It is solely pure that an individual’s tastes and preferences change over time. So after years of thirsting for giant, beefy gaming laptops with shiny lights, I’ve began gravitating in the direction of extra understated all-rounders that do not scream “Take a look at me.” And for the previous couple of generations, MSI’s Stealth 15M line has been the most effective at balancing good efficiency with a discreet look. However sadly, it looks like MSI is coasting with the 2022 mannequin. Whereas there aren’t a ton of main flaws, issues just like the Stealth’s show, battery life and audio simply aren’t fairly as good as I’d’ve favored.
Design
For a gaming pocket book, the Stealth 15M is about as incognito because it will get. It is received a easy, considerably boxy construct with a matte black end (which is a little bit of a fingerprint magnet, by the best way). The one visible aptitude, not less than on the surface, is MSI’s dragon emblem, which will get a brand new holographic therapy for 2022.
Professionals
- Slick
- understated design
- Cozy Spectrum keyboard
- Strong port choice
Cons
- Weak battery life
- Dim show
- Low-res webcam
- Small touchpad
You then open it up and also you get MSI’s beautiful Spectrum backlit keyboard, an enormous speaker grill that runs the width of the deck and a smallish touchpad. Alongside its sides MSI contains a wide selection of ports together with 4 USB 3.2 ports (two Sort-A and two Sort-C, considered one of which helps DisplayPort), a full-size HDMI 2.1 connector and a combo headphone/mic jack. And with a weight of just below 4 kilos (3.96 lbs), the Stealth is definitely a contact lighter than a whole lot of different 15-inch gaming laptops (and a few 14-inch methods too).
Show, sound and webcam
On paper, the Stealth 15M’s display screen seems to be like an ideal match for its specs. It is a 15.6-inch IPS panel with a 144Hz refresh price. It even has a matte end to assist forestall distracting reflections. The problem is that as a result of it has considerably uninteresting colours and a examined brightness of round 250 nits, motion pictures and video games look sort of lifeless. Positive, in case you like gaming in darker environments, it is not an enormous deal. However its mediocre mild output additionally signifies that in sunny rooms, it may be troublesome to learn textual content, particularly in case you’re somebody who prefers darkish mode apps.
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As for audio, the Stealth options twin two-watt audio system that may get fairly loud, although they’re missing a little bit of bass. Do not get me fallacious, they’re completely nice, I used to be simply hoping for a little bit extra contemplating the scale of its grille. After which perched above the show is a 720p webcam which is serviceable but it surely would not ship the sort of high quality you’d need for stay streaming. It is extra so you’ll be able to present your face throughout Zoom conferences, and that is about it.
However as soon as once more, whereas nothing is egregiously dangerous, I really feel like MSI is doing the naked minimal right here. Its audio system are simply okay, its webcam would not even seize full HD and that massive chin beneath the show makes the entire laptop computer look kind of dated.
Efficiency
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In relation to efficiency the Stealth has loads of oomph because of an Intel Core i7-1280P CPU and an NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU. Our assessment unit even comes with a 1TB SSD and 32GB of RAM, the latter of which is arguably overkill given the remainder of the system’s specs. Nevertheless, you will need to be sure to determine the place the Stealth’s fan pace settings are within the MSI Middle app, as a result of when this factor spins up, you are in for greater than only a refined whoosh.
In Shadows of the Tomb Raider at 1920 x 1080 and highest settings, the Stealth averaged 106 fps, which is only a tiny bit higher than the 102 fps we received from the similarly-sized Alienware x14. In the meantime, in Metro Exodus, the Stealth tied the Alienware’s efficiency, with each machines hitting 55 fps at full HD and extremely settings. So not precisely face-melting horsepower, however nonetheless greater than sufficient to play trendy AAA titles with loads of graphical bells and whistles enabled.
Keyboard and touchpad
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One factor I actually like in regards to the Stealth 15M is its Spectrum keyboard. Not solely do the keys have a delicate, soft press, they let simply the correct amount of sunshine to leak out the perimeters, including a little bit razzle dazzle with out searing your retinas. And naturally, you’ll be able to flip all the things off if you wish to go absolutely undercover. Beneath that you just get a touchpad that measures simply 4 inches extensive and two and half inches tall, which may really feel a bit cramped at occasions. That stated, having an undersized touchpad is not as massive of a deal because it may be on a extra mainstream pocket book. Most players will most likely carry an exterior mouse since touchpads actually aren’t excellent for gaming.
Battery life
Maybe the most important weak point of the Stealth 15M is its battery life. It comes with a 53.8Whr energy cell, which feels frustratingly small in comparison with the Alienware x14, whose battery is 50 p.c bigger at 80Whr, regardless of each methods being about the identical dimension. That ends in some fairly disappointing longevity, with the Stealth lasting simply 4 hours and quarter-hour on our native video rundown take a look at versus 9:45 for the x14 and 5:42 for the extra highly effective Razer Blade 15.
Wrap-up
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After utilizing the Stealth 15M for some time, I am not likely mad, I am simply upset. I like the final design and aesthetic and the Stealth delivers a terrific steadiness of efficiency and portability. In a whole lot of methods it looks like a extra grown-up tackle thin-and-light gaming laptop computer.
The problem is that it nearly looks like MSI has uncared for the Stealth line. In comparison with earlier years, the primary upgrades for 2022 are a refreshed CPU and GPU together with a brand new badge on its lid. That is not nothing, however I do know MSI can do higher and I am actually hoping to see the Stealth get a full redesign someday quickly.
In the end, assuming you’ll be able to abdomen the quick battery life, the worth of the Stealth 15M hinges so much on its value. I’ve seen this factor listed as excessive as $1,700 from retailers like Walmart, which is just too a lot. At that time, you are a lot better off going for a pocket book with a barely smaller display screen just like the Alienware X14 and getting very related efficiency, or choosing Asus’ Zephyrous G14 whereas additionally saving a pair hundred bucks within the course of. However in case you can nab the Stealth for under $1,400, a whole lot of the system’s trade-offs develop into much more palatable. I simply want this model of the Stealth felt extra like James Bond and fewer like Agent Cody Banks.
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