Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
MSI Stealth A16 AI+: Two-minute review
Some of the best gaming laptops are those that are portable enough for you to take on the go with you, whether it’s because you’re a commuter or just because you want to use your laptop in various places – and love to game.
With more options hitting the market over the past year thanks to the release of Nvidia’s 50 series graphics cards, we’ve been eagerly awaiting MSI‘s new edition of its Stealth series, the MSI Stealth A16 AI+.
The good news is that the new MSI Stealth A16 AI+ is once again a formidable gaming laptop, deftly balancing powerful performance with a sleek design, making it a candidate for our best thin and lightweight gaming laptops buying guide.
While its battery life leaves something to be desired and it can run hot under pressure, its vibrant OLED screen, robust build, and exceptional gaming capabilities make it a compelling choice for those looking for a portable powerhouse.
It’s a strong contender in the competitive gaming laptop market, offering a premium experience for both work and play, but it comes at a (high) price: $2,899 / £2,199. While this is the average price for laptops featuring these specifications, that doesn’t take away from the dent it leaves in your wallet.
MSI Stealth A16 AI+: Price and availability
- How much does it cost? $2,899 / £2,199
- When is it available? Now
- Where can you get it? US, UK, and some European regions
You can pick up the Stealth A16 AI+ for $2,899 / £2,199 which is an average price for laptops which feature the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. You can customize the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ to come with the more powerful RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 GPUs, but this will increase the price by quite a bit – however, even then, the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ remains reasonably priced compared to the competition.
Currently, you can purchase the Stealth A16 AI+ in the US, UK, and select European countries.
While there’s currently no confirmation as to when the device will be coming to other markets, MSI does typically release its products in other regions later down the line.
MSI Stealth A16 AI+: Specs
The Stealth A16 AI+ impresses with its potent specs: an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 GPU, 64GB LPDDR5X memory, and a 2TB SSD, making it a future-proof powerhouse for demanding tasks and gaming.
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
MSI Stealth A16 AI+ 5070 Ti |
MSI Stealth A16 AI+ 5080 |
MSI Stealth A16 AI+ 5090 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Price: |
$2,899 / £2,199 |
$3,299 / £2,249 |
$3,999 / £3,399 |
|
CPU: |
AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 |
AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 |
AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 |
|
Graphics: |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 |
|
RAM: |
64GB LPDDR5X |
64GB LPDDR5X |
64GB LPDDR5X |
|
Screen: |
16-inch Widescreen Display – QHD+ (2560 x 1600) – OLED – 240Hz |
16-inch Widescreen Display – QHD+ (2560 x 1600) – OLED – 240Hz |
16-inch Widescreen Display – QHD+ (2560 x 1600) – OLED – 240Hz |
|
Storage: |
2TB SSD |
2TB SSD |
2TB SSD |
|
Ports: |
2x USB-A, 1x USB-C, 1x HDMI, 1x Ethernet port, 1x Audio jack |
2x USB-A, 1x USB-C, 1x HDMI, 1x Ethernet port, 1x Audio jack |
2x USB-A, 1x USB-C, 1x HDMI, 1x Ethernet port, 1x Audio jack |
|
Wireless: |
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 |
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 |
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 |
|
Camera: |
HD Webcam |
HD Webcam |
HD Webcam |
|
Weight: |
2.1kg |
2.1kg |
2.1kg |
|
Dimensions: |
355.8 x 259.7 x 19.95 mm |
355.8 x 259.7 x 19.95 mm |
355.8 x 259.7 x 19.95 mm |
MSI Stealth A16 AI+: Design
- Thin and light for its size
- OLED display is fantastic
- Good selection of ports
The Stealth A16 AI+ features a sleek and understated design, perfect for both professional environments and gaming setups. Its chassis feels robust yet surprisingly lightweight, making it an excellent companion for those who need to work or play on the go.
The narrow bezels around the display add to its modern aesthetic and maximize screen real estate, drawing you deeper into your content.
MSI has been generous with port selection, ensuring you’re well-connected without the constant need for adapters.
You’ll find a versatile array of ports, including multiple USB-A and USB-C ports, an HDMI output for external displays, and an Ethernet port for reliable wired internet.
This comprehensive connectivity is a significant advantage, especially for gamers who need a load of peripherals or frequently switch between setups. However, if you’re hoping to run a streaming setup from this laptop you may need a USB adaptor so you can hook up a webcam and microphone too (though the included webcam and mic array do a fine job if you’re not planning on doing professional-level streaming).
The OLED screen itself is a highlight, offering vibrant colors and sharp detail that enhance everything from those AAA story games to high-definition movies. Its ample size provides an immersive viewing experience, whether you’re deep into a creative project or enjoying a casual browsing session. The more I use OLED screens, the more I wish they would become the industry standard.
Despite its large screen, the overall size and weight of the Stealth A16 AI+ remain impressively manageable for a gaming laptop at less than 2cm thick. It’s also relatively lightweight when compared to alternative gaming laptops on the market at 2.1kg – for example, the MSI Raider A18 HX comes in at 3.6kg.
