MSI Prestige A16 AI+ review: Multimedia laptop with powerful Ryzen 9 365
It's creaky.
Last year, MSI introduced the Prestige 16 laptop featuring the Core Ultra 155H processor. Now, an AMD-powered A16 variant has arrived, equipped with a Ryzen 9 processor and an NPU (Copilot+), priced at €1,599. This new model makes a significant leap forward in performance. However, the AMD version isn't without its trade-offs compared to its Intel counterpart. Here's a closer look!Christian Hintze, 👁 Christian Hintze, ✓ Sebastian Jankowski (translated by DeepL / Ninh Duy) Published 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 ...
Verdict - Prestige A16 AI+ with great performance, but also problems
At first glance, the 1,600p IPS display on the MSI Prestige A16 AI+ stands out as a key feature. Its high resolution, paired with a reflective surface, provides a clear and vibrant viewing experience. The Ryzen 9 365 processor also impresses, delivering approximately 10% better performance compared to the Prestige A16's Intel counterpart. Its gaming capabilities are equally noteworthy, with the added advantage of maintaining consistent performance even in battery mode. Overall, it comfortably outperforms rivals like the ZenBook S 16 and the Intel-based Prestige 16.
However, technical issues during testing prevented the system from getting a higher 3D performance score. The system occasionally struggled with certain programs and games, though future driver updates may resolve these issues. Additionally, the build quality leaves room for improvement. While the metal case is sturdy, it can makes unpleasant creaking sounds when under moderate pressure or twisting force, and the touchpad buttons occasionally get "stuck".
While the AMD Prestige A16 outperforms the Intel Prestige 16 in terms of raw performance, the one-year-older Intel system shows no signs of technical issues, offers longer battery life, and appears to have better build quality. At this stage, we cannot yet recommend upgrading to the AMD variant.
Pros
Cons
Possible competitors in comparison
Image | Model / Review | Price | Weight | Height | Display |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. 81.9%  | MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 ⎘ AMD Radeon 880M ⎘ 32 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | List Price: 1599 Euro | 2 kg | 17.35 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI IPS |
2. 84.1%  | Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 ⎘ AMD Radeon 880M ⎘ 24 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | Amazon: 1. $1,859.00 HIDevolution [2024] ASUS Zen... 2. $1,479.99 ASUS Zenbook S 16 Laptop, AM... 3. $11.99 KEANBOLL (3 Pack) Designed f... List Price: 1700 EUR | 1.5 kg | 12.9 mm | 16.00" 2880x1800 212 PPI OLED |
3. 85.6%  | Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE Intel Core Ultra 5 125U ⎘ Intel Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) ⎘ 32 GB Memory, 1000 GB SSD | Amazon: $999.00 List Price: 1800 Euro | 2 kg | 23.7 mm | 16.00" 1920x1200 142 PPI IPS LED |
4. 74.7%  | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 Intel Core 7 150U ⎘ Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs ⎘ 16 GB Memory | Amazon: 1. $679.99 Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9... 2. $799.99 Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9... 3. $899.99 Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9... List Price: 800 USD | 1.8 kg | 16.9 mm | 16.00" 1920x1200 142 PPI IPS |
5. 80%  | Ninkear A16 Pro AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS ⎘ AMD Radeon 780M ⎘ 32 GB Memory, 1000 GB SSD | Amazon: 1. $12.99 Vaxson 2-Pack Protector Film... 2. $18.99 Vaxson 2-Pack Protector Film... 3. $18.99 Vaxson 2-Pack Protector Film... List Price: 799 Euro | 1.8 kg | 24 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI IPS |
6. 79.1%  | Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 Intel Core 7 150U ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 Mobile ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | List Price: 929 Euro | 1.9 kg | 21 mm | 16.00" 1920x1200 142 PPI IPS |
Table of Contents
- Verdict - Prestige A16 AI+ with great performance, but also problems
- Specifications - Powerful processor
- Case and Features
- Input devices - Good keyboard, with sticky pad buttons
- Display - Prestige A16 AI+ comes with reflective IPS and OLED options
- Performance - Powerful MSI Prestige A16 AI+
- Emissions and Power - Less prestige for battery life
- Notebookcheck rating - Not as good as other options
Last year, MSI introduced the MSI Prestige 16 sans the "A" (A meaning AMD in this case), powered by the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H which scored 88 percentage points in our review. This year, the MSI Prestige A16 AI+ ups the ante with features like WiFi 7, the MSI AI Engine, and a stunning OLED display, making it the perfect companion for doing work on the go. In this review, let's see exactly how portable and powerful the laptop is plus how it contrasts with its predecessor, Intel-based; and, most importantly, what has been upgraded.
