MSI is charging US$1,699.99 for the Stealth 14 Studio - featuring an RTX 4050 Laptop without Advanced Optimus

The new MSI Stealth 14 Studio is a 14-inch gaming laptop featuring the new Intel Core i7-13700H as well as the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop - although, alternative configurations are available which feature the more powerful GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop and RTX 4070 Laptop models. In our detailed test, the device may have impressed with its good power yield and accurate display including quick reaction speeds and a 240-Hz refresh rate - but unfortunately, the laptop also struggled with a few issues that are hard to accept given its premium price of $1,699.99. 

Flaws include the MSI laptop's very flexible screen lid that we were able to bend without using much power (and that didn't return to its original position by itself). Its keyboard isn't exactly impressive either, with its rickety feel - despite the fact you can adjust each individual key's lighting. The screen's black value is also elevated, meaning black content is depicted more as a dark gray tone and subjectively, the display's quality is simply lacking compared to OLED and Mini LED panels. 

Taking into account the device's high price, the installed RTX 4050 Laptop also proves to be a little problematic - especially without the use of Advanced Optimus. It may feature a MUX control, but switching requires a restart, which is impractical in everyday use. The Stealth 14 Studio's power consumption is also unusually high - even in idle more (despite iGPU). In turn, this leads to comparatively low runtimes. 

The biggest problem of all proves to be the laptop's annoying fans. It isn't unusual for a compact gaming laptop to produce a lot of noise while playing games or under extreme load - but even in idle mode and during really simple tasks, the MSI Stealth 14 Studio almost always suffers from an audible whirring noise of up to 34 dB(A). This is even the case when lower power modes are selected. We also measured fan spikes of over 40 dB(A) when the fans started up. This is simply incredibly annoying and completely unnecessary. If you are looking to use the laptop purely as a gaming device with a headset connected at all times, then this may be tolerable. If you aren't, then it might not be.

Its gaming performance is good, but the Stealth 14 Studio is simply much too expensive and mistakes such as its poor fan control will get annoying in the long run. All the further infos about the Stealth 14 Studio are listed in our detailed review:

• MSI Stealth 14 Studio review (Core i7-13700H, RTX 4050 Laptop, 240 Hz WQHD)