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Updated January 10, 2024·
The LG Ultra 16 is less expensive, lighter, and offers a significantly longer battery life, ideal for portability and general use. It has moderate performance suitable for everyday tasks and some lighter engineering work. In contrast, the MSI Stealth 17 is more expensive, heavier, and has a shorter battery life but provides high-end performance with a powerful processor and graphics card, making it suitable for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, machine learning, or demanding engineering applications. 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
- Good portability
- Excellent battery life
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 17
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.7
8.7
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
270.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
17.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for general use, while the LG Ultra 16 is good.
The LG Ultra 16 offers a balance of performance and portability with a high-quality screen and long battery life, making it well-suited for everyday activities, while the MSI Stealth 17, with its stronger CPU and more RAM, excels in handling more demanding tasks, but this comes with a trade-off of reduced portability and shorter battery life. The Ultra's lightweight design and enduring battery complement users on the move, whereas the Stealth's emphasis on power and premium screen caters to those prioritizing performance for intensive applications, despite the extra weight and more frequent charging.
Gaming and AI
6.2
9.1
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the LG Ultra 16 is only fair.
The MSI Stealth 17's excellence in gaming and 3D tasks stems from its top-tier Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU and a high screen refresh rate, offering smoother visuals and superior performance, especially in graphics-intensive applications. Meanwhile, the LG Ultra 16 provides a fair experience due to its integrated AMD GPU, suitable for less demanding tasks, and a standard screen refresh rate, but its performance in gaming and 3D applications isn't as robust.
Engineering and Design
7.0
9.4
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the LG Ultra 16 is good.
The LG Ultra 16 offers a balance of performance with its mid-range CPU and GPU suitable for standard engineering tasks and is lighter for better portability; however, the MSI Stealth 17, boasting a high-end CPU and top-tier GPU, excels in processing power for demanding engineering and design work but is heavier and less portable.
Content Creation
7.7
8.8
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for content creation, while the LG Ultra 16 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
7.5
8.5
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for software development, while the LG Ultra 16 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
6.2
8.6
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
270.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen than the LG Ultra 16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the LG Ultra 16 offers an adequate balance of resolution and brightness, making it suitable for everyday tasks, but the MSI Stealth 17 stands out with higher resolution and brightness, providing a sharper and more vibrant display. When it comes to engineering and design, the MSI Stealth 17 likely delivers a wider color range, satisfying the need for color accuracy in professional applications. However, both the LG Ultra 16 and MSI Stealth 17 fall short for gaming and 3D tasks due to lower refresh rates, which limits the smoothness and responsiveness crucial for these activities.
Battery
17.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The LG Ultra 16 has 17 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.
Portability
Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3.6 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The LG Ultra 16 has good portability, while the MSI Stealth 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5
7.8
The MSI Stealth 17 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
$3,899
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The LG Ultra 16 has a price of $1,000 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
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How the LG Ultra 16 and the MSI Stealth 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| LG Ultra 16 | MSI Stealth 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,000 | $3,899 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.8'' x 0.64'' | 15.7'' x 11.2'' x 0.79'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.63 lbs | 6.17 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.02" | 15.65" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.78" | 11.16" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7730U | Intel i9-13900H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 64 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 17 Hours | 5.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 72 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 270 nits | 384 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.9/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
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 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 LG Ultra 16 or the MSI Stealth 17
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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