Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- MSI launched two new business-minded laptops at CES 2026 with Intel “Panther Lake” chips.
- The Prestige series features a 13, 14, and 16-inch, with standard OLED displays.
- The Modern series comes in a 14 and 16-inch and is priced around the $1,000 mark.
MSI is doing something different this year at CES. The gaming laptop maker that released such beasts such as the Titan 18 HX AI last year, just announced two new lineups of thin and light professionally-minded laptops.
The new Prestige AI+ series is the brand’s flagship ultraportable line, available in a 13-,14-, and 16-inch clamshell or 2-in-1 convertible in the latter two sizes. They feature the new Intel Core Ultra Series 3 “Panther Lake” processors, have standard OLED displays, and showcase MSI’s take on the pro-minded ultraportable with minimalist forms.
Also: CES 2026 live blog: Latest news on TVs, AI, phones, more
The Modern series is the more accessible lineup, with a 14- and 16-inch clamshell and slightly more modest hardware, with the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chips, OLED or IPS displays, and more limited battery capacities.
I went hands-on with the new laptops ahead of CES and found them to be easy competitors to other thin and lightweight consumer laptops on the market right now, with a neutral, MacBook-like design, large trackpads, and vivid displays.
The physical builds alone are certainly quite nondescript but still sleek, with a much more modern aesthetic than the brand’s Venture series it launched last year — which looked more like its gaming laptops shrunk down to size.
There are no flaming Norse dragons here, instead opting for an all-metal build with a thin and precise, prismatic-cut MSI logo on the top of the clamshell for a minimalist aesthetic that matches their compact builds.
Also: CES 2026 trends to watch: 5 biggest topics we’re expecting at the world’s biggest tech show
The Prestige 13 AI+, in particular, is exceedingly light, weighing only 1.98 pounds (899 grams). With its 2.8K OLED display and max 64GB of RAM, it’s a niche product but could potentially compete with a device like Microsoft’s Surface Pro. Battery life looks equally good, with MSI quoting up to 19 hours of video playback with the 75Whr cell.
The 14- and 16-inch versions are similarly portable, weighing 2.9 pounds (and 0.46 inches thick) and 3.5 pounds respectively, with the Intel Core Ultra X9, 9, or 7 processors and standard OLED displays on both.
The 16-inch has slightly more premium specs, with a 2.8K display and 120Hz variable refresh rate, while the 14-inch comes loaded with a FHD+ resolution and caps out at 60Hz refresh rate.
The 2-in-1 “Flip” versions have similar specs, with the more premium display on the larger laptop. Both of the Flips come with the associated stylus, MSI’s Nano Pen, which magnetically snaps into a groove on the back side of the laptop.
Also: The 5 most exciting CES products you can buy right now
The Prestige series is loaded with the latest chip technology from Intel, the Core Ultra Series 3 “Panther Lake” processors, Intel graphics, up to 64GB of LPDDR5x dual channel RAM, and 2.8K OLED displays with 120Hz variable refresh rates.
The MSI Modern 14S and 16S AI+ aim for a more accessible consumer base with Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 3 chips, smaller memory configurations, and similarly lightweight form factors: 2.8 pounds on the 14-inch, and as thin as 0.43 inches. Standard memory starts at 16GB for the Modern series, scaling up to 32GB.
Again, you can’t help but make comparisons to the MacBook with these laptops’ physical form, from the black, recessed keyboard to the silver finish, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There’s a reason why manufacturers continue making devices with this aesthetic: they sell.
Regarding pricing, MSI doesn’t have exact numbers yet, but the ballpark number I was cited was $1,099 as a starting point for the Modern series laptops, putting it in a competitive bracket of other affordable business laptops
The post MSI’s new thin and light laptops are one of the most pleasant surprises at CES first appeared on TechToday.
This post originally appeared on TechToday.