Unlike the just-launched MSI Summit A16 AI+ , the Prestige A16 AI+ is a traditional clamshell laptop, not a convertible. But the two laptops do share the same AMD Zen 5 processor, so performance comparisons between them are apples-to-apples. Another perfect point of comparison is the Asus ZenBook S 16 OLED, which also uses the same CPU.
Specifications - Powerful processor
Case and Features
The case has been completely redesigned and is now crafted from aluminum with a silver finish. However, it is significantly heavier than its predecessor (1.9 kg vs. 1.6 kg), which means it no longer competes with the more lightweight options like the LG Gram 16. This added weight has slightly impacted portability, an area where the predecessor model holds an advantage. On the positive side, the display lid is notably sturdier, showing minimal flex, and the hinges feel robust. Things aren't quite as good with the base. Generally stable, it does make some noise when twisted, like someone left a plastic bag inside.
To access the internals for maintenance, you’ll need to remove seven Phillips screws of varying lengths (notably, the two screws at the front are shorter), with one screw concealed centrally beneath a misleading warranty sticker. The internals have been rearranged, the WiFi module and the SSD can be replaced, there is no second M.2 slot. The fans and battery are easily accessible, but RAM is soldered and thus not user-upgradeable.
The infrared webcam with its Full HD resolution falls short compared to many competitors' models, which now offer resolutions of 3.7MP or even 5MP—as highlighted in our review of the Acer Swift Go 14 AI. Alongside the webcam and microphones, the system also includes ambient light sensors and a user proximity sensor.
There's no LAN (RJ45) port on the Prestige A16 AI+, but there is WiFi 7 courtesy of a Qualcomm chip, and this performs very well indeed on both 5GHz and 6GHz networks.
The A16 AI+ is not particularly well-appointed in terms of ports, but it does have a MicroSD slot, a total of three USB ports—only one of which is a Type A port—feels like a scant few for a laptop, especially since one of the two USB-C ports is usually occupied by the power supply. Additional ports include an HDMI output and a headset jack. In terms of design, the HDMI and USB-A ports are positioned quite close together on the right side, which could cause some inconvenience.
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (19.3 - 198, n=43, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (27.4 - 262, n=43, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
Sustainability
Unlike Lenovo, which provides CO₂ footprint data for models like the ThinkPad X13 2-in-1 or the X12 Detachable G2, MSI offers no information regarding production impact or the use of recycled materials. While the packaging is primarily cardboard, MSI still uses plastic to wrap the laptop and power supply unit.
Input devices - Good keyboard, with sticky pad buttons
The layout is neat, with a (narrow) numpad found on the right-hand side. However, MSI being MSI, the Fn key is position to the right of Space by default, so the user may find themselves hitting the Windows key by mistake because it's large and placed exactly where Fn normally is. The new Copilot key is positioned on the right, too, right next to Fn. Most keys measure 1.5 x 1.5cm and are evenly spaced, while the smaller function keys range from 0.5–0.8cm x 1cm but remain aligned. The compact arrow keys, reduced to 1.3cm in width, are neatly positioned in their designated area.
A white, three-stage backlight highlights the clear lettering, making it possible to work in the dark. The keys have medium travel and provide crisp feedback, allowing for fast typing with moderate noise.
The touchpad measures about 13.1 x 8.2 cm and possesses great gliding properties. Left clicks feel good to the finger, whereas right clicks feel a bit shallow and lacking in travel distance. After some time, the left click stopped working as expected. It would sometimes jam, failing to release properly.
Display - Prestige A16 AI+ comes with reflective IPS and OLED options
The Prestige A16 AI+ makes use of a reflective IPS display featuring a 1,600p resolution in a 16:10 aspect ratio. The screen is specified to cover the P3 color space and have a 165Hz refresh rate. A 2,400p OLED screen is available on other SKUs, which do not appear to be currently available or even listed on MSI's website. Be that as it may, the manufacturer still advertises the OLED option.
