The MSI Stealth 15M is an ultralight gaming laptop that is capable of adequate performance, but sacrifices all-day battery life.
If you choose the Stealth 15M, you will be surprised how thin and light it is for a gaming laptop (seriously, it only weighs 3.7 pounds). But don’t be fooled by its understated appearance. This laptop contains many notable features suitable for gaming.
The perfect way to describe this laptop to someone is to say that it is a gaming laptop designed to hide your addiction to games from family, friends, and colleagues. However, the question remains, should you buy an ultra-light gaming laptop?
Design
The MSI Stealth 15M has one of the most stylish designs of all 15-inch laptops on the market, let alone a gaming laptop. The Stealth 15M weighs only 3.7 pounds and 0.6 inches thick, making it one of the thinnest and lightest gaming laptops you can find so far. This laptop uses an aluminum chassis to achieve an ultra-light form factor. During the test, the device felt very sturdy, with little keyboard and flexibility.
Stealth 15M has two styles: charcoal gray and pure white. The carbon gray unit we tested is very simple and low-key; you won’t find any crazy RGB or sharp-angle cuts anywhere. Even the MSI logo was carefully placed on the back of this laptop. All in all, this laptop looks great. You won’t look back because of it, but you won’t be bothered by those nasty design options that stand out like sore eyes. If you end up with the carbon gray version, you may need to have a microfiber cloth on hand because it will quickly get stained with fingerprints; this is a typical feature of most gray/black laptops, but it’s worth mentioning.
When you turn on the laptop, you will see the device’s 15-inch screen, blue backlit keyboard, and unique honeycomb vents that run the length of the top of the deck. The display bezel is slim, but this laptop definitely has a chin.
The honeycomb vents and the blue-backlit keyboard are the most gamer-esque part of the laptop, and they add to a nice look and feel.
In terms of port selection, Stealth 15M will not let you down. You will get two USB-A 3.2, microSD, HDMI ports (support 4K 60Hz output), two USB-C ports (one of which is Thunderbolt 4 compatible), a headphone jack and a separate DC charging jack. Including Thunderbolt 4 is great because it can achieve a throughput of 40GB per second.
Overall, if you’re looking to turn heads with the Stealth 15M, you would be disappointed, but conversely, if you’re looking for a super minimal gaming laptop, this is it, and it looks excellent. ( Check Latest price at Amazon. )
Display
The Stealth 15M’s display is mixed; although it is a respected FHD+ panel running at 144Hz, the color of the display panel itself is not accurate and will not become so bright.
The maximum brightness of the notebook is 255 nits. Although this brightness is acceptable in a dimly lit room, it is not a good viewing experience if you plan to bring it to campus or place it in a generally bright place.
I saw Lucifer on this screen and the experience was not optimal; the screen lacks overall contrast and detail in darker scenes, although the screen is clear, you will notice that the colors feel dull.
Although the screen of this laptop may not have the most accurate colors or the highest maximum brightness, the screen has a matte finish, which is very suitable for playing games and reducing glare.
Keyboard and Trackpad
In terms of keyboards, MSI has done a good job in this regard. The keys have good travel, the backlight is smooth and visible, the overall key layout makes it ideal for gaming, and the arrow keys cover a huge area on the deck.
The MSI Stealth 15M has a good touchpad, but there is still room for improvement. Of course, as a gaming laptop, the touchpad is not a priority, but for a price close to $2,000, MSI can install a more tactile, better-quality touchpad. Not that this trackpad is terrible in any way. It does the job well, but when comparing Stealth 15M with other product lines of MSI, using laptops such as Summit 13 Evo, MSI can easily place a larger touchpad here (of course There is also space).
Repairability and Upgrades
The MSI Stealth 15M has user-upgradable RAM and storage space, making it easy to access a laptop. When you turn the device over, you need to loosen 13 Philips head screws. To enter the machine, you need to pry open the bottom plate with a credit card or a plastic toothpick.
