There are numerous 14-inch gaming laptops floating round, however essentially the most notable one by far is Asus’s ROG Zephyrus G14. It’s a powerhouse and a simple suggestion to anybody searching for a conveyable machine that may actually sport.

But this 12 months, MSI has determined to throw its hat within the ring. It’s simply introduced the brand new Stealth 14 Studio, which it’s boldly claiming is “the most powerful 14-inch gaming laptop.” That is a troublesome title to dwell as much as, contemplating that the G14… exists (to not point out Razer’s Blade 14, which can also be a robust, and typically even stronger, performer).

The essential purpose I’m skeptical of this declare is that the Stealth 14 Studio seems to max out at an RTX 4070, whereas the Zephyrus G14 goes all the way in which as much as the RTX 4090. Its CPU is Intel’s Core i7-13700H, which is fairly highly effective, however we will’t but definitively communicate as to if it is going to beat AMD’s Ryzen 9 (which powers the G14). I don’t imply to confidently predict that the Stealth 14 Studio or the Zephyrus G14 will present higher framerates or be a greater worth purchase. There’s simply, nicely, some uncertainty on the “most powerful 14-inch gaming laptop” declare.

This doesn’t imply that there aren’t different potential benefits this machine might have over the G14. For one, it’s acquired an RGB keyboard that appears fairly good within the pictures now we have to this point. The chassis seems to be pretty subdued (extra Razer Blade-y than Zephyrus-y) and is likely to be extra interesting to customers in search of a gaming laptop computer that may double as a respectable-looking work or college driver.

There’s additionally a bodily shutter over the webcam (which I take pleasure in having only for peace of thoughts) — one thing the Zephyrus doesn’t have. And the Studio’s high show possibility is a QHD Plus 240Hz show, whereas the G14 maxes out at 165Hz. That might result in a considerable distinction in gameplay expertise relying on the title.

And then there’s the value comparability. It seems to be just like the Stealth 14 Studio will value $1,599 for a Core i7 and an RTX 4060, whereas an RTX 3060 Zephyrus could possibly be bought for $1,399.99 final 12 months.

We’ll should see how precisely this stacks as much as the G14’s efficiency after I get a mannequin in my palms. But for the time being, I’m studying the Studio as a extra versatile, barely pricier different to the G14, quite than one thing that’s going to knock its socks off power-wise.

MSI added numerous different Stealth merchandise to its line, together with a brand new Stealth 16 Studio with a six-speaker sound system. A brand new Stealth 15 will even deliver a 240Hz OLED show with lower than 0.2ms response time. All are at present anticipated to launch in late February.