Subjectively, the IPS panel on the SKU tested is excellent, offering a clear and vibrant image thanks to its reflective surface. In terms of measurements, the similar panel in the predecessor was slightly better, boasting a lower black level and thus a higher contrast ratio among other differences. Otherwise, both screens do not substantially differ from each other. Both offer impressive visuals.
The average brightness is just under 450 nits. While MSI claims 100% DCI-P3 coverage, our measurements indicate around 95%, with full sRGB coverage confirmed as expected.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 86 %
Center on Battery: 488 cd/m²
Contrast: 1356:1 (Black: 0.36 cd/m²)
ΔE ColorChecker Calman: 3.45 | ∀{0.5-29.43 Ø4.83}
calibrated: 1.35
ΔE Greyscale Calman: 4.16 | ∀{0.09-98 Ø5.1}
83.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 3D)
99.7% sRGB (Argyll 3D)
94.6% Display P3 (Argyll 3D)
Gamma: 2.52
CCT: 6832 K
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 AUO28B2 (B160QAN02.N), IPS, 2560x1600, 16", 165 Hz | MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US AU Optronics B160QAN03.R, IPS, 2560x1600, 16", 60 Hz | Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W ATNA60CL10-0, OLED, 2880x1800, 16", 120 Hz | Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE B160UAN01.K, IPS LED, 1920x1200, 16", 60 Hz | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 LEN160WUXGA, IPS, 1920x1200, 16", 60 Hz | Ninkear A16 Pro cso1623, IPS, 2560x1600, 16", 120 Hz | Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 N160JCA-EEK (Chi Mei CMN163D), IPS, 1920x1200, 16", 60 Hz | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 1% | 6% | -7% | -48% | -15% | -46% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 94.6 | 96.7 2% | 99.8 5% | 79 -16% | 41.5 -56% | 68.7 -27% | 42.3 -55% |
| sRGB Coverage | 99.7 | 99.8 0% | 100 0% | 99.9 0% | 61.2 -39% | 97.6 -2% | 63.6 -36% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 83.4 | 84.6 1% | 94.6 13% | 79.8 -4% | 42.9 -49% | 71.1 -15% | 43.7 -48% |
| Response Times | -493% | 94% | -304% | -153% | -97% | -279% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 5.6 ? | 49.4 ? -782% | 0.4 ? 93% | 33.6 ? -500% | 20.7 ? -270% | 16.4 ? -193% | 31.4 ? -461% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 11.2 ? | 33.9 ? -203% | 0.6 ? 95% | 23.3 ? -108% | 15.1 ? -35% | 11.2 ? -0% | 22 ? -96% |
| PWM Frequency | 480 | ||||||
| PWM Amplitude * | 30 | ||||||
| Screen | -2% | 174% | 4% | -65% | 6% | -36% | |
| Brightness middle | 488 | 473.6 -3% | 391 -20% | 468 -4% | 313.3 -36% | 393.6 -19% | 352 -28% |
| Brightness | 444 | 456 3% | 391 -12% | 434 -2% | 308 -31% | 398 -10% | 324 -27% |
| Brightness Distribution | 86 | 87 1% | 98 14% | 90 5% | 91 6% | 91 6% | 86 0% |
| Black Level * | 0.36 | 0.19 47% | 0.02 94% | 0.23 36% | 0.37 -3% | 0.44 -22% | 0.27 25% |
| Contrast | 1356 | 2493 84% | 19550 1342% | 2035 50% | 847 -38% | 895 -34% | 1304 -4% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.45 | 5.9 -71% | 1.42 59% | 3.4 1% | 8.42 -144% | 2.32 33% | 4.41 -28% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 6.77 | 9.37 -38% | 4.69 31% | 7.2 -6% | 19.09 -182% | 3.72 45% | 15.04 -122% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 1.35 | 0.89 34% | 1.49 -10% | 1.8 -33% | 2.16 -60% | 1.05 22% | 3.52 -161% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 4.16 | 7.3 -75% | 1.5 64% | 4.5 -8% | 8.3 -100% | 2.69 35% | 3.32 20% |
| Gamma | 2.52 87% | 1.9 116% | 2.199 100% | 2.1 105% | 2.83 78% | 2.38 92% | 2.44 90% |
| CCT | 6832 95% | 7260 90% | 6684 97% | 6373 102% | 6296 103% | 6086 107% | 7122 91% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -165% /
-71% | 91% /
126% | -102% /
-42% | -89% /
-74% | -35% /
-13% | -120% /
-73% |
* ... smaller is better
Color deviations against the DCI-P3 color space are too high out of the box, but performing a calibration using CalMAN software and an X-Rite i1Pro 3 drops Delta-E values significantly. At just 0.21, the grayscale accuracy is very good; ColorChecker still shows a noticeable outlier in the blue range.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 11.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 5.8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 5.4 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 28 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (20.5 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 5.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 1.8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 3.8 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 16 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (32 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8320 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Working outdoors is feasible thanks to this display's good brightness. It's best, though, to look for shaded areas and position yourself right in front of the screen since the reflective surface may hinder visibility otherwise.
