 extra. So, after a rough year, MSI has returned the Stealth – ahem, the Stealth Studio – to its former glory as a system that can do a little bit of everything while still looking fantastic.
