MSI Creator Z16 laptop 2021: First Look

The MSI Creator Z16 is an understated, designer-oriented laptop that looks good, has top components and is built like a tank. The chassis is made out of MacBook-like, single-pieces of aluminium that have been CNC milled.

It’s a Creator-designated laptop whose screen supports 100 per cent of the high-end, DCI-P3 colour space with a ΔE<2. Each screen is also Calman Verified in the factory and this trifecta leads to MSI calling it a True Pixel display. The screen has a glossy-finished, 2,560 x 1,600 resolution, 16:10 ratio and is also touch-capable.

Inside, it’s available with Intel 11th Gen processors and supports up to Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics. Full specs can be found here.

We couldn’t get our engineering sample to run under full load as no discreet GPU was inside, so we’re not sure how noisy the Trinity+ Cooler Boost technology will be when at full throttle in the Z16’s 16mm-thick (or rather, thin) body. Heat can be an issue with super-thin siblings like MSI’s Stealth range but we’ll see when we get the full review sample in.

In terms of portability there’s a 90Whr battery with fast charging. The aluminium ‘Lunar Grey’ chassis is incredibly robust so it should survive being carted around. However, it’s not an ultraportable at 2.2KG

Other features include an infra-red webcam and a partner, fingerprint reader which are both Windows Hello compatible. There’s also Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, PCIe Gen 4 SSD technology and two Thunderbolt 4 ports included.

It sounds like its a perfect MacBook rival with better features. Time will tell but first impressions are good. MSI has an official overview, here. It comes at the same time as MSI’s Sword/Katana and Pulse laptops.