The 14-inch ultraportable laptop from MSI gets an Intel Evo update, which makes it faster and gives it a longer battery life. It also adds Wi-Fi 6 and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity. The design is mostly the same as the one from last year, which was bright pink.
This time, the all-aluminum chassis comes in white or dark grey and is very thin and small. When the lid is opened, it props up the keyboard, making it easier to type and letting more air flow through to keep the parts cool.
And with its new Intel Core i7-1185G7, the top processor in Intel’s 11th Generation “Tiger Lake” series, the Prestige 14 needs all the help it can get to keep heat under control. During testing, the fan noise was always there, which makes this otherwise well-rounded, powerful, and affordable ultraportable less appealing.
Specifications
- Processor Intel Core i7-1185G7
- Processor Speed 3 GHz
- RAM (as Tested) 16 GB
- Boot Drive Type SSD
- Boot Drive Capacity (as Tested) 512 GB
- Screen Size 14 inches
- Native Display Resolution 1,920 by 1,080
Where to get MSI Prestige 14 EVO?
The Prestige is understated, smart, and attractive. It’s made of an aluminum-magnesium alloy with a shimmery finish, and it comes in good-looking shades of grey and glacier blue. The bezels around the screen are thin, and the chassis has a clean look. When you open the laptop, a dropped hinge tilts the keyboard up, which helps with cooling and typing angle.
MSI makes sleek, simple designs that are also very useful. Two Thunderbolt 4 ports are on the left side, and an audio jack, micro SD card reader, and full-size USB port are on the right. The last two connectors aren’t always included on thin, small laptops, even Dell and Apple ones, so we’re glad they’re here.
Aside from that, the Prestige has a 720p webcam that works with Windows Hello and a fingerprint reader. It’s amazing how much hardware can fit into a 1.29-kilogram notebook, and the 15.9-mm body is a nice size. The MacBook Air is the same size, and the Dell is just a little cheaper than the MSI.
Overall, typing on the Prestige 14 is a great experience, especially since the keyboard is propped up by the bottom edge of the screen. When you open the laptop’s lid, the bottom bezel lifts up the back edge by 5 degrees, which makes typing very comfortable.
The stereo speakers on the laptop fire down, and the tilt of the keyboard deck helps a little by lifting the speakers off the desk or table. The bottom of the system is also held up by two long rubber feet to keep the sound from getting muffled. The sound quality is average for a laptop; it’s good enough for videos and movies, but it doesn’t have enough bass response for music.