Performance - Powerful MSI Prestige A16 AI+
An AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 combined with an AMD Radeon 880M, 32GB of soldered RAM, and a 1TB Samsung SSD make for an enticing offering, making the device perfect for business and productivity tasks.
Testing conditions
The MSI Center is the software hub and also provides the AI-powered webcam and display features, in addition to the three performance modes: Eco-Silent, Balanced, and Extreme Performance. We stuck to the default Balanced mode for testing, with the AI engine turned off.
Out of the box, Windows Defender flagged a "potentially unwanted app" in the form of a pre-installed AskToolbar, which we promptly removed.
We encountered unexpected issues during some of our tests. WEBXPRT 4 initially failed to generate results, and DOTA 2 Reborn exhibited several graphical glitches along with a partially minimized application window. Cyberpunk 2077 suffered issues when gaming using an external monitor—issues that weren't replicated in any other application—as the screen went black from time to time, seemingly as if the signal was lost. Additionally, BatteryEater, our standard tool for battery testing, occasionally crashed, though a restart resolved the issue. These things do indeed attest to the fact that this system isn't running exactly as smoothly as one might expect.
Processor
The AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 is a fast mobile CPU from the Zen 5 Strix Point series, featuring 10 cores, a powerful integrated GPU (iGPU), and an AI accelerator capable of 50 TOPS—combined with the iGPU, it reaches 73 TOPS.
The Cinebench R15 loop shows a fairly consistent performance graph, with only a slight drop after half an hour. CPU performance is much better than the Asus ZenBook S 16, which uses the same processor. In fact, the Prestige A16 tops the charts in all of our CPU tests, besting the Intel-based Prestige by about 12%.
The TDP values observed during Cinebench R23 run in some interesting patterns. In Balanced mode, the system briefly starts at 55W before quickly stabilizing at a constant 45W. The AI engine follows the same pattern. In Extreme Performance mode, the TDP peaks at 70W briefly before settling at 50W instead of 45W, while Eco-Silent starts with a brief spike at 27W before immediately falling down to a steady 20W.
In battery mode, the performance in Cinebench R15 drops by a moderate 12%. The TDP is fairly constant at 43W in Cinebench R23, which is quite impressive, as one might expect the performance to be about as low as in Eco-Silent mode.
