MSI Stealth 15M GeForce RTX Laptop Review: Faster Graphics than the Dell XPS 15, HP Spectre x360, or Asus ZenBook

(March 3, 2021 update: MSI has clarified with us that the Stealth 15M is "a balanced solution for users who are looking for an ultra-portable gaming experience" and that it is not a content creation or business laptop. It is therefore not in the same category as the prestige, Creator, Summit, or Modern models. Our original unedited review is below.)
Not to be confused with the 15.6-inch MSI GS66 Stealth, the 15.6-inch MSI Stealth 15M is a completely different model designed for content creators, office, or professional use. It's in the same category as the existing MSI Prestige, Creator, Summit, or Modern series of laptops but with important specification differences.
The distinguishing feature of the Stealth 15M is its fast GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q or RTX 3060 graphics paired with an 11th gen Core U-series CPU. Most other laptops in this category are limited to Geforce GTX or MX graphics only and come with Core H-series CPUs instead like the Dell XPS 15, HP Spectre x360 15, or Asus ZenBook 15. The MSI system will therefore offer significantly faster graphics performance than most of its immediate competitors — at least on paper. Its closest competitor is the 2020 HP Envy 15 which comes with the same RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU but an even faster Core H processor.
Our configuration in review is equipped with the Tiger Lake Core i7-1185G7 CPU, 32 GB of RAM, GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU, 60 Hz FHD display, and 1 TB NVMe SSD for approximately $1500 USD at retail. The updated configurations set to launch in March 2021 will come with the Core i7-11375H CPU, 144 Hz display, and GeForce RTX 3060 GPU instead. All options thus far have a fixed 1080p resolution display.
More MSI reviews:
potential competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
82.4 % v7 (old) | 02 / 2021 | MSI Stealth 15M A11SEK i7-1185G7, GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q | 1.7 kg | 16.15 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
85 % v7 (old) | 01 / 2020 | HP Spectre X360 15-5ZV31AV i7-10510U, GeForce MX250 | 2.1 kg | 19.3 mm | 15.60" | 3840x2160 | |
90.1 % v7 (old) | 06 / 2020 | Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i7 4K UHD i7-10875H, GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile | 2 kg | 18 mm | 15.60" | 3840x2400 | |
86.6 % v7 (old) | 02 / 2021 | Lenovo ThinkPad T15p-20TN0006GE i7-10750H, GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile | 2.2 kg | 22.7 mm | 15.60" | 3840x2160 | |
87 % v7 (old) | 12 / 2020 | Asus ZenBook UX535-M01440 i7-10750H, GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q | 2 kg | 20 mm | 15.60" | 3840x2160 | |
85.2 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2019 | MSI Prestige 15 A10SC i7-10710U, GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q | 1.7 kg | 16 mm | 15.60" | 3840x2160 |
Case
Chassis design is different from the Modern, Creator, and Prestige models. Even so, the Stealth 15M uses similar metal chassis materials for a similar look and feel. This also means that it suffers from the same advantages and disadvantages for better or worse. Its slim and sleek design is arguably attractive, but the base and lid are very prone to flexing when compared to the XPS 15, Envy 15, Spectre x360 15, and most other flagship 15.6-inch multimedia laptops for that matter. We don't have much faith in the weak hinges lasting for more than a couple of years, either.
The low weight is an important characteristic of the Stealth 15M as the system is roughly 300 g lighter than many of its 15.6-inch competitors including the XPS 15. What makes the weight difference more remarkable is that the MSI also comes with significantly faster graphics options than any of these heavier alternatives. It's a lot of power for not a lot of weight.
Overall dimensions of the MSI are larger than on both the XPS 15 and Prestige 15 due to the thicker chin bezel.
Connectivity
Port options are similar to the Prestige 15 but with a proprietary barrel charger port in place of one of the USB-C ports. MSI likely couldn't rely completely on USB-C charging here due to the higher power demands of the GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q when compared to the GTX 1650 Max-Q of the Prestige model. The ports here are tightly packed along the left and right edges.
SD Card Reader
SD Card Reader | |
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i7 4K UHD (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
MSI Stealth 15M A11SEK (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 32GB) | |
HP Spectre X360 15-5ZV31AV (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II) | |
MSI Prestige 15 A10SC (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15p-20TN0006GE (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Asus ZenBook UX535-M01440 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB) | |
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
MSI Stealth 15M A11SEK (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 32GB) | |
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i7 4K UHD (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
MSI Prestige 15 A10SC (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II) | |
HP Spectre X360 15-5ZV31AV (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15p-20TN0006GE (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Asus ZenBook UX535-M01440 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB) |
Communication
An Intel AX201 come standard for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity. We experienced no issues when paired to our Netgear RAX200 test router, though transmit rates are much slower than expected.
