MSI Modern 15.6" MOD1514F1008 Gris 2024

A practical business laptop with a fast 1TB SSD and tons of ports, but the screen is dull and the battery is small. The Core 7-150U handles office work fine, just don't try to game on it. Worth it if you can snag it under $800.

The Core 7-150U handles everyday multitasking without breaking a sweat, and 16GB of DDR4 keeps things smooth when you've got a dozen browser tabs and a few Office apps open. The 1TB NVMe SSD sits in the 81st percentile for storage, which means it's genuinely fast and spacious compared to most laptops in our database. But the integrated Intel Graphics land at a mediocre 54th percentile, so any GPU-heavy work is off the table. The CPU itself is middle of the pack at the 47th percentile, perfectly adequate for business tasks but nothing that'll set records. Gaming performance is a dismal 15.5 out of 100, so stick to Solitaire.

Stacked against the Apple MacBook Pro M5 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition, the MSI Modern 15 gets outclassed in screen quality, battery life, and raw performance. The Lenovo Legion 5i and Acer Predator Helios Neo run circles around it for gaming, but that's not really the Modern's fight. Where the MSI holds its own is in practical connectivity, those Ethernet and multiple USB-A ports are things the sleeker competitors often ditch. If you need ports and a numpad on a budget, this makes a case for itself. If you want a premium display or all-day battery, look at the Surface or MacBook.

Pricing is all over the map, ranging from $699 to $1217 depending on the vendor. At the low end, you're getting a solid business machine with a current-gen processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, which is a fair deal. But if you're looking at the $1200 side of that spread, you're stepping into territory where you can get a MacBook Air M2 or a Surface Laptop with a much better screen and battery life. Shop around and don't pay more than $800 for this one.

The MSI Modern 15 is a straightforward business laptop that doesn't try to be flashy. You get a current-gen Intel Core 7-150U, 16GB of RAM, and a roomy 1TB SSD in a reasonably portable 1.69kg chassis. It's built for spreadsheets, email, and the occasional Copilot prompt, not for pushing pixels in games or editing 4K video.

That 15.6-inch 1080p screen is fine for office work, but the 45% NTSC color gamut and 60Hz refresh rate tell you this isn't a creative professional's dream. The port selection is actually pretty generous with three USB-A, one USB-C, HDMI, and even Ethernet, which is a nice surprise in a modern thin-and-light. Just don't expect much from the integrated Intel Graphics or the modest 46Wh battery.

If you need a laptop that lasts all day on battery, this isn't it. The 46Wh battery is small for a 15-inch machine, and you'll be hunting for outlets by mid-afternoon. Creative pros who need accurate color for photo or video work should also steer clear, that 45% NTSC screen just won't cut it.

The MSI Modern 15 is a no-nonsense office laptop for someone who needs Windows 11 Pro, a decent keyboard, and plenty of ports without spending a fortune. It's not exciting, but it gets the job done for spreadsheets, web apps, and light multitasking. Just keep your charger handy and don't expect the screen to wow you.