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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated March 21, 2024·
When choosing between laptops, consider that the LG Ultra 13 offers better portability and generally has a longer battery life, suitable for everyday tasks and travel, while the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio provides higher performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming at a higher cost. If your work involves intensive tasks and you need more power, the MSI might justify the expense, but if you prioritize lightness and battery for general use, the LG could serve you well and save money. 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 Stealth 18 AI Studio
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.2
8.4
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
9.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
The MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio is very good for general use, while the LG Ultra 13 is good.
The LG Ultra 13 offers a balance of adequate processing speed, memory, and a high-quality display, which makes it suitable for everyday tasks while being lightweight and having longer battery life for better portability. In contrast, the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio boasts more powerful processors and additional memory, handling demanding applications with ease, but is heavier and may have shorter battery life, making it less portable but exceptional for more intense workloads.
Gaming and AI
6.1
8.9
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio is very good for gaming and AI, while the LG Ultra 13 is only fair.
The LG Ultra 13, while being more portable, has a less powerful GPU and lower screen refresh rate than the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio, limiting its gaming and 3D performance. The MSI, on the other hand, with its high-end GPU and faster screen refresh rate, offers superior performance for demanding tasks like gaming, but it's heavier and likely more expensive.
Engineering and Design
6.6
9.1
4.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio is excellent for engineering and design, while the LG Ultra 13 is only fair.
The LG Ultra 13, with its competent CPU, adequate RAM, and decent screen quality, offers a solid foundation for engineering tasks, but falls short for intensive design work due to a less powerful GPU. In contrast, the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio, with its superior CPU and GPU, greater RAM, and higher quality screen, excels in handling complex engineering and design applications, though it's less portable and might be noisier under load.
Content Creation
7.2
8.5
4.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio is very good for content creation, while the LG Ultra 13 is good.
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
7.2
8.2
4.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio is very good for software development, while the LG Ultra 13 is good.
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.
Screen Quality
6.9
8.4
13.3in
SIZE
18.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
The MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio has a better screen than the LG Ultra 13 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The LG Ultra 13's panel type, high resolution, and brightness contribute to its good screen quality, making it appealing for everyday tasks and appealing for professionals focused on engineering and design due to its adequate coverage of color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB. The MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio provides a similar or even superior experience for general use and engineering/design tasks due to a high-quality display that likely offers broader color gamut coverage, essential for precision in creative workflows. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fail to impress because their screens don't prioritize high refresh rates, which are crucial for smooth visuals in fast-paced gaming scenarios and fluid interaction with 3D content.
Battery
10.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The LG Ultra 13 has 10 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio has 6 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
Fair
13.3in
SIZE
18.0in
2.1 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The LG Ultra 13 has excellent portability, while the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
8.0
The MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio 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
$2,900
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The LG Ultra 13 has a price of $529 and the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio costs $2,900.
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How the LG Ultra 13 and the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| LG Ultra 13 | MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$529 | $2,900 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2021 | March 1, 2024 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.1'' x 8.1'' x 0.6'' | 15.8'' x 11.4'' x 0.94'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.16 lbs | 6.15 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.08" | 15.75" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.14" | 11.4" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 4700U | Intel Core Ultra 9 185H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 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 | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 51 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.3" | 18" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 300 nits | 305 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.3/10 | 6/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 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 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
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."
Get a great deal on the LG Ultra 13 or the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio
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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