Webcam

Maintenance
Despite our cries, MSI continues to discourage end-user upgrades with a 'factory seal' sticker over one of the screws on the bottom plate. Claiming warranty or retail returns can be difficult because sellers can use the broken seal against you.
Accessories and Warranty
The retail box includes a USB-A to RJ-45 adapter alongside the paperwork and Ac adapter. There is no velvet cleaning cloth unlike in the retail box for tghe GS66.
A two-year manufacturer warranty comes standard.
Input Devices
Keyboard
Keyboard feedback and layout are identical to what you'll find on the Prestige 15 save for the split FN/Ctrl keys near the bottom right. Thus, our existing comments on the Prestige keyboard apply here including the light and shallow keys relative to the firmer keys of the HP Spectre or Lenovo ThinkPad keys. Users accustomed to typing on an Asus ZenBook or VivoBook will find a familiar typing experience on the Stealth 15M.
Unlike the MSI Prestige, Modern, or Creator, the keyboard backlight here is compatible with RGB colors via MSI Mystic Light. Options are limited to single-zone only in contrast to the per-key RGB settings on the GS66 series.
Touchpad
The clickpad (10.5 x 6.5 cm) is smaller than the one on the XPS 15 (15.1 x 9 cm) or HP Spectre x360 15 (12 x 6 cm). Cursor control is smooth with almost no sticking even if gliding very slowly across the surface. Its integrated clickpad buttons, however, are spongy and difficult to use for long periods. An external mouse is highly recommended if you need to do a lot of clicking.
Display
The Stealth 15M comes with the same 60 Hz Chi Mei N156HCE-EN1 IPS panel as found on the Lenovo ThinkPad P52, Yoga 720-15IKB, Asus ZenBook Pro UX550, and even MSI's own Modern 15. Innate characteristics like the decent contrast ratio, color space, black-white response times, and overall visual quality are therefore quite similar between these systems especially with the Modern 15.
A notable disadvantage of the display is its mediocre maximum brightness of only 279 nits. Though serviceable for indoor conditions, this is much lower than most other 15.6-inch multimedia laptops in the same price range as shown by the table below.
|
Brightness Distribution: 82 %
Center on Battery: 279 cd/m²
Contrast: 872:1 (Black: 0.32 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 1.72 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.89, calibrated: 1.39
ΔE Greyscale 2.9 | 0.5-98 Ø5.1
93.2% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
59% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
64.1% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
93.4% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
62% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.3
MSI Stealth 15M A11SEK Chi Mei N156HCE-EN1, IPS, 15.6", 1920x1080 | Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i7 4K UHD Sharp LQ156R1, IPS, 15.6", 3840x2400 | Lenovo ThinkPad T15p-20TN0006GE MNF601EA1-1, IPS LED, 15.6", 3840x2160 | Asus ZenBook UX535-M01440 BOE0866, IPS, 15.6", 3840x2160 | MSI Prestige 15 A10SC Sharp LQ156D1JW42, IPS, 15.6", 3840x2160 | HP Envy 15-ep0098nr Samsung SDC4145, AMOLED, 15.6", 3840x2160 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | 36% | 33% | 9% | 29% | 35% | |
Display P3 Coverage | 62 | 89.7 45% | 86.8 40% | 68.8 11% | 82 32% | 88.5 43% |
sRGB Coverage | 93.4 | 100 7% | 99.3 6% | 99.5 7% | 98.3 5% | 100 7% |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 64.1 | 99.8 56% | 98.5 54% | 70.1 9% | 96.2 50% | 99.9 56% |
Response Times | -4% | 27% | 31% | -13% | 30% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 47.6 ? | 54 ? -13% | 41.6 ? 13% | 34 ? 29% | 60 ? -26% | 0.8 ? 98% |
Response Time Black / White * | 35.2 ? | 33.2 ? 6% | 21.2 ? 40% | 24 ? 32% | 41.2 ? -17% | 2.7 ? 92% |
PWM Frequency | 25000 ? | 26040 ? 4% | 242.7 ? -99% | |||
Screen | -6% | 54% | 12% | -5% | -36% | |
Brightness middle | 279 | 557.9 100% | 595 113% | 402 44% | 464.5 66% | 374.3 34% |
Brightness | 252 | 541 115% | 594 136% | 375 49% | 451 79% | 379 50% |
Brightness Distribution | 82 | 91 11% | 94 15% | 84 2% | 92 12% | 91 11% |
Black Level * | 0.32 | 0.39 -22% | 0.32 -0% | 0.35 -9% | 0.5 -56% | |
Contrast | 872 | 1431 64% | 1859 113% | 1149 32% | 929 7% | |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 1.72 | 4.54 -164% | 1.2 30% | 2.47 -44% | 3.36 -95% | 5.47 -218% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 5.62 | 7.92 -41% | 2.5 56% | 4.32 23% | 7.06 -26% | 8.22 -46% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 1.39 | 3.82 -175% | 1 28% | 2.36 -70% | 3.42 -146% | 4.61 -232% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2.9 | 3.2 -10% | 1.4 52% | 2.26 22% | 1.3 55% | 2.3 21% |
