MSI has launched a new 15-inch laptop into its Modern range. The Modern range of laptops are aimed at 'content creators' but are somewhat toned down compared to the Prestige series, which in turn appear to be 'lite' versions of the premium Creator series from MSI. Thus the Modern range isn't for hugely demanding content creation tasks and pro workloads on the go, rather for the more occasional mobile worker who also wants a thin and light portable for lifestyle tasks and entertainment on the go.
The new MSI Modern 15 uses up to the latest 10th Gen Intel Core i7 processors (14nm Comet Lake) and ultra-fast NVMe SSD (2x slots available) as the foundation of the machine. Users can opt for a discrete Nvidia GeForce MX250 with 2GB GDDR5 if they feel that the iGPU will be underpowered for their needs. Remember that Comet Lake processors feature Intel UHD graphics, not the Intel Iris Plus with up to 64 EUs of their 10th Gen 10nm Ice Lake compatriots.
While being 'affordable' and lower down the ranks among MSI's creator laptop offerings, the MSI Modern 15 still has some appealing features picked from above. It features a premium looking design, sleek aluminium and sandblasted black-coated chassis, up to Core i7 processor, thin bezel (near 90 per cent screen to body ratio) 1080p IPS screen with "close to 100 per cent sRGB", and a backlit (albeit white - mono) keyboard with 1.5mm key travel sans numpad, Cooler Boost 3 cooling, and a fair collection of ports (but no Ethernet).
Users can install up to 64GB of RAM in the two DDR4-2666 slots, and the M.2 SSD Combo Slot (NVMe PCIe Gen3 / SATA) offers flexibility. MSI says the Modern 15 has a battery life of up to 9 hours (MobileMark 2014 office productivity).
Perhaps the greatest appeal of the MSI Modern 15 is its portability at 356.8(W) x 233.7 (D) x 15.9(H) mm, and 1.6kg it is quite light and thin for its size. It has started to appear for pre-order in various US online retailers for $849.
