2026 MSI Stealth 16 AI+ Redesign: A Major Overhaul
January 12, 2026
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The Stealth Redesigned
Summary
MSI's Stealth missed the mark last year, it had a poorly placed charging cord, off center keyboard, and was a bit bulky. But, this new update looks promising!
Table of contents:
MSI Actually Listened
MSI said they have completely overhauled the Stealth 16. When we were talking with them, they said they listened to reviewer and consumer feedback which we really appreciate. We were not the biggest fan of last year's Stealth. Besides its bulky nature and higher price tag, it also had its charging cable sticking straight out the right side, which made it almost completely unusable for right-handers with a mouse. So, of course, they moved the power cord over to the left side and moved it further back.
Other Usability Improvements
The new Stealth is even slimmer than before and weighs less than 2 kilos. That is pretty light for a gaming laptop. The Stealth now has a bigger trackpad, and Seth was very grateful for the removal of the tiny number pad. Both should make it more comfortable to use.
Panther Lake and Increased GPU Power Draw
This year it’s going to be updated with a Panther Lake 300H processor and they are increasing the wattage of the GPU by 20 watts. This is also a huge upgrade! 125W for a higher tier GPU like the 5070 Ti is much more compelling than the 105W from before. It’s not as much for a 5080 or 5090, but we likely wouldn’t recommend those SKUs anyway as this is a thinner chassis that wouldn’t be able to maximize their performance. The 5060 and 5070 versions are now fed 115W.
Better Cooling Solution
They say the increased wattage is made possible by their improved cooling solution with more airflow. Thanks to their improved design, it looks like there is no hot air blowing out at your mouse hand, which is nice. It seems like it’s going to exhaust out the back, the bottom, and a vent at the top of the keyboard.
Display and Other Features
It features a 2560x1600 OLED screen that refreshes at 240Hz. It has dual DDR5 ram slots and two SSD slots for future upgrades, WiFi 7, a 4-zone RGB keyboard, and a good selection of ports. Two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A 3.2 ports, an HDMI 2.1, and a 1 gigabit ethernet port. The Ethernet port is especially nice to have considering its thinner build. Competitors like the G16 do not include one at all, although the Stealth does not have an SD card reader which would've been a nice inclusion.
Final Thoughts
We are cautiously optimistic about the new Stealth, and our main concern is its higher pricing. With RAM and storage shortages, we expect to see a large cost increase on all laptops, even those from more affordable manufacturers like MSI. Make sure to keep an eye on our price tracker