Gamma | 2.3 96% | 1.99 111% | 2.1 105% | 2.49 88% | 2.14 103% | 2.09 105% |
CCT | 6700 97% | 6451 101% | 6492 100% | 6285 103% | 6596 99% | 6340 103% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 59 | 89.5 52% | 85.3 45% | 99 68% | 84.8 44% | 87.8 49% |
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 93.2 | 100 7% | 99.2 6% | 98.3 5% | 100 7% | |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | 9% /
2% | 38% /
47% | 17% /
14% | 4% /
-0% | 10% /
-8% |
* ... smaller is better
The system is well-calibrated out of the box with average grayscale and ColorChecker deltaE values of just 2.9 and 1.72, respectively. Calibrating the display even further with our X-Rite colorimeter would improve the averages just marginally. Interestingly, teal and green colors are represented more inaccurately than all other colors by wide margins even after calibration.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
35.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 22 ms rise | |
↘ 13.2 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 92 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
47.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 25.2 ms rise | |
↘ 22.4 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 80 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.7 ms). |
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM detected | 25000 Hz | ≤ 25 % brightness setting | |
The display backlight flickers at 25000 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 25 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 25000 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8619 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. |
Outdoor visibility is merely average due to the relatively dim maximum brightness level. This is unfortunate because the lightweight chassis design might actually encourage owners to use the Stealth 15M outdoors more often.
Performance
The MSI system is unique in that users have the option to pair the GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU with a Core U series CPU instead of the more common Core H series. The latest configurations come with even faster processors including the 11th gen Core i7-11375H and Nvidia Ampere GeForce RTX 3060 to replace the older 10th gen CPUs and Turing GPUs.
Our unit was set to Extreme Performance mode via MSI Dragon Center prior to running any performance benchmarks.
Processor
Of the dozen or so laptops we've tested thus far with the same Core i7-1185G7 CPU, our Stealth 15M is one of the fastest with CineBench xT scores that are 12 to 16 percent higher than the average. Its excellent performance can be attributed to the good Turbo Boost sustainability of the CPU as shown by our graph below. The Summit E15 equipped with the same CPU, for example, would run about 15 percent slower than our Stealth 15M after accounting for any performance throttling on both systems. Single-thread performance is even more impressive with CineBench scores outperforming even the Core i7-10875H.
Overall multi-thread performance is still about 23 to 27 percent slower than the more power-hungry octa-core Core i7-10875H or hexa-core Core i7-10750H as found on most high-performance laptops.
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.5: Single-Core | Multi-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.5: Single-Core | Multi-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
PCMark benchmarks are higher than most other Core H-series multimedia laptops due to the faster GeForce RTX GPU and high performance-per-watt from the CPU.
We didn't experience any software issues during our time with the test unit. Owners should become familiar with the MSI Dragon Center software as it is a control center for most of the system's settings.
PCMark 10 Score | 5880 points | |
Help |
DPC Latency
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i7 4K UHD | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15p-20TN0006GE | |
Asus ZenBook UX535-M01440 | |
MSI Stealth 15M A11SEK |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
Internal storage options are limited to just a single M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 slot. Our test unit comes with a 1 TB WD SN530 which is a mid-range NVMe SSD in contrast to the higher-end SN750 series. Sequential read and write rates are still very good at about 2400 MB/s and 2000 MB/s, respectively, compared to >3000 MB/s on more expensive drives.
