MSI Prestige 15 A12UC (2022) review: sleek and affordable 

You’d count on to spend hundreds to get a laptop computer that delivers large quantities of energy and a head-turning design, however the MSI Status 15 claims to suit the invoice whereas costing simply $1,302 within the US and £999 within the UK.

To get the job achieved, the Status 15’s exterior boasts diamond-cut edges and sandblasted textures. On the within you’ll discover one in all Intel’s newest processors alongside devoted Nvidia graphics.

When extra of us than ever earlier than are blurring the strains between residence and work – and when extra individuals use the identical laptop computer for each – it’s necessary to have a one that may deal with each job.

Provided that state of affairs it’s unsurprising that the MSI faces some robust contenders. The Dell XPS 15 begins at $1,399 within the US and £1,399 within the UK, and the Huawei MateBook 16s prices £1,299. Can the MSI Status 15 declare a spot on our greatest laptop computer chart?

Design & Construct

• Enticing and lighter than rivals
• Extra ports and connectors than the competitors
• Some construct high quality

MSI’s massive speak about design interprets to an unfussy aesthetic. These diamond-cut edges are clear and gently curved, and also you received’t discover any extraneous design touches – the Status is minimal and fashionable.

It’s obtainable in gray or silver shades – each of which have a matte, barely shimmering high quality – and it’s produced from aluminium and plastic. The display screen folds proper again so it’s flat towards the desk , but it surely doesn’t have the drop-hinge design you’ll discover elsewhere.

The left-hand edge has two Thunderbolt 4 ports and an HDMI 2.0 output. On the right-hand edge, there are two full-size USB ports and a microSD slot. Above the display screen there’s a 720p webcam that provides Home windows Hiya, however solely middling picture high quality.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

That connectivity compares properly to rivals. The Huawei solely has one Thunderbolt 4 socket and no card reader, whereas the Dell consists of an SD slot however no full-size USB connector, one thing many individuals nonetheless need.

MSI’s pocket book does properly on the scales, too. The Status weighs 1.69kg, is simply 18.9mm thick and 357mm extensive. The Dell and Huawei machines are slimmer and narrower, however they’re heavier than the MSI.

The Status 15’s massive weak spot is stiffness. Its display screen is sturdy sufficient, however the base feels weaker – the world past the keyboard is simple to depress and it doesn’t take a lot pressure to flex your complete base.

MSI says the laptop computer has been via MIL-STD-810G testing, so ought to face up to shocks, drops and falls, however the reality stays: it simply doesn’t really feel sturdy. And it isn’t the primary time we’ve stated this. We observed it on the Status 14 Evo as properly, and it clearly hasn’t been addressed.

Nonetheless, the Status 15 ought to survive commutes and family life and elsewhere the MSI combines glossy, enticing design with strong connectivity, so it’s an excellent begin.

Keyboard & Trackpad

• Satisfying, constant and quick typing
• Some format quibbles, and no numeric keypad
• A large however underwhelming trackpad

Begin typing and also you’ll quickly overlook concerning the flexing base. The buttons have a good 1.5mm of journey, and the typing motion is superb: crisp, quick, and simply snug sufficient to face up to whole days of typing. The backlight is vivid, and it simply matches Dell and Huawei’s {hardware}.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

Our solely disappointments concern the format. On a optimistic notice, you get further Web page Up and Web page Down keys and full-size cursor buttons. Negatively, there’s no quantity pad, the Return secret’s single-height – very annoying in case you frequently swap between a desktop PC keyboard and a laptop computer – and the Perform secret’s tiny. The important thing presses are fairly loud, too.

The trackpad is inconsistent. It’s extensive, easy and features a fingerprint reader, however its mechanical design means clicks on the backside are too gentle and deep, they usually require an excessive amount of pressure on the high.

Display screen & Audio system

• A superb display screen providing cheap high quality
• Restricted gamut, and 60Hz refresh price
• The audio system are superb, however nothing particular

The 15.6in display screen is customary fare. It’s an IPS panel with a 16:9 facet ratio and a 1920 x 1080 decision, which is ok for on a regular basis working and looking.

We’ve bought not complaints about high quality. The brightness of 339 nits is sweet sufficient to for indoor and outside use in most conditions, besides when it’s actually sunny and vivid, That determine pairs with a black level of 0.27 nits to offer a distinction ratio of 1,256:1.

That rock-solid consequence means you get ample depth in darkish areas and loads of vibrancy in every single place else. The Delta E of 1.16 is superb, too, and means correct colors.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

It’s price remembering that the MSI Status 15 is a comparatively reasonably priced laptop computer, although, and it has limitations. It renders 90.1% of the sRGB color gamut and little greater than 60% of the Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 color areas, so it’s okay for many issues however not for duties the place you need to be completely exact with colors. Often, we’d count on a display screen like this to handle 100% sRGB.

Equally, its 60Hz refresh price is simply appropriate for single-player video games and informal e-sports play.

Rivals have higher screens. The Dell XPS 15 makes use of a 16:10 facet ratio to ship somewhat further vertical house and, at 500 nits, is brighter. The Huawei’s 3:2 facet ratio and 2520 x 1680 decision imply you get extra space and sharper definition.

Don’t count on a lot from the audio system, both. The 2W models provide respectable mid-range readability they usually’re not tinny, however they’re not bassy or notably loud. They’re superb, however that’s it.