Cinebench R15 Multi sustained load test
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 6.4: Multi-Core | Single-Core
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
| CPU Performance Rating | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Average of class Multimedia | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Cinebench R23 / Multi Core | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (11462 - 20649, n=7) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (4861 - 30783, n=80, last 2 years) | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Cinebench R23 / Single Core | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (1942 - 2001, n=7) | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (1128 - 2290, n=72, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (5247 - 8070, n=7) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Average of class Multimedia (1887 - 11924, n=64, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (758 - 787, n=7) | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Average of class Multimedia (420 - 853, n=64, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (1950 - 3075, n=7) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (856 - 5224, n=71, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (195.7 - 306, n=7) | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Average of class Multimedia (99.6 - 323, n=66, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Average of class Multimedia (100 - 557, n=65, last 2 years) | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (160 - 270, n=7) | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (47754 - 71722, n=7) | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (29095 - 130368, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (5790 - 6062, n=7) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (3666 - 7545, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Geekbench 6.4 / Multi-Core | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (12627 - 15137, n=7) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (4983 - 25760, n=77, last 2 years) | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Geekbench 6.4 / Single-Core | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (2778 - 2920, n=7) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Average of class Multimedia (1534 - 3927, n=73, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (9599 - 14182, n=7) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Average of class Multimedia (4652 - 23059, n=63, last 2 years) | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (2062 - 2104, n=7) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (891 - 2555, n=63, last 2 years) | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (18.6 - 24.5, n=7) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Average of class Multimedia (5.26 - 34.3, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (50.8 - 60, n=7) | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Average of class Multimedia (23.9 - 146.7, n=60, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Average of class Multimedia (0.3604 - 0.947, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (0.4091 - 0.4272, n=7) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
| Performance Rating | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Average of class Multimedia | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (17096 - 32742, n=7) | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Average of class Multimedia (5121 - 50388, n=58, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (61976 - 126955, n=7) | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Average of class Multimedia (14528 - 201874, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (2951 - 5178, n=7) | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Average of class Multimedia (1188 - 8623, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (85333 - 93045, n=7) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Average of class Multimedia (21547 - 181505, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (11586 - 16342, n=7) | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Average of class Multimedia (1240 - 28794, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (33409 - 67374, n=7) | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Average of class Multimedia (9903 - 105740, n=58, last 2 years) | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Average of class Multimedia (26066 - 169946, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (47468 - 99502, n=7) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (706 - 1343, n=7) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Average of class Multimedia (440 - 2022, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (9061 - 17848, n=7) | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Average of class Multimedia (2759 - 26875, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (47654 - 53550, n=7) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average of class Multimedia (12860 - 65787, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
System performance
This is where another interesting contrast reveals itself. While the Prestige A16 AI+ came in 8 percentage points ahead of the Intel-based Prestige 16 in the PCMark 10 test, they switch places in the CrossMark test.
Overall, the system is responsive, with no noticeable dropouts or stutters. However, there are the aforementioned technical issues with certain applications.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
WebXPRT 3: Overall
WebXPRT 4: Overall
Mozilla Kraken 1.1: Total
| PCMark 10 / Score | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, AMD Radeon 880M (7045 - 7641, n=5) | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Average of class Multimedia (4325 - 8670, n=55, last 2 years) | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, AMD Radeon 880M (10421 - 11140, n=5) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (8025 - 12420, n=55, last 2 years) | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, AMD Radeon 880M (9841 - 10293, n=5) | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (6763 - 10615, n=55, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, AMD Radeon 880M (8973 - 10976, n=5) | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Average of class Multimedia (3651 - 15187, n=55, last 2 years) | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| CrossMark / Overall | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Average of class Multimedia (866 - 2255, n=65, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, AMD Radeon 880M (1658 - 1743, n=4) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| CrossMark / Productivity | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Average of class Multimedia (913 - 2050, n=65, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, AMD Radeon 880M (1508 - 1599, n=4) | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| CrossMark / Creativity | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, AMD Radeon 880M (2044 - 2074, n=4) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (907 - 2795, n=65, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Average of class Multimedia (605 - 2094, n=65, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, AMD Radeon 880M (1124 - 1360, n=4) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| WebXPRT 3 / Overall | |
| Average of class Multimedia (136.4 - 545, n=67, last 2 years) | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, AMD Radeon 880M (309 - 336, n=4) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| WebXPRT 4 / Overall | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (167.3 - 353, n=60, last 2 years) | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, AMD Radeon 880M (255 - 330, n=6) | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 / Total | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (254 - 835, n=72, last 2 years) | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, AMD Radeon 880M (430 - 456, n=6) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
* ... smaller is better
| PCMark 10 Score | 7596 points | |
Help | ||
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (87648 - 94710, n=7) | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Average of class Multimedia (21158 - 108302, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (89012 - 104349, n=7) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Average of class Multimedia (24312 - 125604, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (93627 - 106646, n=7) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Average of class Multimedia (24382 - 117933, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Average AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (103.6 - 129.8, n=7) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (7 - 346, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC latencies
With the LatencyMon tool active, our test laptop shows minor latency issues when opening multiple browser tabs. However, 4K/60 fps YouTube playback runs smoothly without dropped frames, and its latency value is among the lowest when compared to the competition.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage devices
Just like the Intel model, the A16 AI+ features a Samsung NVMe SSD. While MSI laptops tend to ship with higher-end SSDs, the SKU tested gets a mid-range drive for storing user data. As a result, its transfer rates are noticeably slower compared to the Intel Prestige. On the positive side, performance remains stable during extended use, unlike competitors such as the Lenovo ThinkPad T16 and Acer Aspire 16 A16, which both suffer from thermal throttling. In our best SSD list the under-the-radar drive is ranked 182nd. Despite the SSD model being around since mid 2020, the Prestige A16 AI+ is the first laptop we've tested with this particular drive.
