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MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+: Two-minute review
The MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ is a convertible laptop marketed for business users, and includes a stylus to unlock its full creative potential.
It cuts a sophisticated figure, thanks to its dark grey finish and minimal aesthetic. The ultra thin chassis with its soft, curved edges also help to make this an easy laptop to live with, especially if you’re frequently on the move.
Build quality is also excellent. Every material feels premium, and while the hinges for the lid are a little incongruous, they provide a very smooth pivot, which ranks among the best 2-in-1 laptop actions.
The included Nano Pen is engineered to an equally high standard. Like the laptop itself, it’s very compact, and stows away neatly under the front edge of the base, where it also charges wirelessly. It’s easy enough to remove, but putting it back is a little more awkward, since its integrated magnets encourage it to orient incorrectly.
For a laptop this small, it’s impressive that the Flip AI+ manages to include four USB ports (two type-C and two type-A), an HDMI port, and a headset jack. It’s a small shame, though, that a productivity-focused laptop such as this doesn’t feature an SD card reader of any kind.
The Intel Core Ultra 7 355 in my Flip AI+ review unit handled productivity and entertainment workloads with aplomb, while the 32GB of RAM meant it had no problem multitasking. It even managed to run AAA games in a playable state — surprising given there’s no dedicated GPU on board. However, this absence was felt when the Flip AI+ failed to even complete a benchmark test for Adobe Premiere.
A fair amount of noise is generated even when moderate workloads are undertaken. Some heat can be felt towards the rear as well, reaching the top rows of the keyboard, but thankfully temperatures remained comfortable.
The OLED display of the Flip AI+ is sharp and clear, although it lacks the brightness of the best monitors. Reflections and fingerprints are also visible at times. The touchscreen functions well, though, especially when used with the included Nano Pen; both combine to offer precise and responsive inputs.
MSI Center S is the utility app for the Flip AI+, housing system information and performance tweaks, as well as the ability to enable and customize the Action Touchpad. In the case of the latter, I had to manually update the app for these to work properly, even though I had automatic updates enabled.
The default quick controls for the touchpad are useful and operate smoothly for the most part. However, the brightness slider on the right edge would often trigger unintentionally when I typed, which was frustrating. Another frustration was the momentary freezes and jumps I sometimes experienced when attempting to navigate the cursor.
Fortunately, typing on the Flip AI+ is less fraught. The keys are snappy, although they’re perhaps a little heavier and harsher than I would’ve liked, resulting in the occasional press failing to register. Nonetheless, this is still a board suited to quick typing.
The battery life of the Flip AI+ easily ranks among the best in class. It lasted over 30 hours when I left it to playback a movie on a continuous loop, which is very impressive. It’s also quick to charge, making it a great laptop for those constantly on the move.
The Flip AI+ is undeniably expensive, but considering its premium design, powerful spec, and convertible capabilities, it represents good value. There are certainly cheaper 2-in-1 laptops that offer sufficient everyday performance, but the Flip AI+ is a more complete package. If its touchpad was less frustrating and it had a dedicated GPU, it’d be a hard laptop to beat at this price point.
MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ review: Price & availability
- $1,699.99 / £1,349.99 / AU$$2,999
- Available now
- Good value for the spec
The MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ costs $1,699.99 / £1,349.99 / AU$$2,999 and is available now. Various Intel Core Ultra processors are available depending on region, and in Australia, only the unit with 2TB of storage appears to be available.
If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly convertible laptop, the HP Pavilion x360 14 is a solid alternative. It has a weaker spec than the Flip AI+, and you’ll have to provide your own stylus, but it’s a great device for everyday tasking.
If you want to save even more money on a 2-in-1, the Acer Chromebook Spin 312 is one of the best Chromebooks in this class. Of course, you’ll have to forgo Windows, but if you don’t need the versatility of Microsoft’s OS, a Chromebook can be a useful companion for your studies and light entertainment.
MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ review: specs
|
Price |
$1,699.99 / £1,349.99 / AU$$2,999 |
|
CPU |
US: Intel Core Ultra X7 358H (1.5GHz, 16 cores) UK: Intel Core Ultra 7 355 (2.3GHz, 8 Cores) Aus: Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (2.1GHz, 16 cores) |
|
GPU |
Intel Graphics (integrated) |
|
RAM |
32GB LPDDR5x |
|
Storage |
1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD Aus: 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD |
|
Display |
14-inch FHD+ (1920 x 1200), OLED, 16:10, Touchscreen, 100% DCI-P3 (Typical), Low Blue Light & Flicker-free certified by SGS, MSI Nano Pen support |
|
Ports and Connectivity |
2x USB-A (3.2 Gen2), 2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort, PD 3.0), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x combo audio; Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0 |
|
Battery |
81Wh |
|
Dimensions |
12.4 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches (316 x 222 x 14mm) |
|
Weight |
3lbs / 1.37kg |
MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ review: Design
- Thin and premium design
- Plenty of USB ports
- Discreet Nano Pen storage
Credit where credit’s due, MSI has done an admirable job of making the Flip AI+ a stylish machine. Its steely grey finish and minimal proportions impart an elegance not usually found in brand’s designs. What’s more, it’s impressively thin and free from extraneous bulges, even underneath (save from two full-width feet). All this helps to make it an easy device to travel with.
I also appreciated the rounded edges, which are curved more prominently than most. This makes it comfortable to hold and pick up. The thin bezel around the display is another facet of the laptop’s overall sleekness.
All the materials employed in the construction of the Flip AI+ feel premium, especially those of the keyboard and touchpad. They put me in mind of the best MacBooks, which are pretty much the standard bearers for laptop build quality.
However, the minimalist appearance of the Flip AI+ is somewhat upset by the lid hinges. They look a little cumbersome in relation to the rest of the unit, and create a somewhat unsightly gap between the lid and base. At least they operate smoothly, allowing for easy conversion when you want to use the touchscreen exclusively.
The included Nano Pen is just as compact as the laptop itself. It’s much smaller than many others, but no less upmarket in its design. It charges wirelessly, and the compartment to stow it is discreetly integrated into the underside of the Flip AI+, near the front edge.
This makes it easy to remove, requiring a slight tilt of the base of the Flip AI+ to access. You can even do this one-handed. However, it’s a little more awkward to put back: whenever I tried, the magnets inside the Nano Pen kept trying to flip it around from its correct orientation, requiring more encouragement than I would’ve liked to insert the right way up.
The Flip AI+ features all the essential outboard connections: there are two USB-A ports on the right and two USB-C on the left; the latter support charging of the Flip AI+ as well as external monitor signals. An HDMI port and a 3.5mm combo audio jack are also present, split across either side. Considering how thin and compact the unit is, including this many ports feels generous, although I always lament the omission of an SD card reader on a laptop designed for productivity.
MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ review: Performance
- Impressive general performance
- Loud under load
- Action Touchpad misfire issue
MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ benchmarks
3DMark: Night Raid: 31,643; Fire Strike: 6,517; Steel Nomad: 607; Solar Bay: 12,337; Solar Bay Unlimited: 12,434; Solar Bay Extreme: 1,793; Solar Bay Extreme Unlimited: 1,793
Geekbench 6.5: Multicore: 11,670; Single-core: 2,752
Cinebench R23: Multi Core: 10,177; Cinebench R24: Single Core: 116; Multi Core: 628
Crossmark: Overall: 1,785; Productivity: 1,700; Creativity: 2,037; Responsiveness: 1,392
Passmark Overall: 6,809.7; CPU: 22,456.1; 2D Graphics: 780.2; 3D Graphics: 5,363; Memory: 3,581.1; Disk: 48,869.8
BlackMagicDisk: Read: 4,221MB/s; Write: 3,500MB/s
Total War: Warhammer III: 1080p, Medium: 30.2fps
Total War: Warhammer III: 1440p, Ultra: 19.2fps
The Flip AI+ performed well in most of the tasks I conducted. It handled light productivity and entertainment – including 4K streaming – without issue. It also proved to be a capable multitasker, although this was hardly a surprise given the 32GB of RAM my review unit was crammed with.
Even though the Flip AI+ doesn’t have a dedicated GPU, I was impressed with its gaming prowess. It ran Cyberpunk 2077 on the Ray Tracing: Low preset remarkably well. Granted, the visuals were rough around the edges and frame rates were well short of those delivered by the best gaming laptops, but it was still enjoyable enough for casual play.
Video editors and creators will be more disappointed with the Flip AI+, though. It failed to even complete PugetBench’s Adobe Premiere benchmark, despite repeated attempts, due to a certain GPU effect failing to render.
