MSI has just announced the first gaming laptop in its partnership with Mercedes-AMG Motorsport — a drop dead gorgeous version of the Stealth 16. In fact, it’s so alluring to me (the resident motor racing nerd of the Laptop team) that it takes the checkered flag as my favorite system of Computex 2023.
This is an interesting internal response to me because I’ve always looked at many of the best gaming laptops, and felt they looked a bit cringeworthy. Be it the super bright RGB-laden keyboards or the giant logos emblazoned across the shell, they can look a little childish. But this “luxury gaming experience” is anything but, and there are two additional reasons why it’s raced into pole position in my heart.
1. It’s quite the looker
This magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis exudes luxury at every angle, and I can safely it feels just as good as it looks. That touchpad feels smooth to the touch, and the matte finish on top has a confident durability to it that doesn't pick up fingerprints easily.
It’s also one of the slimmest and lightest gaming laptops I’ve laid eyes upon too — coming in at 0.8 inches thick and weighing 4.4 pounds. That’s seriously impressive dimensions given the specs you’ll find under the hood (more on these later).
Even the tiny details like the AMG logo etched onto the bottom edge, and the power button showing the words “Start Engine.” The latter of those is something I should really find to be quite cringe, but I’m actually really enamored with them here.
2. Serious horsepower
Pop open that magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis and you’ll see all the latest components, including up to an Intel Core i9-13900H CPU, RTX 4070 GPU, and 64GB of DDR5 RAM.
These specs ensure that any game is moving impressively smooth on that 4K OLED panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio and 100% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage. Plus, the 99 Whr battery (the max capacity that can be taken on a flight) is sure to offer up a decent stamina.
3. Keeping its cool
Much like the 4.0 liter V8 turbo engine you’d find in the Mercedes-AMG GT2, the Stealth 16 needs strong cooling to maintain peak performance. For this MSI beast, you’re getting the Cooler Boost 5 system with two fans and five heat pipes.
The company’s patented tech has pulled off some impressive feats, such as keeping the RTX 4090 of the MSI Titan GT77 HX down to a cool temperature. So color me confident that you’ll get more of the same here.
Outlook — this is just the beginning
As someone who is dying to see the revival of Mercedes AMG’s F1 championship hopes, this partnership immediately jumped out at me. Not only that, but this has been done in a tasteful enough fashion to make quite the stunner of a special edition.
But MSI has made it clear that this isn’t just a one-off — mentioning that this is a “long-term partnership that will bring “more collaborative products” in the future. No official pricing has been released for the MSI Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport edition, but I’d expect it to be quite a pricey
