The MSI Prestige 13 AI+ Evo is a super lightweight 13-inch laptop, boasting impressive portability and a beautiful display. Priced at $1,400, this model stands out for its long battery life and compact design, making it a strong contender for those in need of a device for light tasks such as office work or web browsing. However, despite these strengths, the laptop has several drawbacks that make it a less-than-perfect choice at its MSRP.
Design and Build Quality:
Weighing just 2.2 pounds, the MSI Prestige 13 is remarkably light and ideal for carrying around in a larger purse or smaller backpack. The chassis is nearly identical to the previous model, featuring the same ports and a satin finish. However, there’s a noticeable difference in the build quality. While the keyboard deck remains sturdy, the lid feels slightly thinner, giving the laptop a cheaper feel compared to its predecessor.
The laptop’s design allows for it to be opened with one hand, and upon opening, the back of the device lifts off the desk slightly, angling the keyboard for better airflow and ergonomics. This feature may appeal to some, but others might find it unnecessary. Despite these conveniences, the Prestige 13 doesn’t feel as premium as some of its competitors, such as the Dell XPS 13, Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, or MacBook Air.
Ports:
In terms of connectivity, the Prestige 13 offers a decent range of ports. On the left side, there’s an HDMI 2.1 port, two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support, and a headphone/mic combo jack. On the right side, you’ll find a USB-A 5Gbps port, a Kensington lock slot, and a microSD card reader. While this selection is more extensive than what you typically find on laptops of this size, it’s somewhat frustrating that all the USB-C and display ports are on the left side, limiting charging or docking options to that side only.
Keyboard and Trackpad:
One of the highlights of this laptop is its keyboard, which is surprisingly comfortable given the device’s size. The keys are slightly raised and provide a satisfying click, though some may find this noisy. However, there are some significant downsides. The arrow keys are extremely small and crammed together with the Page Up and Page Down keys, leading to frequent mispresses. Additionally, MSI has included an extra backslash key next to the copilot key, which seems unnecessary and takes up space that could have been used for a right control key.
The backlighting of the keyboard also has issues. While the light itself is bright, it bleeds around the edges of the keys, making it difficult to see the key characters clearly. The trackpad, while responsive, feels slightly grippier than expected, which may take some getting used to. Though functional, it falls short of the smoother, more accurate haptic trackpads found on competitors like the MacBook Air, Dell XPS, or Surface Laptop.
Display:
The Prestige 13’s 2.8K OLED display is one of its strongest features. With a crisp resolution of 255 pixels per inch, the display delivers sharp text and vibrant colors. The screen also boasts a brightness of over 400 nits, with a matte finish to reduce glare in bright environments. Unlike some OLED panels, this one avoids the “screen door effect,” where individual pixels are visible, especially on bright content.
However, the display is not perfect. It lacks a touchscreen and is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, which is disappointing at this price point, especially when faster refresh rates are becoming the norm in premium laptops.
Performance:
The Prestige 13 is powered by Intel’s new Lunar Lake Core Ultra 7 258V processor, which features eight cores four performance cores and four efficiency cores but no multi-threading. While the chip performs well in single-core tasks, making everyday applications feel snappy, it falls behind in multi-core performance. In Geekbench tests, it did well in single-core benchmarks but performed worse in multi-core compared to other 13-inch laptops in its class.
For graphical tasks, the integrated graphics on this chip are solid, outpacing many Windows competitors. The Prestige 13 handles light gaming and basic creative tasks with ease, performing well in benchmarks like 3DMark’s Time Spy. However, for more intensive tasks, its performance is middling.
Heat and Noise:
The Prestige 13 generally runs cool and quiet during light tasks, which is an improvement over the previous model. In its balanced or quiet modes, it operates silently, making it a good choice for those who need a laptop for undemanding tasks in quiet environments. However, during performance tasks, such as intensive CPU tests, the laptop becomes one of the loudest in its class, with noticeable fan noise. While it doesn’t get too hot to the touch, this fan noise can be a significant drawback for users who need more power.
Battery Life:
One of the most impressive aspects of the Prestige 13 is its battery life. During a video playback test, it lasted just over 20 hours, making it the new leader in battery performance for its class. Even with the lid closed and background tasks running, the battery only lost 2% over 16 hours. This makes the Prestige 13 an excellent choice for users who need long battery life for light tasks.
However, during performance-intensive tasks, battery life drops significantly. In a 30-minute Cinebench loop test, it drained about a third of its battery, which is still comparable to other devices but behind long-lasting competitors like the MacBook Air.
Pricing and Alternatives:
At $1,400, the MSI Prestige 13 AI+ Evo is a hard sell. While it excels in portability, battery life, and display quality, its performance, build quality, and features don’t justify the premium price. The lack of multi-core power, fan noise during heavy tasks, and cheaper feel are major downsides. Additionally, it misses out on premium features like a fast refresh rate display or a haptic trackpad, which are available in competitors at similar or lower price points.
If you’re interested in this laptop, we recommend waiting for a sale that brings the price down to around $1,000, at which point it becomes a more attractive option. For those looking for alternatives, the HP Pavilion Aero 13 is a solid choice for under $700, though it lacks some of the Prestige’s battery life and display quality. On the higher end, the MacBook Air or Surface Laptop 7 offer better performance and build quality at similar prices, as long as your apps are compatible with macOS or Windows on ARM.
Final Thoughts:
The MSI Prestige 13 AI+ Evo is a good laptop for light users, offering long battery life, a vibrant display, and extreme portability. However, its higher price point, keyboard quirks, and lack of premium features make it hard to recommend without a discount. If you can find it on sale, it’s worth considering—but for those willing to spend the full $1,400, there are better options available.