The Flip AI+ also has a tendency to emit a fair amount of fan noise when undertaking workloads, even those that could be described as moderate. This is usually accompanied by some prominent heat at the rear of the unit and on the top row of the keyboard. Mercifully, the temperatures are far from being intolerable, but you’ll certainly notice them.
As for the display of the Flip AI+, its 1920 x 1200 resolution is clear and sharp, and the OLED technology helps with contrast. It reveals reflections and fingermarks a little too easily, and I wish the maximum brightness setting was higher, but thankfully these grievances aren’t ruinous to the overall visual experience.
Another important aspect of the Flip AI+’s display is its touchscreen functionality. It’s precise and responsive, if a little grabby when used with fingers. However, it handles the included Nano Pen much better. This glides smoothly across the surface, making it ideal for navigation, handwriting, and drawing.
However, the sheer slenderness of the Nano Pen makes using the two side buttons — which are used to erase content, take screenshots, and activate the inbuilt microphone — very awkward when adopting a writing position. Those with daintier digits might have an easier time, but I struggled.
Another standout feature of the Flip AI+ is its Action Touchpad. I found this useful for controlling various parameters, such as volume and screen brightness, quickly. You can also double-tap the left and right corners to open Windows’ Calculator app and the MSI Center S respectively.
However, my initial experience with these functions was beset by various bugs, from the aforementioned quick controls failing to register, to the three custom slots refusing their assignments.
Thankfully, a manual download to update the MSI Center S to its latest version seemed to fix most of these issues. I was disappointed, though, that this update failed to initiate automatically, since I had this option toggled in the app settings.
I was also disappointed that there was still no way to customize the six default quick controls. But a bigger frustration was the frequent accidental triggering of the brightness quick control, caused by the palm of my thumb when typing. To prevent this I would have to disable all quick controls, since you can’t disable them individually.
This issue aside, typing with the Flip AI+ is mostly pleasant. The keyboard features plenty of useful shortcuts on the top row, including those for Bluetooth settings and Windows’ Snipping Tool. However, disappointingly for a productivity-focused machine, there’s no number pad or even a navigation cluster. There is backlighting, though, which is always cause for celebration in a laptop.
In action, the keys are snappy thanks to their short actuation, which makes for quick typing. However, they’re a little heavier than those in your average laptop, which, in my experience, results in the occasional hit failing to register. Dampening is minimal as well, which can make presses feel a little harsh. These are minor grievances, though, and only stand when compared to the best keyboards around.
MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ review: Battery life
- Phenomenal endurance
- Quick to charge
The battery life of the Flip AI+ is truly spectacular. MSI quotes a longevity of 30 hours, but according to my testing — which involved playing a movie on a continuous loop — it actually exceeded this already remarkable figure by a couple of hours.
To put this into perspective, the most enduring laptop I ever tested was the HP OmniBook 7 14-inch, but even this fell someway short of the Flip AI+ in the same test, mustering just under 26 hours. The Flip AI+ is also quick to charge, taking about two hours to replenish from total depletion.
Should I buy the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+?
Scorecard
|
Category |
Notes |
Rating |
|
Value |
Aside from the lack of a dedicated GPU, the Flip AI+ offers a lot for the money. |
4 / 5 |
|
Design |
Super-thin and with a premium construction, the Flip AI+ ticks all the right boxes in terms of design. Port selection is also reasonable, given the compact form factor. |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Performance |
The Flip AI+ offers great all-round performance, although the absence of a dedicated GPU might disappoint creatives. The touchscreen and Nano Pen are both great, but the Action Touchpad can frustrate. |
4 / 5 |
|
Battery Life |
Pretty much unbeatable. It has a video playback time of over 30 hours, and it’s quick to charge, too. |
5 / 5 |
|
Final Score |
The MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ is a very competent, convertible laptop that represents good value when you consider its build and performance. Only a few minor gripes hold it back from a full-throated recommendation. |
4 / 5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ review: Also consider
How I tested the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+
- Tested for several days
- Ran our series of benchmarks
I tested the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ for several days, during which time I used it for all manner of tasks, from general browsing and productivity to streaming and gaming.
I also ran our extensive series of benchmarks, designed to assess every facet of a laptop’s performance. I also tested the battery life by running a movie on a continuous loop while the Flip AI+ was unplugged until it died.
I’ve been using laptops for decades and have reviewed a large number of them, from budget affairs and Chromebooks to mid-range productivity machines and high-end gaming models.
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lewis.maddison@futurenet.com (Lewis Maddison)