Specs & Efficiency

• The low-power CPU isn’t far behind extra power-hungry processors
• An Nvidia GPU delivers modest gaming means
• First rate battery life

Intel’s Core i7-1280P is an Alder Lake-P chip designed for slimmer, lighter laptops. It’s probably the most {powerful} chip on this specific vary, so that you get six Efficiency cores with a 4.8GHz high velocity.

Elsewhere, the MSI’s specification is atypical. There’s solely 8GB of sluggish DDR4 reminiscence, and it’s soldered to the motherboard so upgrades are unimaginable. The SSD’s learn and write speeds of 6,831MB/s and 5,096MB/s are good, however its 512GB capability will probably be exhausted after a couple of recreation installs. Nevertheless, in case you’re not a gamer, capability shouldn’t be a giant fear.

The GeForce RTX 3050 is Nvidia’s entry-level cellular graphics chip however MSI has chosen to ‘de-tune’ it for the Status 15 the place it makes use of as much as 40W of, slightly than the 80W these chips can run at in different laptops. It’s additionally price remembering that the efficiency of the cellular RTX 3050 received’t be nearly as good as a full-size RTX 3050 graphics card in a desktop PC.

The Status 15 packs Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, however there’s no wired Ethernet port.

Unsurprisingly, the Core i7 processor is the MSI’s finest element. Its single-threaded Geekbench rating of 1,448 equals the full-power Core i5-12500H you’ll discover within the Dell XPS 15, and it even matches the i7-12700H. The MSI’s multi-threaded results of 9,025 is somewhat slower than the i5-12500H and three,000 factors behind the i7-12700H, but it surely’s nonetheless spectacular from a CPU that consumes far much less energy.

The MSI simply handles day-to-day workplace duties and internet looking, and it’s bought the flexibility for mild inventive workloads, like photograph enhancing. You must solely spend extra on an i7-12700H laptop computer in case you want multi-core means for powerful inventive duties comparable to enhancing 4K video.

The MSI’s PC Mark 10 results of 6,473 is superb and additional underpins the Status’s prowess in on a regular basis duties. It’s not notably noisy and doesn’t get scorching, both.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

When it comes to 3D efficiency, the MSI isn’t half unhealthy for a laptop computer that doesn’t invoice itself as a gaming one. It dealt with Far Cry New Daybreak’s Extremely graphics settings at a strong 63fps. It’ll play any e-sports title – it ran Rainbow Six Siege at 182fps – even in case you’ll have to output to a 144Hz display screen to essentially take pleasure in aggressive gaming.

Don’t count on to run probably the most difficult video games, although – the RTX 3050 might muster solely 42fps at Cyberpunk’s Medium settings.

Batter life is respectable. In a piece benchmark the MSI lasted for practically twelve hours, and it performed video for nearly as lengthy – outcomes that hardly differ from the Huawei and creep forward of the Dell. Except you’re actually working the processor and GPU, the Status 15 ought to make it via an entire day away from mains energy.

Value & Availability

The MSI Status 15 prices $1,302 within the US and £999 within the UK. The American mannequin has the marginally sooner Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics and a barely slower Core i7-1260P processor, however there’s no vital distinction in day-to-day use.

Not like within the UK, no different specs are at present obtainable within the US, so the solitary mannequin is accessible from Amazon, Walmart, the MSI Retailer and Excalibur PC.

Should you’re within the UK, it can save you money with completely different configurations. For £699 you’ll get a Core i5-1240P processor, and for £781 you may mix that less-powerful CPU with RTX 3050 Ti graphics.

You should buy these from Scan, Laptop computer Outlet, CyberPower and Ebuyer.

These costs ship blended worth. Within the UK, the Status 15’s £999 worth appears incredible: you’ll need to pay £1,399 for a Dell XPS 15 with a Core i5-12400H and £1,448 for one with a Core i7 processor. On the Huawei MateBook 16s facet, it prices £1,299 for a Core i7 mannequin.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

The MSI is trickier to advocate within the US. The Dell XPS 15 worth on the time of writing prices $1,399 for a Core i7 mannequin – and that laptop computer has a greater show. The Huawei isn’t bought within the US.

For extra alternate options, have a look our roundups of the most effective laptops and finest finances laptops to see all the highest choices.

Verdict

In the end, the MSI Status 15 – regardless of its lower cost – competes with dearer laptops on processing efficiency, keyboard high quality and connectivity. You possibly can play video games on it too, as long as you don’t count on to be placing all the pieces on Extremely high quality. Battery life may be very cheap and, if this issues to you, it’s additionally lighter than a few of its rivals.

What we didn’t like a lot was the inconsistent construct high quality, the very fact the display screen may be very common, and that you may get higher efficiency from equally priced alternate options.

The underside line is that you just shouldn’t overlook the Status 15. It’s a succesful, light-weight all-round laptop computer at an excellent worth, so it’s a powerful possibility that received’t break the financial institution.

Specs

• Mannequin examined
• OS: Home windows 11 Residence
• Show: 15.6in IPS, 1920 x 1080, 60Hz
• CPU: Intel Core i7-1280P
• Reminiscence: 8GB onboard
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 4GB
• Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
• Webcam: 720p
• Connectivity: 2 x USB Kind-C/Thunderbolt 4, 2 x USB Kind-A, HDMI 2.0, combo audio jack, microSD card reader
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
• Battery capability: 82Wh
• Dimensions: 14.05 x 9.21 x 0.74 inches
• Measured weight: 1.69kg