MSI Modern MSI - Modern 13 13.3" Laptop - Intel Core Ultra 7-150U - Intel Graphics with 16GB Memory -1TB SSD - Platinum Gray Review

The MSI Modern 13 is an ultra-portable laptop built for one thing: being easy to carry and connect. It's fast enough for basics but slow for anything serious. The huge 1TB SSD and three USB-A ports are standout features. At around $950, you're paying for the convenience, not the power. Only buy this if your workflow is simple and you hate dongles.

Let's talk about the MSI Modern 13. It's a small, light laptop that's trying to be your go-to for basic work and travel. It's got a 13.3-inch screen, weighs just under three pounds, and packs a 1TB SSD and 16GB of RAM into that tiny frame. That's a lot of storage for the size, honestly.

This thing is clearly aimed at students or business folks who just need a portable machine for writing, browsing, and maybe some light spreadsheet work. It's not trying to win any speed races, but it wants to be the reliable, carry-anywhere device you don't have to think about. The Windows 11 Pro license is a nice touch for that crowd.

What makes it interesting is the port selection. In a world where laptops are shedding ports left and right, this one has three USB-A ports and an HDMI. That's practically retro, and for someone who hates carrying dongles, it's a big deal. It's a simple laptop with a straightforward mission: be small, be light, and don't make you fuss with adapters.

Performance is where things get real. The Intel 150U processor is a modern chip, but our database puts its CPU performance in the 36th percentile. That means it's slower than most laptops we track. For everyday tasks like web browsing, document editing, and video calls, it's perfectly fine. You won't feel it lagging. But if you try to do anything more demanding, like editing large photos or running complex data analysis, you'll hit a wall pretty quickly.

The integrated Intel Graphics land in the 51st percentile for GPU performance, which is basically the definition of average. It's fine for streaming video and very, very light gaming (think old indie titles or browser games). Our gaming score for this laptop is a 7.3 out of 100, so let's be clear: this is not a gaming machine. Don't even think about it. The 16GB of RAM is also in the lower third percentile-wise, but for the basic multitasking this laptop is built for, it's more than enough.

Priced around $950, the MSI Modern 13 sits in a crowded spot. You're paying a premium for the ultra-portable form factor and that generous 1TB SSD. The value proposition is simple: if your top priorities are light weight and not needing dongles, this laptop makes a case for itself.

However, that $950 could also get you a more powerful machine with a better screen if you're willing to accept a slightly thicker chassis or fewer ports. You're trading raw performance for extreme portability and convenience. It's not the best price-to-performance ratio, but it's a specific tool for a specific job.

The competition is fierce. The ASUS Zenbook Duo, for a similar price, offers a dual-screen setup that's fantastic for multitasking, though it's a bit more complex. The Lenovo ThinkPad P14s is a direct competitor for business users, often boasting better keyboards and more powerful processor options, but it might skimp on the SSD size. And then there's the elephant in the room: Apple's MacBook Air. For this price, you can often find an M-series MacBook Air which will demolish this MSI in battery life, screen quality, and CPU performance, but you'll be living in the dongle life with only USB-C ports.

The MSI's clear advantage is its I/O. If you live and die by USB-A devices and need to plug into projectors with HDMI, this laptop saves you a world of hassle. The ThinkPad might match it on ports, but the MSI wins on pure lightness. You have to decide what's more important: ultimate connectivity or peak performance in other areas.

Gamers and creative professionals should skip this immediately. The gaming score says it all. Anyone who needs to run engineering software, edit videos, or work with large datasets will find the CPU performance massively limiting. If screen quality is a priority for media consumption or color-accurate work, the 17th percentile-ranked display is a deal-breaker; you'll want something with a brighter, higher-resolution panel. In these cases, you should look at laptops with dedicated graphics cards, higher-wattage CPUs, and better screens, even if it means a slightly heavier machine. The MSI Vector series (for gaming) or higher-end business ultrabooks would be a better fit.

Buy the MSI Modern 13 if you are a student or a frequent traveler whose computing needs are strictly basic—word processing, web research, email, and video calls—and you absolutely despise carrying adapters. Its light weight and full port selection are its superpowers.

Look elsewhere if you do anything remotely intensive. Graphic designers, video editors, data scientists, or even avid multitaskers with dozens of browser tabs should steer clear. The processor isn't up to the task. Also, if screen quality is a priority for watching movies or editing photos, the low-ranked display here will be a disappointment. In those cases, the extra money for a MacBook Air or a more powerful Windows ultrabook is a much better investment.