MSI Stealth 15M A11SEK WDC PC SN530 SDBPNPZ-1T00 | HP Spectre X360 15-5ZV31AV Intel SSD 660p 2TB SSDPEKNW020T8 | Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i7 4K UHD SK Hynix PC611 512GB | Asus ZenBook UX535-M01440 WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-1T00 | MSI Prestige 15 A10SC Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AS SSD | -26% | -16% | -11% | 4% | |
Seq Read | 1868 | 1220 -35% | 2072 11% | 1886 1% | 1274 -32% |
Seq Write | 1881 | 1152 -39% | 1486 -21% | 1221 -35% | 1395 -26% |
4K Read | 45.86 | 52.3 14% | 47.41 3% | 41.16 -10% | 50.3 10% |
4K Write | 232.6 | 146.6 -37% | 117.6 -49% | 101.2 -56% | 119.8 -48% |
4K-64 Read | 992 | 652 -34% | 967 -3% | 1022 3% | 1599 61% |
4K-64 Write | 1532 | 847 -45% | 715 -53% | 1618 6% | 1455 -5% |
Access Time Read * | 0.047 | 0.077 -64% | 0.057 -21% | 0.058 -23% | 0.044 6% |
Access Time Write * | 0.166 | 0.106 36% | 0.096 42% | 0.037 78% | 0.092 45% |
Score Read | 1225 | 826 -33% | 1222 0% | 1252 2% | 1777 45% |
Score Write | 1953 | 1109 -43% | 981 -50% | 1841 -6% | 1714 -12% |
Score Total | 3814 | 2371 -38% | 2809 -26% | 3706 -3% | 4411 16% |
Copy ISO MB/s | 2320 | 2070 -11% | 1999 -14% | 1611 -31% | 2830 22% |
Copy Program MB/s | 681 | 571 -16% | 627 -8% | 509 -25% | 609 -11% |
Copy Game MB/s | 1588 | 1219 -23% | 1001 -37% | 677 -57% | 1424 -10% |
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6 | -20% | -9% | -10% | -30% | |
Write 4K | 262.6 | 151.5 -42% | 123.3 -53% | 110 -58% | 150.8 -43% |
Read 4K | 45.41 | 59.3 31% | 41.85 -8% | 43.44 -4% | 47.3 4% |
Write Seq | 2001 | 1424 -29% | 2054 3% | 1957 -2% | 981 -51% |
Read Seq | 1659 | 1609 -3% | 1617 -3% | 1615 -3% | 976 -41% |
Write 4K Q32T1 | 648 | 393.6 -39% | 413 -36% | 341.6 -47% | 442.7 -32% |
Read 4K Q32T1 | 767 | 369.4 -52% | 377.5 -51% | 364.3 -53% | 499.7 -35% |
Write Seq Q32T1 | 2002 | 1946 -3% | 2705 35% | 3081 54% | 1706 -15% |
Read Seq Q32T1 | 2415 | 1934 -20% | 3442 43% | 3251 35% | 1758 -27% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -23% /
-24% | -13% /
-13% | -11% /
-11% | -13% /
-8% |
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
Graphics performance is on par with many gaming laptops to easily outclass nearly all other ultra-thin 15.6-inch multimedia laptops. Upgrading to the GeForce RTX 3060 configuration would bring even greater performance advantages, but we can't estimate the increase at the moment as we've yet to test the RTX 3060 SKU.
See our dedicated page on the GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.
3DMark 11 Performance | 16516 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 29474 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 12716 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 5390 points | |
Help |
GTA V | |
1920x1080 Lowest Settings possible | |
MSI Stealth 15M A11SEK | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q () | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-42-R27B | |
1366x768 Normal/Off AF:4x | |
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G | |
MSI Stealth 15M A11SEK | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q () | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-42-R27B | |
1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G | |
MSI Stealth 15M A11SEK | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q () | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-42-R27B |
Strange Brigade | |
1280x720 lowest AF:1 | |
MSI Stealth 15M A11SEK | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q () | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
1920x1080 medium AA:medium AF:4 | |
MSI Stealth 15M A11SEK | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q () | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
1920x1080 high AA:high AF:8 | |
MSI Stealth 15M A11SEK | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q () | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
1920x1080 ultra AA:ultra AF:16 | |
MSI Stealth 15M A11SEK | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q () | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE |