MSI attempts to combine creativity and AI, and I was pleasantly surprised by the results

Another month, another "AI" laptop. This time, it's the MSI Prestige A16 AI+.

MSI has been relentless in its pursuit of the best AI laptop to appeal to people looking for good graphic design laptops, releasing three different models in the past 18 months alone. I’ve reviewed a number of them, from the ultra-portable Prestige 13 AI+ Evo that lacked power to the balanced Prestige 14 AI and the surprisingly capable Prestige 16 AI.

These three reviews show that the world of AI laptops is still very much hit and miss. If you're seriously into AI image generation, are running AI-powered effects in video editing, or need a finely tuned machine for 3D rendering, then you're likely to come up short. More often than not, dedicated creative workflows will still benefit from dedicated machines.

So, can the new MSI Prestige A16 AI+ finally buck the trend and deliver on its promise? Let's find out.

Key specifications

Design, build and display

• Modern aesthetic with tapered edge
• IPS-panel 100% DCI-P3 and 16:10 ratio display

The MSI Prestige A16 AI+ makes a strong first impression with its minimalist silver aluminium chassis, which exudes a sleek and professional aesthetic. The base panel consists of a number of design touches that attempt to reduce any sense of bulk and clunkiness that is often associated with 16-inch laptops. These include a tapered edge, a recessed keyboard panel, and a hinge that drops the display down to desk level.

The laptop's 16-inch IPS panel might not be as superior as an OLED alternative, but it's still pretty bright and vibrant. Using it to edit photos and videos was a joy, even in a light-filled room. It also delivers an impressive level of colour accuracy as well as high levels of contrast. Additionally, the 16:10 aspect ratio provides valuable vertical screen real estate, which is excellent for video timelines and document editing.

The display also includes the professional DCI-P3 colour space with 100% coverage. This will be sufficient for most users wanting to make the most of HDR content, but if your work requires an even broader range of colours, then you'll need a display that supports either Adobe RGB or Rec. 2020.

The keyboard is relatively comfortable, although the size of the keys and distance of travel between keys is a little more than I would have liked for an optimum experience. The trackpad is central to the keyboard, which I like. However, for any task requiring precision, such as graphic design or detailed video editing, a dedicated mouse remains a necessity. The base panel also includes a fingerprint reader to the side, which allows for a quick and easy login.

Weighing in at 1.9 kg (4.2 lbs), the laptop is definitely at the lighter end of the spectrum for 16-inch laptops. This makes it easy to pop in your bag and carry it with you wherever you go. Given that it could cope with some extra weight, I think MSI could have bulked out the display panel to make it less flexible. I want my laptops to be as robust as possible, and even though the base is super durable, the display panel needs more work.

In terms of external ports, MSI has opted for a pretty simple offering with two USB-Cs, a USB-A, an HDMI, a microSD card reader, and an audio combo jack. For creatives, the most valuable feature is the two Thunderbolt 4-enabled USB-C ports. These not only provide fast 40Gbps data transfer speeds for quickly moving large video and photo files but also support Power Delivery 3.0, allowing you to charge the laptop and connect high-resolution external displays simultaneously.

Design score: 4/5

Features

• Supercharged performance thanks to AI smarts
• An IPS display designed with creatives in mind

The MSI Prestige A16 AI+ is designed with several features specifically targeted at creative professionals and content creators. These features focus on performance, display quality, and AI-powered tools.

1. AI-powered performance

To begin with, the laptop is equipped with a powerful AMD Ryzen AI 9 processor, which includes a Neural Processing Unit (NPU). More on how this performs in the dedicated performance section.

The MSI AI Engine will automatically detect what you're doing (content creation, work, entertainment, etc.) and adjust the hardware settings for optimal performance. I appreciated this, especially when I was flipping between Photoshop, Premiere Pro, SolidWorks, and other applications.

Additionally, the laptop provides access to Copilot+, Live Captions, Cocreator, and Recall. These combined provide a set of tools which will boost and enhance your productivity (if you use them wisely). Integration into dedicated creative workflows is still lacking, but if you embrace what's there already, then you'll notice some performance benefits.

2. QHD+ Display

Most of this was covered in the above design section, but it's worth stating that the display is specifically set up for creative professionals. The 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, 16-inch QHD+ resolution (2560 x 1600), and 165Hz refresh rate find their benefits across rendering, animation, video editing, and office applications. I found using the display an absolute joy, no matter whether I was browsing the web, doing some word processing, or getting knee-deep in video editing.

