One of the most sophisticated Windows 11 PCs I’ve tested this year isn’t what you think

ZDNET Highlights

• The MSI Stealth 16 AI is on sale at Best Buy for $2,030.
• This is a gaming laptop with powerful hardware and a vibrant OLED display that is ideal for both gaming and graphic design.
• However, like its predecessor, it has a stout battery and runs hot.

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2025 msi stealth 16 The tech is the latest entry in the company’s sleek gaming laptop series. I’m quite familiar with the Stealth line, having reviewed several models before. This version does not reinvent the wheel. In fact, it shares many similarities with its predecessor, the Stealth A16 AI+, both to its advantages and disadvantages.

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First of all: superficially, I can’t really tell a difference between this model and the previous generation. The Stealth 16 measures 14″ x 10.22″ x 0.85″ inches – exactly the same dimensions as the A16. It also weighs the same at 4.63 pounds.

What’s interesting is that I thought it was really heavy, but after carrying around a heavy laptop, the MSI device feels lighter. Even with the power adapter, I had no problem carrying it around town. By the way, I include that adapter in the total weight because of you Desire Need it in hand. More on that later.

bringing back the classics

Some other great design elements make their triumphant return. Moving down the list, you have a full-sized gaming keyboard. Each button has a travel distance of 1.5 mm, ensuring a comfortable typing experience. Six surround sound speakers are located at either end, below the keyboard, for immersive audio.

My favorite moment of testing this laptop came from listening to “Doomsday” by MF Doom. Doom’s lyrical flow sounded crystal clear and powerful through the laptop’s speakers, filling my entire room with its superlatives.

There is a 16-inch OLED display above the keyboard. At QuadHD+ (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) resolution, it’s not quite 4K, but it’s close enough – the screen still delivers impressive visual output. Colors are vibrant, the high resolution delivers detailed images, and the 240Hz refresh rate ensures smooth movement on the screen.

power boost

One of my favorite things about MSI laptops is how easy it is to make changes to their performance. On many Windows 11 laptops, you can actually change the power mode in Settings, but MSI Center, its internal settings program, is actually quite robust. Here, you can quickly adjust the computer’s output. For example, enabling Extreme Performance and Discrete Graphics modes provides the best hardware results.

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Inside my review unit was an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card, and 32GB of RAM. It’s a pretty good configuration if I do say so myself, and it shows in the performance numbers.

Below is a list comparing MSI’s Stealth 16 with its predecessors, the Stealth A16 AI Plus and the Dell 16 Premium. You will notice that the new model has better RAW processing and rendering power than others, which shows that it is excellent at handling heavy workloads and rendering complex 3D graphics.

There is little difference between the Stealth 16 and A16 on PCMark 10, which suggests that the older model has better general performance; It is capable of moving between web pages and apps without any problem. However, I did not experience any slowdown. This laptop worked great everywhere.

It may seem random to have a machine from Dell, but you need to understand that the Stealth 16 is not just a solid gaming computer. It is also a laptop with a powerful graphic design. For testing, I installed Blender, a free 3D creation app, and edited the images on Pixlr. I’m not much of an artist, but I managed to create and render simple scenes starring Blender’s complex monkey models.

I had a similar experience with Pixlr, as I was able to edit 4K photos without any major lag. The whole process went smoothly. MSI’s laptop is a powerhouse in almost every sense of the word.

Also: Upgrading to a Windows 11 laptop? This Lenovo with tandem OLED display I tested is a win

No matter how powerful a laptop is, it has its limitations. I played several 4K YouTube livestreams as part of my usual 50-tab Chrome browser test. Everything was working fine when there were only three livestreams, however once I hit six, I noticed a slowdown. Livestreams were slow to load. The Stealth 16 took a few seconds to play the video normally.

stay cool

The Stealth 16 does get a little hot under heavy workloads, but high temperatures were never an issue. Heat vents are strategically placed above the keyboard, on the sides and bottom of the laptop, so your hands are never in danger of touching a hot keyboard. In fact, the keys stayed nice and cool the entire time. Unfortunately, this means you can’t place the computer on your lap; Otherwise, the hot air will scorch your feet.

This ability to stay cool under pressure is thanks to the Cooler Boost 5 cooling system, which consists of two large fans and five heat pipes that expel hot air through vents. This system is also on the extremely powerful MSI Raider 18 HX.

Not surprisingly, MSI’s Stealth 16 isn’t designed to be away from its charger for long periods of time. You can extend its stamina by enabling ECO-Silent and Integrated Graphics modes in the MSI Center app and Best Power Efficiency in Windows, but even then, it will last about six hours on a single charge, depending on what you’re doing.

Like many gaming laptops with this type of hardware, it may have power, but it lacks stamina. For this reason, I would recommend it for users who don’t need a laptop with all-day battery, but can work for a few hours throughout the day.

ZDNET’s shopping advice

msi stealth 16 ai It’s on sale for $2,030 at Best Buy, which is a good price for a laptop with this kind of hardware. I recommend this device to anyone looking for an affordable gaming laptop that can also be used as a work machine. If you like this laptop but want to save some cash, its predecessor Stealth A16 AI+Very similar and still relevant in 2025, retailing for $1,800.

If you want a computer with more powerful graphic design, I recommend Alienware 18 Area-51This is a far more powerful gaming laptop that leaves all the laptops I have mentioned so far in the dust. I think it’s one of the best this year. However, it is very expensive; My review unit cost $3,200.