For a balance of performance and portability with a touch of elegance, consider the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15". It offers a responsive touchscreen, excellent build quality, and a premium business aesthetic, making it suitable for professional environments. Its high-resolution display with a 3:2 aspect ratio is ideal for productivity tasks and content consumption. The laptop is also lightweight and has a good battery life, enhancing its portability.
However, if you prioritize performance for tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning, the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo is the better choice. It boasts a more powerful processor, double the RAM, and a superior OLED display with a higher resolution and pixel density, which is fantastic for detailed visual work and entertainment. The MSI's performance scores are higher across the board, especially in gaming and engineering tasks, thanks to its advanced GPU and cooling system. Note that it's slightly heavier and has a shorter battery life compared to the Surface Laptop, which might impact its portability.
In summary, choose the Surface Laptop 6 for its touchscreen, sleek design, and all-around usability, especially for general business use. Opt for the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo if you need top-tier performance and a superior display for more demanding tasks, accepting a tradeoff in portability and battery life. 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 MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15"
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has no clear advantages over the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo.
Key differences
General Use
8.6/10
7.7/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
362.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.9/10
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
7.8/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.6/10
7.8/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" 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
8.5/10
7.8/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo is very good for software development, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" 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
8.4/10
8.1/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.0in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
362.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has a better screen for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
12.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo has 12 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has 9 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.
Cost
$1,349
$1,200
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
$2,000
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo has a price of $1,349 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" costs $1,200.
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo and Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" are both only fair for gaming and AI.
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.
Portability
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
15.0in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" and MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.4/10
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo and Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" compare to other laptops
"The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo is meant to be a business-focused laptop, but it ends up being the MacBook challenger PC laptop enthusiasts have longed for. Not only can it meet and, in many cases, surpass the M2-powered MacBooks, but it is also surpassing the baseline M3 MacBooks, which is a giant leap forward for Intel-powered laptops. This isn’t hyperbole; this is what the numbers show."
Get a great deal on the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15"
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.
About Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
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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About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.