What's The Deal With AI Laptops? Here Are 4 Things To Consider When Buying One

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This Spotlight is sponsored by MSI.

AI laptops are new types of personal computers (PCs) designed with the ability to handle artificial intelligence (AI) tasks natively on the device instead of on the cloud. These tasks are handled by a specialised chip call the Neural Processing Unit (NPU), which is tailored towards AI and machine learning tasks.

For example, PCs with AI functionality can perform incredibly complex tasks such as generative image editing on Adobe software, real-time language translations, or even remembering your computer activity over the course of several hours.

On-board AI functionality can also make everyday tasks more intuitive by learning your usage habits or adapting your hardware settings to your workload automatically. Other perks may include extended battery performance, clearer video conferencing, and quicker load times for your most-used applications.

To create a distinction between regular PCs and ones powerful enough to handle these AI tasks, Microsoft has even created a category called Copilot+ PC. A system that is a Copilot+ PC indicates that its NPU is powerful enough — more than 40 TOPS (Tera Operations per second) — to carry out the most exciting features from its Copilot AI assistant right within the machine itself.

The very first step is to know what your primary needs are for an AI laptop.

You can start with the following categories:

1. Content Creation

You'll want a laptop with powerful image and video editing capabilities boosted by AI. These can be found in MSI's Creator A16 AI+ laptop, which is designed to handle demanding creative tasks through tools in-built AI tools.

For example, the MSI AI Artist application allows you to speed up your creation process by generating visuals from text.

2. Work or Study

If you're a professional or a student, then portability, security, and long-lasting battery life will likely be important to you.

A laptop like the MSI Prestige 13 AI+ will entice you with its small form-factor, strong power efficiency, and enterprise-level security features such as facial recognition and fingerprint login.

3. Gaming

Of course, a laptop made for gaming will have a beefy graphics card to handle the latest games. But combined with AI functionality, you can expect to enjoy performance that is optimised during every gaming session.

A laptop like the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ satisfies these requirements by pairing NVIDIA RTX graphics with an AI processor which ensures you get stable framerates and zero slowdowns.

As mentioned in the section above, the component that separates AI laptops from the rest of the pack is the inclusion of NPUs. In an AI laptop, the NPU is the component that allows the laptop to handle AI tasks locally, reducing lag and speeding up real-time tasks like video calls and gaming.

Luckily, all of MSI's AI laptops come with competitive NPUs, such as those found in Intel's Lunar Lake or AMD's Strix Point processors. This combination of NPUs and high-performance processing equals consistent performance across a wide variety of AI tasks while ensuring that your main workflow doesn't get impacted along the way.

If you have a laptop equipped with an NPU, you can take full advantage of AI-focused features, so be sure to look for them when deciding on your next machine.

For instance, Copilot+ PCs can generate images from text natively, switch between gaming resolutions on the fly, and translate speech audio into different languages in real time.

Beyond all of that, MSI's AI-powered laptops are packed with features like MSI AI Engine, which adjusts your machine's performance based on your usage for better efficiency. Then you also have MSI AI Noise Cancellation Pro, which improves video and audio quality during calls intuitively.

Together, these built-in AI tools simplify your workflow and complement the power of the pre-existing AI feature set that you can enjoy with Microsoft Copilot+.

For students and professionals that constantly move around a lot (especially with remote working having become so common), you'll want a laptop with a smaller footprint without sacrificing on battery life.

The Prestige 14 AI+ and Prestige 16 AI+ laptops from MSI boast some of the longest battery lives on the market, with up to 25 hours of productivity or up to 20 hours of video playback.

Despite being light and portable, they also feature AI capabilities to ensure that your workflow remains smooth and your battery supply gets maximised throughout the day.

This means that AI-focused applications and features are likely to become more common and relied-upon for everyday tasks.

If you want a laptop that will remain up-to-speed in the coming years, you'll should look for a laptop that covers everything outlined above.

With over 20 years of laptop design experience, MSI has entered the AI era with a focus on performance, quality, and innovation.

Since 2018, MSI has been investing in AI research and development, and in 2022, the company introduced the concept of the "Technological Singularity," hinting at an incoming technological shift. 

This concept was fully realised in 2023 with the launch of MSI's first generation of AI-powered laptops, which marked a new phase in computing.

Now in 2024, MSI has expanded its presence in the AI PC market by unveiling a range of AI laptops that have set new benchmarks within the industry:

1. Stealth A16 AI+
This gaming laptop is MSI's most powerful laptop that runs Microsoft's Copilot+. Thanks to the inclusion of RTX40 series graphics, an AMD Strix Point processor, and powerful cooling, you can bank on it to provide top-level performance when playing the latest games or running demanding tasks.

2. Creator A16 AI+
This laptop is an exceptional choice for content creators who want to use AI to enhance their work. With this laptop, you'll get a wide selection of I/O options and a screen with a wide colour gamut, ideal for tasks like photo and video editing.

3. Summit A16 AI+ and Prestige A16 AI+
These two laptops are the most secure 2-in-1 clamshell laptops that run Microsoft Copilot+. They both feature enterprise-grade security features, such as a TPM2.0 chip, dual-authentication logins with Windows Hello, and a proximity sensor for human presence detection. If security and privacy are your main concerns, these laptops are your best bet.

4. Prestige 13 AI+
This device weighs only 990g, making it among the lightest AI laptops in the market. Combined with a lasting 75Wh battery and the efficient Intel Lunar Lake processor, this 13-inch laptop is the ultimate mobility machine for users constantly on the go.

5. Prestige 14 AI+ and Prestige 16 AI+
If you prioritise battery life, these two laptops will satisfy you with the inclusion of a 90Wh (Prestige 14 AI+) and 99.9Wh (Prestige 16 AI+) battery respectively. Equipped with Intel Lunar Lake processors, both these machines will offer up to 25 hours of office productivity and up to 20 hours of 1080p video playback. With their lightweight form-factors starting them at just 1.5kg, these Prestige line laptops are your best bets for all-day mobile productivity.

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