MSI Stealth A16 AI+: Performance
- Excellent gaming performance
- Good at multitasking
- Can get hot
Benchmarks
These are the results of our benchmarking tests for the MSI Stealth A16 AI+:
3DMark: Night Raid: 38,762; Fire Strike: 30,723; Time Spy: 13,384
GeekBench 6: 2,930 (single-core); 15,398 (multi-core)
CrossMark: Overall: 1,897 Productivity: 1,982 Creativity: 1,765 Responsiveness: 1,729
Total War: Warhammer III (1080p, Ultra): 176fps ; (1080p, Low): 380fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 105fps ; (1080p, Low): 176fps
Dirt 5 (1080p, Ultra): 206fps ; (1080p, Low): 287fps
PCMark 10 Battery Life: 4 hours 57 mins
TechRadar movie test: 4 hours 45 mins
During our testing, this laptop consistently delivered exceptional performance across a variety of demanding applications and, crucially, in the latest AAA gaming titles.
Whether it was playing Cyberpunk 2077 at ultra settings or engaging in fast-paced combat in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, the Stealth A16 AI+ maintained impressively high frame rates, ensuring a smooth and immersive experience.
This was with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti inside, so if you buy a model with the more powerful RTX 5080 or 5090 GPUs, then you’re going to get even better gaming performance.
I was able to render breathtaking visuals without a hitch. Even with ray tracing enabled, the laptop held its own, providing a stunning level of graphical fidelity that truly elevates the gaming experience.
Beyond gaming, the processor handled intensive multitasking and content creation with ease, making it a truly versatile machine for power users.
One thing to note is that the laptop did get quite hot and loud when running games at ultra, opening a lot of intensive programmes at once, or when benchmarking. While it wasn’t too hot to use the keyboard – an issue I’m seeming to face more and more in the world of gaming laptops, it was certainly worth noting.
The speakers on the laptop are decent – they certainly get the job done – but you won’t be able to take advantage of directional audio within games.
MSI Stealth A16 AI+: Battery life
- Not brilliant battery life
- Very short when gaming
While MSI promised up to 13 hours of video playback, I found that the Stealth A16 AI+ just didn’t deliver anywhere near this.
During my time testing the MSI Stealth A16 AI+, I noticed that the battery life was closer to around six hours when using the laptop for general browsing or watching videos, which came down to about an hour when playing intensive games.
In our battery life benchmark, we got just shy of five hours in both the PCMark 10 edition and our own TechRadar movie test.
Should I buy the MSI Stealth A16 AI+?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Price |
The value of the laptop is pretty average when compared to alternatives on the market with the same specs. |
3 / 5 |
|
Design |
This laptop has an immaculate design featuring a decent array of ports and remaining light when compared to alternatives. |
5 / 5 |
|
Performance |
You get exceptional performance from this laptop but it does get quite hot and loud. |
4 / 5 |
|
Battery life |
The battery is significantly below the promised lifespan which is very disappointing. |
2 / 5 |
|
Total Score |
This is a well-priced thin and light laptop with some excellent components that means it offers fantastic gaming performance. However, it can get quite hot, and battery life isn’t the best. |
3.5 / 5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
MSI Stealth A16 AI+ review: Also consider
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
MSI Stealth A16 AI+ |
Asus Zenbook A14 |
Apple Macbook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Price: |
$2,899 / £2,199 |
$1,399.99 / £1,099.99 / AU$2,899 |
$2,499 / £2,499 / AU$3,999 |
|
CPU: |
AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 |
Snapdragon X X1 26 100 Processor with Qualcomm Hexagon NPU up to 45TOPS |
Apple M4 Pro (14-core) |
|
Graphics: |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti |
Qualcomm Adreno GPU |
Integrated 20-core GPU |
|
RAM: |
64GB LPDDR5X |
4GB DDR4 |
24GB unified memory |
|
Screen: |
16-inch Widescreen Display – QHD+ (2560 x 1600) – OLED – 240Hz |
14.0-inch, WUXGA (1920 x 1200) OLED 16:10 aspect ratio, LED Backlit, 0.2ms response time, 60Hz refresh rate, 400 nits |
16-inch, 3456 x 2234 Liquid Retina XDR display (mini-LED, 1,000 nits sustained brightness, wide color P3 gamut, ProMotion technology) |
|
Storage: |
2TB SSD |
16GB LPDDR5X on board |
512GB SSD |
|
Ports: |
2x USB-A, 1x USB-C, 1x HDMI, 1x Ethernet port, 1x Audio jack |
1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 2x USB-C, 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm Audio Jack |
3x Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C), HDMI, SDXC card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3 |
|
Wireless: |
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 |
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) (Dual band) 2*2 + Bluetooth 5.3 |
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3 |
|
Camera: |
HD Webcam |
FHD camera with IR function to support Windows Hello |
12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View |
|
Weight: |
4.6 lbs (2.1kg) |
2.16 lbs (0.98kg) |
4.7 lbs (2.2kg) |
|
Dimensions: |
355.8 x 259.7 x 19.95 mm |
31.07 x 21.39 x 1.34 ~ 1.59 cm (12.23 x 8.42 x 0.53in ~ 0.63in) |
14.01 x 9.77 x 0.66 inches (356 x 248 x 17mm) |
If you’re in the market for a new laptop, here are some alternatives to the MSI Stealth A16 AI+…
How I tested the MSI Stealth A16 AI+
- Tested for two weeks
- Used in a variety of scenarios
- Ran benchmarks and played games
For two weeks, the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ served as my primary laptop for both work and leisure.
I thoroughly integrated it into my daily routine, using it for typical workdays, evenings spent gaming and watching movies, and even general browsing. To assess its portability and performance outside my usual setup, I also brought it to various remote work locations.
Beyond everyday use, I conducted comprehensive benchmark tests using software like 3D Mark and in-game tools to evaluate its performance.
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZMCzA4dwVytFVC8YsB8NXW-2560-80.jpg
Source link
