As one of the few slimline 18-inch gaming laptops on the market, the MSI Stealth 18 AI has a lot going for it. It’s sleek, relatively lightweight (in this category at least), and packs the specs to take on both day-to-day content creation and evening gaming jobs. It’s got some stiff competition in the Razer Blade 18, a machine that packs a better build quality at a similar price (but you’ll need to drop the 4K display to get there), and doesn’t quite reach the heights of the far more premium MSI Titan 18 HX and MSI Raider 18 HX.

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Key Specs

Price≈$3,749 Row 0 - Cell 2

Display18-inch 4K Mini LED at 120Hz18-inch QHD+ IPS at 240Hz

ProcessorIntel Core Ultra 9 185HIntel Core Ultra 7 155H

GPUNvidia GeForce RTX 4080RTX 4090 | RTX 4070 | RTX 4060

RAM32GB RAM16GB | 64GB

Storage2TB SSD1TB SSD

ConnectivityWiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4-

Ports1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Ethernet, 1x Thunderbolt 4 (Power Delivery, DisplayPort), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (DisplayPort), 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, MicroSD, 3.5mm audio-

Dimensions0.94 x 15.74 x 11.41 inches-

Weight2.8kg (6.39lbs)-

Stealth is the name of the game here, and MSI’s slimline machine doesn’t want to give anything away. Yes, it’s a gaming laptop first and foremost, but the minimalist design means it can slide under the radar in a more professional setting as well. The full black design is on the cusp of being boring, without the extra red or blue flairs found on the Titan and Raider line to help it make its mark. Instead, this is a full matte aesthetic with very little in the way of distinguishing features. Save for those slightly gray upward-firing speakers on the main deck, a skinny strip (so skinny you could easily miss it) of RGB lighting, and a slightly indented keyboard, this is a simple black brick. I do like that small burst of color, it's just the right level of pzazz without taking over the deck as a whole - but the Stealth feels like it needs more of these nods running elsewhere in the design.