MSI has lengthy been an under-the-radar producer of PCs and laptops, with as many hits as misses in its repertoire. As we enter the “AI laptop” age, MSI’s first volley within the new class lands squarely on the hit aspect, with its Prestige 13 AI Evo nailing an efficient stability amongst value, efficiency, and portability.

As the title suggests, the Prestige 13 is an ultraportable 13.3-inch laptop computer, that includes a 2,880 X 1,800-pixel OLED show (no touchscreen). Inside is an entry-level Intel Core Ultra 5 125H CPU with 16 GB of RAM and a 512-GB SSD. Nothing fancy, however sufficient to get the job finished. There’s additionally a model with the Core Ultra 7 with double the RAM and storage for not far more.

For these of you who haven’t been following the microchip world intently, Intel’s Core Ultra sequence options (amongst different improvements) a brand new neural processing unit designed particularly to enhance synthetic intelligence operations. The “Evo” designation is bestowed on units by Intel for laptop computer designs that “pass rigorous testing around performance, battery life, connectivity, audio and visual quality, size, weight, and more.”

With that preface, I’ll begin the place the laptop computer soars the very best: efficiency. The Prestige certainly lives as much as its title on basic apps and AI-related assessments. MSI’s ultralight Windows machine ran rings across the efficiency of the extra tricked-out Lenovo X1 Carbon, which includes a sooner Core Ultra processor. The MSI bested it on basic app benchmarks by 3 to 47 %, relying on the check, and the distinction was noticeable in day by day use, because the Prestige felt whip-crack quick to load apps, recalculate spreadsheets, and the like. The image wasn’t as rosy in its graphics capabilities, because the lower-end CPU and lack of reminiscence suppressed body charges on video duties significantly—though the Prestige did carry out surprisingly effectively on photograph rendering assessments.

At 2.1 kilos and 18-mm thick, this laptop computer is about as transportable because it will get within the 13.3-inch class, although extra diminutive 13.0-inch models generally is a few ounces lighter. Available in white or black, the magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis isn’t the sturdiest I’ve felt currently, however on the identical time, it doesn’t come throughout as flimsy.