After, you need to remove the motherboard; to do this, you need to unplug the battery, M.2 SSD, and disconnect the flat cable connected to the motherboard. You can then unscrew the motherboard from the chassis and turn it over to view the dual-channel RAM slot, which supports up to 64GB.
Entering the device and upgrading RAM or storage may be overwhelming for beginners, but it is nice to see the option to upgrade RAM and storage. It can make your device use longer in the future.
As for the battery, the user cannot upgrade the battery cell, but it can be replaced. If you want to maximize the life of the Stealth 15M, you can refer to our non-removable battery care guide. Generally speaking, it is easy to get into the laptop to change the battery yourself, so there should be no problems with you. Battery prices for MSI laptops often start at $ 3,050.
Performance and Gaming
In terms of performance, the Stealth 15M is excellent, but there are some caveats. The device’s CPU and GPU are top-tier components and can provide consistent performance for almost any task. The device is equipped with discrete Intel Core i711375H and GeForce RTX 3060 graphics from Nvidia. Our evaluation unit is also equipped with 1 TB of SSD storage and 16 GB of RAM.
In my test, the device can effortlessly play 1080p or 4K video in Premiere Pro, and playback will not break when navigating the timeline. I also use the computer for mid-range games through the PC version of Xbox Game Pass, such as Ori and The Wisps’ will, Stealth 15M can provide 60 frames per second or higher without much problem. Although the screen is not very bright or the colors are inaccurate, the 144Hz panel provides a sensitive and smooth gaming experience. The speakers are good, but like most laptops in their class, you will notice distortion at higher volumes. The Stealth 15M’s fan is loud when you use it on time, but if you use headphones while playing games, this shouldn’t be an obvious problem.
GeekBench 5 shows good performance, comparable to other 2021 devices. The Stealth 15M has a single-core score of 1562 and a multi-core score of 5227. However, with computers such as the Dell G5 Ryzen Edition, you can get similar (if not better) performance at a lower price.
Generally speaking, you won’t be disappointed in performance. Stealth 15M is a great mid-range gaming laptop that can give you a consistent experience, but at a higher price than some competitors, it’s hard to justify buying this full-price laptop.
Battery Life
The Stealth 15M’s battery life is adequate for light use, but if you plan to play games or edit videos on the go, you should bring a 150W power brick. Stealth 15M is equipped with a 52Wh three-cell battery. With typical use, you can get 5 hours of on-screen viewing time on time. However, if you speed up your workflow through graphics or CPU intensive tasks, you will feel the limitations of the laptop battery capacity.
During my tests, the battery life was about 4.5 to 5 hours, performing basic tasks like making Zoom calls, editing photos easily, and browsing the web. In addition to typical laptop use, the Stealth 15M gained about 4 hours in the most intensive game time.
Frankly speaking, this laptop’s battery life isn’t long, but considering the device’s lightweight design, 144Hz display panel, and powerful GPU and CPU, this isn’t surprising. The Stealth 15M comes with a 150W charger in the box, which is very useful. Of course, it is big and bulky, but it can charge laptops very quickly and can maintain optimal performance for a long time.
Should You Buy the MSI Stealth 15M?
Overall, the MSI Stealth 15M ( Check Latest price at Amazon. ) is a good gaming laptop with excellent performance, a pleasant typing experience, and an attractive but understated design. In other words, the screen quality is not the best, and in terms of battery life, the device is thin and light. When you put the Stealth 15M in the context of other gaming laptops released this year, like the Dell G15 Ryzen Edition, which is also equipped with an RTX 3060, the Stealth 15M, which costs close to $ 2,000, doesn’t look all that attractive.
If you plan to buy MSI’s Stealth 15M, we recommend doing so when it is discounted, because it can better justify the purchase compared to cheaper competitors. We also recommend this laptop to those who plan to use it mainly in one place, because the large power block is troublesome to charge.
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