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Updated January 10, 2024·
The LG Ultra 13 is significantly less expensive, lighter, and offers better portability (longer battery life, smaller screen, and less weight) making it well-suited for general use and tasks on the go. However, the MSI Creator Z16P, while more expensive and heavier, provides superior performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering work, thanks to a more powerful processor and graphics card. It also has a larger, higher-resolution touchscreen, making it better for tasks that benefit from a bigger, clearer display and touch interaction. If budget and performance in demanding applications are your priorities, consider the MSI. If you value portability and are mostly doing everyday tasks, the LG Ultra may be the better choice. 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 LG Ultra 13
- Excellent portability
- Very good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Creator Z16P
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.2
7.8
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
394.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
9.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.2/10
The MSI Creator Z16P and LG Ultra 13 are both good for general use, though the MSI Creator Z16P is somewhat better.
The LG Ultra 13, with its adequate CPU and RAM, offers solid performance for everyday tasks, a quality screen, and excellent portability due to its light weight and good battery life, making it suitable for general use. Conversely, the MSI Creator Z16P, despite being heavier and having shorter battery life, provides exceptional screen quality, a more powerful CPU for demanding applications, and ample storage, catering well to both general use and more intensive creative tasks.
Gaming and AI
6.1
7.6
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.7/10
The MSI Creator Z16P is good for gaming and AI, while the LG Ultra 13 is only fair.
The LG Ultra 13, with its integrated Vega 7 graphics and a standard screen refresh rate, provides fair gaming and 3D performance tailored more towards casual play and light use. In contrast, the MSI Creator Z16P is equipped with a powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and a high refresh rate display, making it particularly well-suited for more demanding gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
6.6
8.3
4.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Creator Z16P is very good for engineering and design, while the LG Ultra 13 is only fair.
The LG Ultra 13 is less suitable for engineering and design tasks because it features a less powerful AMD Ryzen processor and lacks a dedicated graphics card, impacting its ability to handle resource-intensive applications compared to the MSI Creator Z16P, which is equipped with a superior Intel i9 processor and a high-end Nvidia RTX GPU, ensuring very good performance for those tasks. Additionally, the MSI Creator Z16P's screen provides better resolution, size, and color accuracy, crucial for design work, although it is less portable and has a louder operating noise than the LG Ultra 13.
Content Creation
7.2
7.9
4.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Creator Z16P and LG Ultra 13 are both good for content creation, though the MSI Creator Z16P is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
6.9
8.3
13.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
394.0 nits
The MSI Creator Z16P has a better screen than the LG Ultra 13 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
Selecting a laptop with the right screen quality depends on your primary activities. For general use and engineering, the LG Ultra 13 and MSI Creator Z16P both offer good resolution and bright displays, with the MSI having superior color accuracy, crucial for detailed design work. However, for gaming and 3D applications where smooth motion is crucial, both fall short as they do not prioritize high refresh rates, which are essential for these tasks.
Battery
10.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The LG Ultra 13 has 10 hours of battery life. The MSI Creator Z16P has 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.
Portability
Excellent
Good
13.3in
SIZE
16.0in
2.1 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The LG Ultra 13 has excellent portability, while the MSI Creator Z16P has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
8.0
The MSI Creator Z16P has very good build quality, while the LG Ultra 13 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$529
$1,300
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The LG Ultra 13 has a price of $529 and the MSI Creator Z16P costs $1,300.
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Key similarities
Software Development
7.2
7.6
4.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Creator Z16P and LG Ultra 13 are both 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.
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How the LG Ultra 13 and the MSI Creator Z16P compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| LG Ultra 13 | MSI Creator Z16P |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$529 | $1,300 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2021 | June 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.1'' x 8.1'' x 0.6'' | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.75'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.16 lbs | 5.27 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.08" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.14" | 10.18" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 4700U | Intel i9-12900H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 51 Wh | 90 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.3" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 300 nits | 394 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.3/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 7.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
LG Ultra 13
See more
Dig into reviews and images
CNET
Joshua Goldman | April 2017
"The 13.3-inch LG Gram is a fine fit if you need to travel as light as possible for as long as possible without spending a fortune to do it. It might not be particularly sturdy or have an eye-catching design and its webcam is less than ideal, but with its sharp touch display, comfortable backlit keyboard, responsive touchpad and a fingerprint reader for extra security, the Gram makes a respectible everyday laptop for business or school work."
MSI Creator Z16P
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | June 2022
"There's almost nothing left to be desired with the MSI Z16P. The creator laptop offers enormous performance resources for image editing, video editing, rendering, and more. All this is presented on a precalibrated, adequately sized, and high-resolution display. Its color space, refresh rate, and panel technology are also perfectly suited for a device that specializes in video reproduction and editing."
Get a great deal on the LG Ultra 13 or the MSI Creator Z16P
About LG
LG is a South Korean conglomerate company. While LG is mainly known for various products outside of technology, LG also develops laptops. Within the laptop industry, they are known for their thin-and-light Gram series, as well as their value-oriented Ultra series. LG laptops offer very thin and light laptops with phenomenal battery life, 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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