One of the best laptops for work travel I've tested isn't a MacBook Air or Lenovo ThinkPad

ZDNET's key takeaways

The MSI Prestige 13 AI Plus Evo is on sale now for $1,399 for the Intel Core Ultra 7, 32GB of RAM, 2TB SSD config.It's a lightweight laptop with next-gen hardware capable of handling almost everything you throw at it.The small, 13-inch display can be limiting.

MSI doesn't always get the attention it deserves when competing with some of the flashier laptop manufacturers. This is a shame because it consistently makes some of the best mobile computers. Today, I want to shine a spotlight on a great compact laptop: the MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo. 

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It's a great machine offering next-gen performance and an all-day battery life. I highly recommend this device to professional users who need something they can take to and from the office without worrying about it dying during the workday. Of course, it's well-rounded enough to be useful to a variety of consumers, but it is on the pricey side. Before I get into the pricing, let's go over its design, because MSI made great choices here.

It is a perfect travel companion, weighing just 2.18 pounds. Yet despite its ultra-lightweight design, the laptop doesn't feel flimsy, thanks to its magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis. It passes the one-finger test, which means you can open the lid with a single finger. The test also shows how the laptop's weight is evenly distributed, ensuring the computer won't slide off your lap or lift off the desk.

I even liked how the bottom of the display extends past the laptop, lifting the machine a little when you open it. This small design flourish does two things.

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First, the extra space between the Prestige 13 and the surface it's sitting on allows for better airflow and ergonomics. Your hand rests at an angle when on the wrist rest. Combined with the soft, bouncy keyboard, the end result is a very comfortable typing experience. I don't believe I've ever tested a laptop with the same comfort level as MSI's machine.

Speaking of the display, it's important to mention that it is a 2.8K OLED screen. The image quality is stunning, the colors are exceptionally vibrant, and everything looks crystal clear. I loved the display; however, I did have one problem with it. The bezels around the glass are too thick, encroaching on the screen's space. The display is already small at 13.3 inches, but the thick bars surrounding it make the screen feel even smaller.

This problem became noticeable when I opened a new document on Google Docs and was greeted by what seemed to be a cramped window layout. Even when I hid portions of the tab I was on, everything still looked cluttered. It would've been great if MSI had put the 5MP webcam into a lip jutting out from the top of the display; doing so would've given the OLED screen more room.

Working on a 13-inch display is something that takes getting used to, and adjusting to a higher resolution is one way around the smaller physical space. However, that results in smaller text and icons, something not everyone will feel is a trade-off that's worth it.

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In order to test its performance, I ran the Prestige 13 through a series of tasks. I opened as many windows, tabs, and apps as I could to see if there would be any slowdown -- and there was. The laptop froze a few times as it struggled to support everything, although it quickly returned to normal after a few seconds. 

Other tests involved running benchmarking apps, and the results were impressive. On PCMark 10, the laptop initially earned a high score of 6,333. The app showed the computer does very well when performing general office workloads.

MSI's Prestige 13 also has a wealth of AI features, the most impressive of which is the MSI Center app. The software houses several tools that can tweak the device's performance, with the most impactful being Extreme Performance. Activating the mode pushes the laptop as hard as it can go, and the boost makes a notable difference.

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I put MSI's model through PCMark 10 again while under Extreme Performance. The second test score jumped to 6,697, and the Digital Content Creation results were boosted significantly. This means the Center app allows the Prestige 13 to become more capable of editing and rendering videos. It expands the device's use cases into areas it normally isn't able to tackle as well. The one downside with the mode is that it immediately turns on the cooling fans, turning a quiet laptop into a noisy one. It's like a jet engine.

Battery life is another area where the MSI Prestige 13 excels. The computer consistently lasted a solid 12 hours on a single charge when performing our usual laptop tests.

ZDNET's buying advice

Prices for the MSI Prestige 13 AI Plus Evo start at $1,399 right now while it's on sale on Amazon. As I said earlier, it is a little expensive but well worth the investment. The top-notch Intel Core Ultra 7-258V processor, OLED display, and lightweight design work together with a lightweight form factor to make this laptop one of my favorites of the year.