Looking at today's fast-paced world, mobile features with solid performance are key to a useful laptop. Thus, the MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo A1MG comes with a thin and light body shape along with an advanced Intel Core Ultra processor with an impressive OLED display to meet these two important elements.
Through this article we will take you deep into this AI-powered compact laptop to see its performance, battery life and some other important elements that a laptop should have. The question is, is the MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo A1MG a device with the perfect combination of power?.
SPECIFICATIONS
Model Name MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo A1MG
Display Size 13.3″ FHD+ (1920 x 1200) 16:10,
OLED
Intel Core Ultra 5 125H processor
Intel Arc Graphics Graphics Chip
RAM 16 GB LPDDR5-6400
Internal Load 1TB NVMe PCIe Gen4x4 SSD
FHD IR camera (30fps@1080p) with HDR
USB-C I/O plug × 2
USB A 3.2 Gen 1 × 1
Micro SD Card Reader × 1
HDMI × 1
3.5mm audio jack × 1
Windows 11 Home Operating System
Fingerprint Security (Windows Hello)
Pin (Windows Hello)
Face Scanner (Windows Hello)
75 Wh Li-ion 4 cell battery
65W charger
Price RM 5,999
DESIGN
We start this review with a laptop body design that looks solid and looks premium without strange curves. The black body is named as Stellar Gray with a quite minimalist compartment design and has a dull finish with a plastic panel construction. It is also offered with another color option which is Pure White.
At the corners it feels a little sharp but does not bother at all throughout the period of use. Then the hinge is also not too hard or too loose making it easy to open and the bottom does not lift even when this laptop is opened with only one hand with the ability to open up to 180 degrees.
The body size of this laptop is small with a screen size of 13.3". Not only is it small, its body is also very light, even lighter than a bag of wheat flour you buy at the grocery store. The weight of this laptop is only 0.99 kg where it does not even reach 1 kg making it easy to carry anywhere and can be used almost anywhere.
Then on the right side there is 1 slot for SD card, USB-A and USB 3.2 Gen 1. While on the left side there are 2 USB-C ports, 1x HDMI and 3.5mm audio jack hole. We commend the choice of space to place all these USB ports for ease of use.
The fingerprint scanner is built in with the power button. The fingerprint scanning process is smooth and fast without any issues. The bezel design on the screen is quite thick at the top, but is still acceptable considering that it houses various sensors and camera circles. The 1080P web camera also comes with satisfactory picture and video quality. A webcam shutter is also available for enhanced privacy purposes.
On the bottom, there are rows of ventilation holes, speaker holes and also four rubber pads. The built-in rubber pad provides friction while making this laptop not easy to fall off the table surface.
SCREEN
The screen is as big as 13.3” OLED with a resolution of 2880×1800 pixels which makes the screen display look quite bright with clear and impressive image quality. This simultaneously makes the experience of watching video content and doing editing work better. As a video editor , we personally prefer a screen that uses an OLED panel with a glossy finish exactly like the one available on this laptop.
This is because this type of screen display is clearer and brighter and suitable for doing video editing work in Premiere Pro or for using Photoshop software. But for some situations for example if you are in an area that is too exposed under the sun then a screen with a matte finish may be able to display the content better. However, in most situations, a screen with a glossy finish is more useful.
But a slight error is that its size is only 13.3" which makes us not satisfied to see the display of Adobe Premiere Pro software when video editing work is done. The relatively small size of the screen display makes the software display unable to be displayed more comprehensively and the size of the elements in the software all look very small. But for doing other productivity work, this display size doesn't cause any problems.
PERFORMANCE & BENCHMARKS
The laptop model we reviewed is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 5 125H CPU, paired with 16GB LPDDR5 memory and 1TB NVMe PCIe Gen4x4 SSD storage.
Throughout the period of use, we can say that it is a pretty good laptop that allows all software to be opened and used smoothly without any problems. However, there is a slight heating issue that can be felt several times, especially when we use it while it is charging.
In terms of normal productivity, we feel that there is no problem at all, but to do editing work in Adobe Premiere Pro software, we realize that the time taken for the 'export' process is a little long. Usually, for the video rendering process with 4K resolution using MacBook Pro M2, the time taken is only around 20 minutes. Using the same video project, we tried to perform the rendering process on the Prestige 13 AI Evo A1MG but the time taken was quite long, around more than 50 minutes.
Here are some benchmark tests used to show the level of capability and performance of this laptop. But throughout the editing process, severe lag issues did not occur and it was still able to run the software quite smoothly.
So we can say that this laptop is excellent as a daily productivity computer but not very suitable for a video editor or those who like to play extreme video games.
KEYBOARD & TOUCH PAD
At the beginning, we did not put high expectations on the comfort of using the keyboard of this device because of the size of the body and also the amount of weight that is too light. But as soon as we used this laptop to write articles, we realized that the experience of typing using its keyboard is very exciting. Even while writing this review we are also using it. There is no problem typing for long periods of time and all the keyboard buttons work well.
Since the laptop is 13.3″ it means that there are few buttons on the keyboard that are reduced. The built-in touchpad is neither too big nor too small, which in our opinion is the right size for a touchpad that is comfortable to use.
AUDIO
Commenting on the audio system, this laptop has a speaker placed at the bottom which makes the audio played sound a little drowned. We can list the audio system part of this device as one of its shortcomings. Its audio clarity makes the experience of listening to music and watching video content less satisfying.
However, true to its name, this laptop has several AI features available and one of them is the AI Noise Cancellation Pro function that can eliminate noise. This is one of the AI features built into it and can be used for a better audio system usage experience.
BATTERY LIFE
In addition to being thin and compact, this laptop also has a sufficiently long battery life where it comes with a battery capacity of 75 Whr. It can last up to 8-9 hours in light use such as browsing the web and watching videos. But when using this laptop to edit videos using Adobe Premiere Pro software, the computer's battery will drain faster. The size of the provided charger is also small and light so it is easy to carry anywhere without any issues.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, answering the question we mentioned at the beginning of the review, the MSI Prestige 13 Evo A13M does not have the perfect combination of power but it is one of the laptops for very good productivity use. In fact, if you are looking for a laptop that has a long-lasting battery, has a performance that is at a good level with a price that doesn't break your pocket, then this MSI Prestige 13 Evo A13M laptop is one of the 13-inch laptops that can be considered. . On the other hand, for those who want a powerful laptop for the purpose of editing videos with high resolution or for extreme gaming, then this device feels less suitable especially for long periods of time.
PRO
Light and compact
Bright and beautiful 13.3″ OLED screen
Useful and easy to use I/O options and positions
CONS
Some buttons on the keyboard are too small
The price is quite expensive
The audio system is not satisfactory