If looks matter to you, this is definitely something you should look at. The MSI Prestige 14 Rose Pink edition is not new news (is that redundant?) It was was first announced earlier this year in February and made waves simply because of its Insta-worthy ~aesthetics~.
I admit I did some wheedling just to get this laptop into my hands (thanks MSI) just so I could pretend I'm a fashionable young professional earning enough money to drop a RM200 premium on what's essentially a re-skin of MSI's current-gen Prestige 14 laptop (you do get all the cute extras though!)
And boy, did I channel my inner Elle Woods for a joyful and short-lived week. First, let's take a look at everything that comes with the Rose Gold Prestige 14.
Pink, pink, and more pink
As seen in the promo pics for this limited edition laptop, the Rose Gold Prestige 14 comes with a full suite of matching accessories, including a laptop bag, mouse, and Lucky keychain.
What they don't tell you is that the box is also white and pink, which is a nice touch to make the set feel even more complete. The thinly-padded laptop bag is made out of slightly stretchy material and has 1 main compartment to store the laptop, plus 2 more side pockets - presumably to store the charger and mouse. Hook Lucky on the zipper and you'll have the entire package ready to go!
My only wish is that the charger was also pink, but sadly it's just a generic black brick. :(
Impeccable design with a luxe finish
The laptop itself has a gorgeous matte metallic texture. On the lid, you'll find the MSI logo is finished in a glossy silver-pink, which catches the light beautifully when viewed from an angle. I personally love this particular shade of pink, which is neither too pastel nor too neon for my tastes.
Opening it up, you'll be greeted by a the 14″ FHD IPS-level screen framed by slim bezels, which is the norm nowadays. A webcam is perched on the top, while the MSI logo is subtly printed on the chin.
The hinges give the keyboard a 5° lift, similar to ASUS' ErgoLift technology, which is a feature I've always liked due to the better typing angle and added cooling capabilities it offers. Underneath, you'll find music visualiser-esque grilles on the bottom.
In terms of portability, the Prestige 14 is wonderfully slim, and weighs around 1.3kg (~1.7kg total including the charger).
Same ol' display with the good ol' backbend
The Prestige 14 boasts a 60Hz IPS-level panel with close to 100% sRGB colour gamut. Although it is not true IPS, the display still maintains great colour fidelity when viewed from different angles.
I could be wrong, but it feels like the newest Prestige 14 hasn't improved in the screen brightness department since we first reviewed the A10RB variant earlier this year. The brightness is still pretty decent indoors, but MSI could definitely step it up so the display has the same fighting chance outdoors.
Like its predecessor, this one also folds flat and has the same shortcut key that allows you to instantly flip the display to benefit the person sitting across you.
Unfortunately, another thing brought over from the previous models is the mediocre audio - while vocals and melodies were decent enough, the bass is still as flat as ever.
Minimal ports, includes Thunderbolt 3
The ports also have not changed, with the left side housing one Micro-SD slot and two USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports, and the right side housing two USB 2.0 ports and one mic/audio combo jack. Again, there is no Ethernet port to maintain the device's slimness, but with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0, you should find the selection of ports good enough on the go.
Decent keyboard, wonderful touch pad
The keys are well-spaced and have a decent 1.5mm travel distance. They're pleasant enough to type on, but the touch pad is the one that truly shines. It is staggeringly large and silky smooth to the touch, just as advertised. Palm rejection also works well enough to prevent any accidental swiping, and the fingerprint sensor was on point during my entire testing duration.
The keyboard is backlit in white, which complements the colour scheme perfectly. Although it has 3 brightness levels, I do feel that it was too dark overall - the brightest option served me well at night, but it did almost nothing for me in broad daylight. However, it's extremely evenly lit, which is always a plus in terms of appearance.
Strong and toasty with a long battery life
The Prestige 14 is a series designed for content creators on the go and is specced as such. The model I received is equipped with an Intel Core i7-10510U processor, MX330 graphics, 16GB of LPDDR4-2666 RAM, and 512GB of NVMe PCIe SSD storage.
The ample RAM allows you to breeze through 40 Chrome tabs without stuttering, while tasks like 1080p rendering in Premiere Pro was satisfying enough. Heat is still an issue though, with the chassis heating up enough to feel uncomfortable on your thighs; areas where your hands make contact with are toasty too, but still bearable.
One great thing about this laptop though is its battery life, which took me to a whopping 11 hours with general use (browsing the web, watching videos, writing articles etc.) This is always welcome in a laptop where portability is paramount, as it allows you to ditch the charger when you leave your desk. And if you need a quick top-up before dashing to a meeting, you'll only need 15 minutes with the 90W Charger to top up an additional 1.5 hours of usage.
Buy or no buy?
If you're a fan of the MSI Prestige series, this model is very similar to its predecessor, albeit with an upgrade to a 10th Gen Intel CPU. Then again, the only reason we're looking at this particular laptop is aesthetics - and that, it delivers in spades.
For some people, pink is not just a preference - it's a lifestyle (corny, I know). And as one of the few laptops on the market that expresses this part of the colour spectrum so elegantly, the MSI Prestige 14 (A10RAS) Rose Gold edition is a definitely must-have for fans of anything pink.
If your heart has been won over by its stunning colour, you can pick one up for RM5,399 on MSI's online store - do note that it is a limited edition only available by pre-order, so you'd better get your hands on it before it's gone!
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