First things first, any laptop where the power button reads "Start Engine" is a massive yes from me. Especially on a gaming laptop. I want keys that read "Fire Torpedoes" "Open the Bomb Bay Doors" or "DANGER Do Not Press". That's the sense of fun that MSI so often brings to gaming machines and I'm thankful for it.
We've seen laptop manufacturers team up with car manufacturers before (see the awesome Razer X Lamborghini collab) but the MSI Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport A13V is the first that I've personally got my hands on. We don't do full-scored reviews for special editions like this but I have to say having lived with this laptop for a few weeks I would definitely be awarding it a perfect five-star score.
With an Intel Core i9 processor and RTX 4070 GPU, there's pretty much nothing that you can throw at this laptop to make it break a sweat but it's the display that really makes it stand out. Almost everyone I've opened up this bad boy in front of has said some variation of, "Wow, that's a nice screen". And it is a nice screen, to say the least. With a UHD+ 3840x2400 resolution on a 16" OLED panel, this really is a treat for your peepers.
Even if (as is the case with all gaming laptops) battery life is a bit mediocre, playing games on this machine has been anything but. Running Deathloop and Forza Horizon 4 with settings cranked up and ray-tracing on has been a joy with ultra-smooth framerates. What really struck me about this laptop is how even with a 16" screen and all that punch, it's not actually that big and clunky. At 1.88Kg it's certainly not lightweight but compared to heavyweights like the 2.7kg Lenovo Legion 7 Pro it's positively skinny.
Of course, what you really want to know about is the special little Mercedes affectations that separate this machine from the regular Stealth 16. As well as the 'start engine' button you'll also be treated to a carbon fibre patterned spacebar and webcam, AMG-shaped speakers and a host of Mercedes and AMG logos smattered around the laptop and even the charger. It genuinely makes me feel like a little kid again.
Articles for products like this sound great and have you reaching for your wallet, only to tell you it's not for sale or hideously expensive. That's not the case here. While it's not cheap, at £2399 I have no qualms recommending it if you're tempted to treat yourself this holiday (or deal) season.
