MSI Thin A15 Review: A No-Nonsense Gaming Laptop That Won’t Break the Bank

Gaming laptops often come at astronomical costs, particularly if you want to hit those high frame rates without compromising on resolution. However, several affordable and mid-tier gaming laptops are changing this narrative. Nvidia’s RTX 40-series laptop graphics cards coupled with AI-enhanced CPUs have helped brands to deliver powerful gaming laptops without the exorbitant price tags.

One such laptop is the MSI Thin A15. While the Thin A15 sits at the lower end of the company’s gaming laptop portfolio, it makes few concessions with the latest AMD and Nvidia hardware. We have been testing the Thin A15 for well over a month now and here are our thoughts on how its impressive specs fare in real-world scenarios.

Design and Build

In terms of design, the Thin A15 features the iconic MSI logo on the plastic lid. There are no fancy RGB lights here with MSI opting for a clean and minimalist design. The laptop features a plastic build, although that is to be expected at this price. On the flip side, this does keep the weight down to just under 2kgs (1.86kgs). Additionally, the laptop only measures 21.7mm thick, making it easy to use on the go.

There’s a fair bit of keyboard flex, although the hinge does feel firm. The one thing that stands out when you open-up the Thin A15 is the size of the top and bottom bezels, which seems unnecessarily excessive. Finally, while the grey finish is resistant to scratches, it does attract a ton of smudges.

Ports

The MSI Thin A15 features plenty of connectivity options, opting for two USB Type-A ports, a USB Type-C port, a headphone jack, a microphone jack, and an Ethernet port on the right. A third USB Type-A port sits on the left alongside a charging port. You also get an HDMI port on the back, while wireless connectivity options include Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard of the MSI Thin A15 features decent travel and good spacing, making typing and gaming comfortable. However, the keys feel somewhat flimsy, and there’s noticeable wobble. The Blue LED backlight adds appeal, but the oversized arrow keys are a bit unappealing despite their multifunctionality.

The trackpad, located off-centre to the left, is smooth and accurate but feels cheap with its click mechanism. Overall, while the keyboard is adequate for gaming, the trackpad falls short, and using an external mouse is recommended. The MSI Thin 15 packs twin 2W speakers that can fill a quiet hotel room without a fan. The speakers support Hi-Res Audio and DTS Audio.

Display

For the display, the MSI Thin A15 sports a 15.6-inch IPS screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a Full HD resolution. However, its 16:9 aspect ratio feels outdated, and the screen’s brightness may struggle in well-lit environments. The display does feature a 144Hz refresh rate and 2.5ms response time, ensure smooth gameplay without any screen tearing.

The display’s matte coating reduces reflections, enhancing usability. The panel’s response time leads to some motion blur, but the overall gaming experience remains immersive. It is worth noting that the display here while being excellent for gaming isn’t quite as good for content creation as it isn’t winning any awards for colour accuracy.

Performance

Powering the MSI Thin A15 is an AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS CPU with 8 cores and 16 threads. Moreover, the laptop also comes with 16GB of dual-channel DDR4 3200MHz RAM and 1TB of NVMe PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage. Finally, completing the setup is an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 laptop GPU. But how does the laptop fare in real-world scenarios?

While playing Marvel Rivals on ultra settings, the laptop averaged 120 fps. Forza Horizon 5 averaged 90 fps on the Extreme presets, while Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 managed an average of 100 fps on Ultra settings in multiplayer mode. Apex Legends average 131 fps with the settings maxed out. Finally, we also tested Shadow of the Tomb Raider on high settings, which did a consistent 115 fps.

We also ran a few benchmarking tests. The Thin A15’s CPU scored 1641 in the single-core test and 11,763 in the multi-core test on Cinebench R23. Geekbench 6 saw the laptop score 2201 points in the single-core test and 8991 points in the multi-core test. In PC Mark 10, the Thin A15 scored 6112 points, while the 3D Mark Fire Strike test saw the GPU score 10,103 points.

Overall, the MSI Thin A15 performed admirably in our testing, particularly while gaming for multiple hours. Although this is in part due to the A15’s advanced cooling system that features copper heat pipes with vents located at the rear and left side to facilitate airflow and dual fans. The Thin A15 didn’t cave under pressure, staying cool for the most part with GPU temperatures rarely exceeding 80°C and CPU temperatures stabilizing at 90°C.

Battery

The MSI Thin A15 features a 52.4 Whr 3-cell battery that charges via a 120W adapter or USB Type-C with a compatible PD charger. Despite its discrete GPU, it falls short on battery life, offering roughly 5 hours of light to medium use. The PCMark 10 Battery Benchmark scores it at 4 hours and 14 minutes, with a slight edge over the HP Victus 15. The Thin A15 provides practical battery performance, but don’t expect long usage without a charger.

Verdict

The MSI Thin A15, priced at Rs 97,900, offers a compelling mix of performance and features. Despite its traditional look and feel, the laptop is noticeably light and compact, weighing just under 2kgs and measuring 21.7mm in thickness. Underneath its unassuming exterior lies a powerhouse equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, making it well-suited for gaming.

The plethora of ports, including USB Type-A, USB Type-C, HDMI, and Ethernet, ensure versatile connectivity. However, the display, while excellent for gaming with its 144Hz refresh rate, falls short for content consumption and creation due to its average brightness and colour accuracy. The battery life, clocking in at around 5 hours of light to medium use, and the build quality are adequate but not exceptional, reflecting the mid-tier price point.

Overall, the MSI Thin A15 stands out as a reasonably priced option for gamers who want to experience a variety of games. It strikes a balance between performance and cost, making it a practical choice for those seeking a versatile gaming laptop without breaking the bank.

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