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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo Legion 9i typically comes at a slightly less expensive price than the MSI Stealth 17, with a smaller screen and less storage and memory, making it more portable and better for everyday use. In contrast, the MSI Stealth 17 offers more storage and memory, a larger screen for immersive gaming and professional applications but it's also heavier and may have a higher price, appealing more to users needing the utmost performance and screen size for gaming or intensive tasks like video editing, 3D rendering, and engineering simulations. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 9i
- Best in class for engineering and design
- Best in class overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 17
- The MSI Stealth 17 has no clear advantages over the Lenovo Legion 9i.
Key differences
Screen Quality
9.7
8.6
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
682.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 9i has a better screen than the MSI Stealth 17 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design, while the MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen for content creation.
For general use, the Lenovo Legion 9i's screen stands out due to its superior resolution and panel quality, offering clarity and vibrant colors that enhance everyday tasks. Engineering and design professionals would prefer the Lenovo for its wider color gamuts, ensuring accurate color reproduction crucial for detailed work. However, the MSI Stealth 17, despite its commendable general use and engineering performance, falls short for gaming and 3D applications where higher refresh rates are essential for smooth visuals, and both models fail to deliver in this aspect.
Battery
3.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Lenovo Legion 9i has 3 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 17 has 5.5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Build Quality
8.5
7.8
The Lenovo Legion 9i has very good build quality, while the MSI Stealth 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$3,420
$3,899
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Lenovo Legion 9i has a price of $3,420 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.4
8.7
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
682.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
3.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and Lenovo Legion 9i are both very good for general use.
The Lenovo Legion 9i stands out for general use with its high-resolution Mini LED screen, substantial RAM, and a top-tier CPU, enhancing both screen quality and performance, but its heavier weight affects portability, and its battery life is shorter.
Gaming and AI
9.2
9.1
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i and MSI Stealth 17 are both excellent for gaming and AI.
The Lenovo Legion 9i is excellent for gaming and 3D due to its powerful Nvidia RTX 4080 graphics card and a high refresh rate mini LED screen, which enhances visual fluidity and quality. Similarly, the MSI Stealth 17 offers exceptional gaming and 3D performance with an even more robust RTX 4090 GPU and an IPS screen with an even higher refresh rate, providing smoother motion and potentially better reaction times in fast-paced games.
Engineering and Design
9.6
9.4
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
32.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Legion 9i to be best in class for engineering and design, while the MSI Stealth 17 is excellent.
The Lenovo Legion 9i excels in engineering and design due to its high-performance CPU, ample RAM, powerful GPU, and high-quality Mini LED screen, which are very important for such tasks, though it's heavier and a bit thicker which may affect portability.
Content Creation
8.7
8.8
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
32.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 and Lenovo Legion 9i are both very good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
8.3
8.5
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and Lenovo Legion 9i are both very good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Portability
Fair
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
5.6 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Stealth 17 and Lenovo Legion 9i both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Lenovo Legion 9i and the MSI Stealth 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Legion 9i | MSI Stealth 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$3,420 | $3,899 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 10.9'' x 1.01'' | 15.7'' x 11.2'' x 0.79'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.64 lbs | 6.17 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.08" | 15.65" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.93" | 11.16" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-13980HX | Intel i9-13900H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 64 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 3 Hours | 5.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 99.9 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | Mini LED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3200 x 2000 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 682 nits | 384 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.4/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.8/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Lenovo Legion 9i
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Matthew Buzzi | December 2023
"The Lenovo Legion 9i is meant as a top-end flagship showcase for enthusiasts, and on that, it delivers. You'll find flashier designs in this price tier—Razer’s all-metal build in a similarly sized laptop like the Blade 16, or monstrous 18-inch machines—but this is a well-thought-out laptop. The chassis is trim for a 16-inch powerhouse, the lid is unique, and bespoke liquid cooling takes performance to the next level."
MSI Stealth 17
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | April 2023
"The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is a laptop with a quiet RTX 4080 for almost every occasion. The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is equally capable of high-level media processing and playing current games. It remains pleasantly quiet, even if a few percentage points of power have had to be sacrificed in the process. But, it is not quite perfect: To some extent, the Stealth 17 is well thought out. It packs tons of graphics power and high-end components in a slim case. The laptop's cooling system can be set such that, noise-wise, it doesn't even reach low volume. However, small flaws cloud otherwise exceptionally positive impressions."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion 9i or the MSI Stealth 17
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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