3. Connectivity

USB Type-C with Thunderbolt 4 compatibility and a MicroSD card reader will help creatives to transfer files quickly and efficiently. I loved how quickly I was able to move files onto the machine, no matter whether I was dealing with MB or GB. This is a machine that can handle large files with ease.

Feature score: 4/5

Benchmark scores

We test every one of our laptops using the same benchmarking software suite to give you a thorough overview of its suitability for creatives of all disciplines and levels. This includes:

• Geekbench: Tests the CPU for single-core and multi-core power, and the GPU for the system's potential for gaming, image processing, or video editing. Geekbench AI tests the CPU and GPU on a variety of AI-powered and AI-boosted tasks.
• Cinebench: Tests the CPU and GPU's ability to run Cinema 4D and Redshift.
• UL Procyon: Uses UL Solutions' Procyon software suite to test the system's ability for AI image generation in Stable Diffusion, its Microsoft Office performance and its battery life in a looping video test.
• Topaz Video AI: We use Topaz Video AI to test the system's ability to upscale video and convert video to slow-motion.
• PugetBench for Creators: We use the PugetBench for Creators benchmarking suite to test the system's ability to run several key tasks in Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro, as well as its performance when encoding/transcoding video.
• ON1 Resize AI: Tests the system's ability to resize 5 photos to 200% in a batch process. We take the total time taken to resize the images and divide by 5.

Performance

• Strong performance when using Adobe Photoshop
• The lack of a discrete GPU means creative professionals will struggle

One of the current issues that I have with AI laptops is that they promise so much and pitch themselves as the solution to all problems. The advertising makes them sound like their AI technology will provide you with instant results, no matter the application and workflow. Maybe I'm overstating it, but it certainly feels like that to me.

That's why I was left pleasantly surprised by the Prestige A16 AI+. The lack of a discrete GPU was problematic for 3D rendering and colour grading, but the CPU and integrated GPU actually did a great job in Photoshop and Premiere Pro. The fact that it was able to handle complex video compositions and layered effects was not what I expected.

Alongside photo and video editing, I also spent a lot of time browsing the web, watching videos, and carrying out general-purpose office work. The laptop served up a responsive and snappy experience in this area, which further contributed to the laptop's impressive performance.

I was also impressed by the laptop's ability to perform across a broad range of applications. I think this was in part thanks to the MSI AI Engine that was adjusting hardware settings behind the scenes. It really does excel in this role, as demonstrated by its Geekbench scores. With a reasonable multi-core score, this laptop is good at multi-threading, but not to the degree of something like the ASUS ProArt P16 (2025).

The laptop's battery life, however, proved to be a significant limitation, lasting a relatively short eight hours. That means you'll either need to consign it to a permanent desk setup or be happy carrying the charger around with you. I thought I could overcome this by utilising a lightweight third-party charger, but the apparent lack of wattage meant that the system slowed to a total standstill. By way of comparison, you'll get similar battery performance on the ASUS V16 and Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1.

With all this considered, the Prestige A16 AI+ is a high-performing laptop for most types of creative applications. Keep in mind, though, that if you need a laptop for more demanding graphics applications, you'll want a device with a discrete GPU.

Performance score: 4/5

Price

The MSI Prestige A16 AI+ is a mid-range to high-end laptop that costs $1,399/£1,499, although there are often limited-time deals around that bring the price down considerably. If you'd prefer an OLED display with a higher resolution (UHD+ 3840x2400) then a model with that spec is also available.

In terms of comparison, you might also like the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Gen 9, although it'll set you back at least £1,635. If you'd like something a bit more middle of the road, then the Dell XPS 16 is a great alternative, especially if you're keen on customising your own machine.

Value score: 4/5

Who is it for?

• Content creators who don't need a discrete GPU

Hopefully it goes without saying, but if you're into 3D modelling, animation, rendering, high-resolution video editing, and colour grading, then you'll need a laptop with a discrete GPU. If you're creating other types of content, performing low-demand creative tasks, or needing a laptop that can boost your productivity, then the MSI Prestige A16 AI+ is well worth a look.

Buy it if...

• You value AI-accelerated performance
• You want a bright and accurate display
• You need excellent portability

Don't buy it if...

• You need a discrete GPU
• You're only going to be web browsing

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