* ... smaller is better
Sustained Read: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU performance
For 3D applications, the processor's integrated AMD Radeon 880M, one of the more powerful iGPUs available as of testing, performs exceptionally well in synthetic 3DMark tests.
It's 10% faster than the average laptop with the same iGPU in our database, nearly matching the performance of the dedicated RTX 2050 Mobile in the Acer Aspire 16. The Asus Zenbook S 16, with the same CPU and GPU, lags around 20% behind, while the Intel Arc 8-Core in its sister model is outperformed by approximately 15%.
The A16 AI+ secured second place in gaming, trailing only the Aspire 16 with a dGPU, but outperforming other competitors with no dGPU and the Intel Prestige. The Aspire takes the lead with its RTX 2050, while occasional graphics glitches in DOTA 2 Reborn prevent a higher performance score for the AMD model. Still, the Prestige A16 AI+ can handle modern games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Baldur's Gate 3 in Full HD, albeit at low to medium settings. Switching to Extreme Performance mode provides a slight boost, with Baldur’s Gate 3 Ultra seeing a 7% performance increase, from 27 to 28.9 fps.
When unplugged, 3D performance drops by only around 4 to 5% in a Fire Strike run.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 14703 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 39393 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 8786 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 3856 points | |
Help | ||
* ... smaller is better
| Cyberpunk 2077 2.2 Phantom Liberty - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset (FSR off) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (6.41 - 97.8, n=65, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| GTA V - 1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
| Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (9.38 - 141.6, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 | |
| Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W | |
| Ninkear A16 Pro | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
Cyberpunk 2077 Ultra settings FPS chart
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTA V (2015) | 166.1 | 76.9 | 31.2 | |
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 160.8 | 132.6 | 47.7 | 45.9 |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 78.1 | 39.8 | 28.7 | |
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 75.7 | 56.4 | 44.2 | |
| Strange Brigade (2018) | 175.5 | 72.8 | 60.6 | 49.9 |
| Baldur's Gate 3 (2023) | 45.9 | 34.2 | 27.9 | 27 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 2.2 Phantom Liberty (2023) | 48 | 38.1 | 30.1 | 25.8 |
Emissions and Power - Less prestige for battery life
Noise emissions
The two fans usually remain off in idle mode, but after a heavier load, they quickly quiet down without turning off entirely, even in Eco-Silent mode. At around 25dB, the fan noise is almost imperceptible, though in extremely quiet surroundings, a slight pulsing can be detected
In the 3DMark06 test, the fans gradually ramp up to around 35dB for most of the run, reaching a peak of about 41dB towards the end.
