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Updated January 10, 2024· Prices updated 24 hours ago
If your primary concern is keeping costs down while still getting a reliable machine for everyday tasks like web browsing, office applications, and media consumption, the LG Ultra 16 may serve you well, especially if you appreciate a balance of cost and performance. On the other hand, if you need a laptop that can handle more demanding applications like 3D gaming, video editing, or engineering software and are willing to invest more for that capability, the MSI Pulse GL66 would be a better option due to its typically more powerful hardware. Keep in mind that the MSI may also have a shorter battery life due to these higher performance components and may be less portable than the LG Ultra 16 due to a heavier and bulkier design. 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 16
- Excellent battery life
Advantages of the MSI Pulse GL66
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.2
7.2
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Pulse GL66 is good for gaming and AI, while the LG Ultra 16 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Software Development
7.5
7.0
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The LG Ultra 16 and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for software development, though the LG Ultra 16 is somewhat better.
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
6.2
6.8
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
270.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
245.0 nits
The LG Ultra 16 has a better screen than the MSI Pulse GL66 for software development, and content creation, while the MSI Pulse GL66 has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, both the LG Ultra and the MSI Pulse laptops have displays with adequate resolution and brightness for typical tasks like browsing and video streaming, but they might not stand out in terms of vividness or clarity. In the realm of engineering and design, the screens on these laptops may not cover a wide spectrum of color gamuts, which could affect professionals who require color accuracy for their work. Concerning gaming and 3D applications, the lower refresh rates of these laptops' screens may lead to less smooth visuals, which is important for fast-paced games and rendering 3D models.
Battery
17.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The LG Ultra 16 has 17 hours of battery life. The MSI Pulse GL66 has 4 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
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.6 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The LG Ultra 16 and MSI Pulse GL66 both have good portability, though the LG Ultra 16 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5
7.4
The MSI Pulse GL66 has good build quality, while the LG Ultra 16 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$1,399
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The LG Ultra 16 has a price of $1,000 and the MSI Pulse GL66 costs $1,399.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.7
7.3
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
270.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
245.0 nits
17.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The LG Ultra 16 and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for general use.
The LG Ultra 16 offers strong general use with its good battery life, lightweight design for higher portability, and a high-resolution screen, whereas the MSI Pulse GL66 combines robust processing power with a high-quality keyboard, making it also well-suited for general use along with gaming and other demanding tasks, albeit with a shorter battery life and heavier build.
Engineering and Design
7.0
7.5
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Pulse GL66 and LG Ultra 16 are both good for engineering and design.
The LG Ultra 16 is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and integrated Vega 8 GPU, making it suitable for engineering and design thanks to its competent processing and decent graphics capabilities within a lighter, silent, and more portable frame.
Content Creation
7.7
7.2
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The LG Ultra 16 and MSI Pulse GL66 are both 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.
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How the LG Ultra 16 and the MSI Pulse GL66 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| LG Ultra 16 | MSI Pulse GL66 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,000 | $1,399 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | March 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.8'' x 0.64'' | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.94'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.63 lbs | 4.63 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.02" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.78" | 10.2" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7730U | Intel i7-11800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 17 Hours | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 72 Wh | 53 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 270 nits | 245 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.9/10 | 7.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
LG Ultra 16
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sebastian Jentsch | October 2022
"Unlike the gram, the Ultra PC isn't designed to be as lightweight as possible. The 16-inch laptop is a whole 400 g (0.88 lb) heavier than its 16-inch gram counterpart partly because its chassis is not made of magnesium. Other than that, the Ultra PC seems like a copy of the gram – but with longer battery life, lower noise levels, and a clean, delicate look."
MSI Pulse GL66
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | April 2022
"The MSI Pulse GL66 has a lot of potential for improvement. Although the RTX 3060 is only able to use 105 watts, we still liked the gaming performance, particularly since this also makes the Pulse comfortably efficient but not slow by any means. Neither the dark display with its lame response times, nor USB 2.0 or the lack of Thunderbolt will please real gamers. The use of a sticker factory seal, which is at least questionable, also won't inspire any enthusiasm. It is obvious that the laptop is really designed for price-conscious gamers."
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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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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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