CES 2023: Hands-On With MSI’s Stealth 14 Studio, a New Slick, Small Gamer

MSI is giving its whole Stealth gaming laptop lineup a facelift, and the new Stealth 14 Studio will be the most portable of the bunch when it launches this February. We were able to go hands-on with the laptop in the leadup to CES 2023, and bring you our impressions in the video above and our notes below. Let's go lean.

A New Slick Design, in Two Distinct Colors

As the Stealth series name implies, this is a laptop line focused on slim, sleek designs, so at 14 inches, you can rightly expect this machine to be extremely travel-friendly. It weighs just 3.9 pounds, light for a gaming system, and it flies under the radar at three-quarters of an inch thick. You can see this laptop has a small footprint, and it can be carried under your arm or tossed in a bag easily.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

You can also see these two classy color options, officially named Star Blue and Pure White. You’ll see the same color schemes on the larger Stealth 16 Studio, bringing some color and style to the lineup. The Stealth name is also emblazoned across the rear edge, backed with RGB lighting to go with the customizable per-key keyboard lighting. It's a striking look.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

A Small, But Advanced, Display

That 14-inch display is ready for gaming, with a QHD+ resolution and a 240Hz peak refresh rate. The addition of “Studio” to the name of the line also indicates that these laptops are aimed at the professional content-creator crowd, too. To serve both audiences, the screen not only has a roomy 16:10 aspect ratio, but 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

Backing the workloads for both of those types of users will be the latest 2023 midrange and high-end components from Nvidia and Intel. The full-scale power of the newest generation processors will be saved for larger machines, like the 16-inch version of the MSI Stealth, but since the 14-inch model is still a premium system, it should be more than capable.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

The remaining feature set isn’t the most remarkable—this laptop really is about the size, the updated components, and the QHD+ screen. Still, there’s a 720p IR webcam with a shutter, Killer Ethernet, and Thunderbolt 4 support.

Check back in later in Q1 for information on pricing and availability, as well as a full review when units become available.