This peak volume is reached very seldom, though. While performing the stress test, the noise varied between 35 and 39dB, and a similar pattern occurred in Cyberpunk 2077.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 23 / 23 / 25.02 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 41.88 / 41.88 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 23 dB(A) | ||
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 Radeon 880M, Ryzen AI 9 365, Samsung PM9C1 MZVL81T0HELB-00BTW | MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US Arc 8-Core, Ultra 7 155H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB | Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W Radeon 880M, Ryzen AI 9 365, Micron 2400 MTFDKBA1T0QFM | Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE Graphics 4-Core, Ultra 5 125U, Lenovo UMIS RPETJ1T24MHP2QDQ | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Core 7 150U | Ninkear A16 Pro Radeon 780M, R7 8845HS, Authorain NV900-1T | Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 GeForce RTX 2050 Mobile, Core 7 150U, WD PC SN740 SDDQNQD-1T00-1014 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | -8% | 3% | -4% | 1% | 5% | -11% | |
| off / environment * | 23 | 24.5 -7% | 24 -4% | 24.7 -7% | 23 -0% | 23 -0% | 23 -0% |
| Idle Minimum * | 23 | 24.5 -7% | 24 -4% | 24.7 -7% | 23 -0% | 23 -0% | 23 -0% |
| Idle Average * | 23 | 26.3 -14% | 25 -9% | 24.7 -7% | 23 -0% | 23 -0% | 23 -0% |
| Idle Maximum * | 25.02 | 26.3 -5% | 26 -4% | 24.7 1% | 23 8% | 23 8% | 31 -24% |
| Load Average * | 41.88 | 36.5 13% | 35 16% | 34 19% | 43.3 -3% | 37.68 10% | 46.57 -11% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * | 39.79 | 36 10% | 45.9 -15% | 40.8 -3% | 37.68 5% | 50 -26% | |
| Load Maximum * | 41.88 | 52.9 -26% | 36 14% | 46.2 -10% | 40.9 2% | 37.41 11% | 50 -19% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 46.3 |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
Although the fans are located centrally, close to the display, the left-hand side of the top case gets warmer because that's where the SoC is placed. Under maximum load, the keyboard is noticeably warmer on the left side compared to the right. We measured the hot spot near the top-center which reached 52°C, while the underside remained relatively cooler with a maximum of 44°C.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 52 °C / 126 F, compared to the average of 36.9 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 44 °C / 111 F, compared to the average of 39.2 °C / 103 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.4 °C / 80 F, compared to the device average of 31.3 °C / 88 F.
(±) 3: The average temperature for the upper side is 37.4 °C / 99 F, compared to the average of 31.3 °C / 88 F for the class Multimedia.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 30 °C / 86 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.7 °C / 83.7 F (-1.3 °C / -2.3 F).
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, AMD Radeon 880M | MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, Intel Arc 8-Core iGPU | Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, AMD Radeon 880M | Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE Intel Core Ultra 5 125U, Intel Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 Intel Core 7 150U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs | Ninkear A16 Pro AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, AMD Radeon 780M | Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 Intel Core 7 150U, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 Mobile | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | 7% | -9% | 12% | 10% | 2% | -7% | |
| Maximum Upper Side * | 52 | 48.8 6% | 48 8% | 37.1 29% | 35.4 32% | 43 17% | 47 10% |
| Maximum Bottom * | 44 | 47.6 -8% | 53 -20% | 43.7 1% | 33 25% | 50 -14% | 50 -14% |
| Idle Upper Side * | 28 | 24.2 14% | 31 -11% | 24.9 11% | 30.2 -8% | 31 -11% | |
| Idle Bottom * | 28 | 23.6 16% | 32 -14% | 26 7% | 30.2 -8% | 32 -14% |
* ... smaller is better
Speakers
These speakers get loud, but the bass is weak, and overall, the sound is not well-balanced. Included is a combined 3.5mm headset port, which enables the user to connect analog audio devices such as headphones or external amplifiers.
MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (82.02 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 23.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.2% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.6% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (5.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (21.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 75% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 20% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 60% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 33% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (81 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 6.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.9% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (3.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (8.1% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 6% of all tested devices in this class were better, 1% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 1% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 98% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Power consumption
With this system, screen brightness has the most significant impact on energy consumption when idling. When set to 150 nits, the laptop draws around 8 to 8.5W, and at full brightness, it consumes over 12W, which is comparable to the Intel-based model. The ZenBook S 16, which features the same CPU, exhibits similar power usage. However, on average, rivals with Ryzen CPUs tend to consume slightly less power while idle.
The maximum power draw of around 96W is short-lived and slightly lower than that of the Intel-based A16. The compact 100W USB-C power supply from MSI efficiently handles these peak loads. The AMD Prestige only goes over the limit during short, intense loads due to its higher Turbo Boost clock speeds.
The Intel competition may have a slight edge in terms of gaming power consumption, but this difference is relatively insignificant when you consider the higher performance offered by the Ryzen AI 9 365.
| Off / Standby | 0.6 / 0.5 Watt |
| Idle | 6.9 / 12 / 12.5 Watt |
| Load |
79.8 / 96 Watt |
   
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 Ryzen AI 9 365, Radeon 880M, Samsung PM9C1 MZVL81T0HELB-00BTW, IPS, 2560x1600, 16" | MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US Ultra 7 155H, Arc 8-Core, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB, IPS, 2560x1600, 16" | Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W Ryzen AI 9 365, Radeon 880M, Micron 2400 MTFDKBA1T0QFM, OLED, 2880x1800, 16" | Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE Ultra 5 125U, Graphics 4-Core, Lenovo UMIS RPETJ1T24MHP2QDQ, IPS LED, 1920x1200, 16" | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 Core 7 150U, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, , IPS, 1920x1200, 16" | Ninkear A16 Pro R7 8845HS, Radeon 780M, Authorain NV900-1T, IPS, 2560x1600, 16" | Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 Core 7 150U, GeForce RTX 2050 Mobile, WD PC SN740 SDDQNQD-1T00-1014, IPS, 1920x1200, 16" | Average AMD Radeon 880M | Average of class Multimedia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 17% | 28% | 40% | 37% | -4% | -8% | 17% | 4% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 6.9 | 3 57% | 6 13% | 3.1 55% | 3.3 52% | 6.5 6% | 8.8 -28% | 5.5 ? 20% | 6.05 ? 12% |
| Idle Average * | 12 | 9.5 21% | 7 42% | 6.4 47% | 7.5 37% | 10.7 11% | 12.8 -7% | 9.47 ? 21% | 10.8 ? 10% |
| Idle Maximum * | 12.5 | 12 4% | 13 -4% | 7.9 37% | 7.8 38% | 11.1 11% | 14.1 -13% | 10.8 ? 14% | 12.7 ? -2% |
| Load Average * | 79.8 | 68.3 14% | 44 45% | 44 45% | 56.9 29% | 68.5 14% | 80 -0% | 65.8 ? 18% | 67.8 ? 15% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * | 62.5 | 44.6 29% | 40.6 35% | 48.7 22% | 72.8 -16% | 73.5 -18% | |||
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra external monitor * | 74.5 | 36.7 51% | 41.2 45% | 104.4 -40% | 72 3% | ||||
| Load Maximum * | 96 | 104.8 -9% | 58 40% | 86.5 10% | 62.4 35% | 107 -11% | 90.53 6% | 85 ? 11% | 111.7 ? -16% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 59.8 |
* ... smaller is better
Power consumption - Cyberpunk 2077 (gaming stress test)
Power consumption - external monitor
Battery life
The MSI tested here comes with an 82Wh battery, while the Intel-powered version has a 99.99Wh battery. As a result, runtimes are slightly shorter here compared to the sister model. We measured around 11.5 hours of WiFi Web browsing and 10 hours of video playback runtime with the display brightness lowered to 150 cd/m2. The Intel Prestige lasts almost 50% longer with its 18% larger battery. However, other competitors aren't noticeably ahead.
| MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036 Ryzen AI 9 365, Radeon 880M, 82 Wh | MSI Prestige 16 B1MG-001US Ultra 7 155H, Arc 8-Core, 99.9 Wh | Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA-RK052W Ryzen AI 9 365, Radeon 880M, 78 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE Ultra 5 125U, Graphics 4-Core, 86 Wh | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16IRU9 Core 7 150U, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 57 Wh | Ninkear A16 Pro R7 8845HS, Radeon 780M, 80 Wh | Acer Aspire 16 A16-51GM-77G2 Core 7 150U, GeForce RTX 2050 Mobile, 48.5 Wh | Average of class Multimedia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 46% | 6% | 8% | -8% | -32% | -9% | 13% | |
| H.264 | 609 | 498 -18% | 954 ? 57% | |||||
| WiFi v1.3 | 683 | 1100 61% | 722 6% | 820 20% | 761 11% | 450 -34% | 607 -11% | 694 ? 2% |
| Load | 127 | 166 31% | 122 -4% | 94 -26% | 89 -30% | 130 2% | 102.2 ? -20% | |
| Reader / Idle | 1506 | 1568 | 1262 ? |
Notebookcheck rating - Not as good as other options
The MSI Prestige A16 AI+ stands out with its impressive performance, powered by the above-average Ryzen 9 365. However, it doesn't fully reach its potential due to technical issues, meaning its competitors are noticeably ahead overall. The build quality could also benefit from some refinement.
MSI Prestige A16 AI+ A3HMG-036
- 01/08/2025 v8
Christian Hintze
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The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was provided to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or retailer for the purpose of this review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. We never accept compensation or payment in return for our reviews. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
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