Gboard is one of the best Android keyboards out there, and Google keeps adding new features and improvements from time to time to keep things exciting. In December, Gboard gained thousands of new emoji kitchen combinations. Now the company is testing a neat feature that generates contextual stickers based on your texts.
As spotted by Android Police, Gboard is picking up a new feature that automatically generates stickers based on the text. As you type your message, Gboard identifies the text and displays various stickers in the suggestion row with different styles and colors. For example, typing “See you soon” followed by a heart emoji will generate the following stickers, as shown below.
Gboard shows a preview of the sticker in the left corner of the suggestion row, tapping on which reveals additional variants of the sticker with different styles. These stickers don’t appear in the emoji picker or the existing sticker gallery. Android Police reports that sticker suggestions work with both long and short phrases but don’t work with just about any text. The feature is quite similar to Gboard’s Emoji Kitchen, which lets you pick two different emoji and merge them into one to create unique supersized stickers.
Text-based stickers have rolled out to some users with the latest Gboard beta update. The feature isn’t live on my device running Gboard version 11.4.08.422524001-beta, suggesting this is a limited beta rollout. You can increase your odds by joining the Gboard beta program on the Google Play Store.
Google recently rolled out Gboard’s Pixel 6-exclusive grammar correction tool to other Pixel phones. The tool automatically catches your grammatical errors and provides corrections as you type. It works locally on your device and can be disabled from the keyboard settings.
Have you received the new text-based stickers in Gboard? Let us know in the comments below.
A few months after unveiling the ZenFone 8, ASUS confirmed that it planned on bringing its compact flagship to the Indian market. However, after making the announcement in July last year, ASUS went AWOL, leading many fans to believe that the company had skipped the Indian market altogether. But that’s not the case. Today, the company finally launched the compact ZenFone 8 in India as the ASUS 8Z.
ASUS 8Z: Specifications
Specification
ASUS 8Z
Dimensions and Weight
148 x 68.5 x 8.9mm
169g
Display
5.9-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080) Samsung E4 AMOLED display
90.02% screen-to-body ratio, 20:9 ratio, 445ppi
120Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, 240Hz touch sampling rate
112% DCI-P3, 151.9% sRGB, Delta E average < 1, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio
800nits outdoor-readable brightness
1100 nits maximum brightness
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
SGS Eye Care 6.5% & SGS Seamless Pro (120Hz)
SoC
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
1x Kryo 680 (ARM Cortex X1-based) Prime core @ 2.84GHz
Despite the name change, the ASUS 8Z is the same device that launched as the ZenFone 8 in international markets. It packs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 chip, a 5.9-inch FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection, 8GB LPDDR5 RAM, 128GB UFS 3.1 storage, a 4,000mAh battery with 30W wired fast charging support, and a dual-camera setup featuring a 64MP primary shooter and a 12MP ultra-wide camera.
The device also features a 12MP front-facing camera for selfies, a USB Type-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an in-display fingerprint scanner. It measures just 148 x 68.5 x 8.9mm and weighs about 169 grams, making it one of the most compact flagships of 2021. Other noteworthy features include a stereo speaker setup and IP68 certification for water and dust resistance.
Pricing & Availability
The ASUS 8Z will be available through Flipkart in two colorways — Horizon Silver and Obsidian Black — starting March 7. ASUS has launched only one RAM/storage configuration in India, which is priced at ₹42,999 (~$570).
The Paranoid Android team has released fresh builds of Sapphire Alpha based on Android 12 for several POCO and Xiaomi phones. The POCO X3 Pro, Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro, and Mi 8 Explorer Edition have received the first build of Paranoid Android Sapphire Alpha. Meanwhile, the POCO X3 / X3 NFC and POCO F2 Pro / Redmi K30 Pro are getting the Alpha 3 and Alpha 2 build, respectively.
Owners of the Mi 8 Pro, Mi 8 Explorer Edition, and POCO X3 Pro can now try out the initial build of Paranoid Android based on Android 12. If you want to give it a shot, download the ROM zip from the links below. Make sure to take some time to read through the step-by-step flashing instructions as well.
Next up, the POCO X3 / POCO X3 NFC has received the third Alpha build of Paranoid Android. The latest build fixes bugs, adds features like per-app refresh rate support, screen-off gestures, Quick-tap Columbus gestures, and bumps the security patch level to February 2022. If you’re running Sapphire Alpha 2 build, you can simply sideload the new OTA in recovery. First-time users or those on Alpha 1 build, however, will need to do a fresh install by wiping user data.
Update changelog
Device-specific changelog:
Changed to User Build
Add per-app refresh rate
Add blocklist feature for Refresh Rate QS Tile( Add all dfps values below 60 to the blocklist)
Add pt-rBR Translations
Fix audio record in gcam
Fix Fastbooot problem because vbmeta.img
Fix OTG issues
Update firmware from V12.5.5.0.RJGEUXM
Update stock blobs from V12.5.5.0.RJGEUXM
Update vendor blobs from LA.UM.9.1.r1-11500.02-SMxxx0.QSSI12.0
Update common system blobs from LA.QSSI.12.0.r1-05800-qssi.0
Finally, the team has released Paranoid Android Sapphire Alpha 2 for the POCO F2 Pro / Redmi K30 Pro. The new release improves the Monet theme engine, adds swipe to screenshot feature, brings an Extreme battery saver mode and Quick Tap, and more.
Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy Book 2 series, not to be confused with the Snapdragon 850-powered Galaxy Book 2 from a few years ago. Consisting of the Galaxy Book 2 Pro, Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, Galaxy Book 2 360, and Galaxy Book 2 Business, Samsung kept the best of last year’s models (mostly), and elevated them with Intel 12th-gen processors and FHD webcams.
Last year, the Galaxy Book Pro 360 5G was one of my favorite laptops, and I even said in the title of my review that it’s the perfect on-the-go laptop. Anyone that knows me knows that I do not use words like ‘perfect’ lightly. Sadly, this year’s 5G model isn’t coming to the U.S., but the Galaxy Book 2 series is still pretty sweet, and I got to check them out ahead of the announcement.
Nothing big has changed, and that’s good
The biggest thing I love about the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 series is the FHD AMOLED display, and those are still here. OLED screens on laptops aren’t new, or even uncommon. However, just about every OLED laptop that offers the display technology does it at a premium. The standard is always a regular LCD, and then there’s a 4K OLED option.
Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360
That makes two things that Samsung really has going for it. For one thing, every single Galaxy Book 2 360, Galaxy Book 2 Pro, and Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 comes with an AMOLED display. Also, that’s actually new to the non-Pro model, so that’s a big plus. The other reason it’s great is that it’s 1080p instead of 4K, so it doesn’t suck down battery life as much.
Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro
The other key thing that hasn’t changed is that these laptops seem impossibly light. The 13-inch Galaxy Book 2 Pro weighs in at just 1.92 pounds, whereas if you want a convertible, it’s 2.29 pounds. The 15.6-inch variant comes in at 2.45 pounds and 3.06 pounds for the clamshell and the convertible, respectively.
Like I said, it feels impossible for a laptop to be that light without making significant compromises. Those compromises might be on the performance side, or materials could be used that feel cheap. That’s not the case here. These laptops absolutely feel premium.
Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 touchpad
One thing I really have to give Samsung props for is its giant touchpads, especially on the 15-inch models. Samsung really made use of the available real estate, something I really only see otherwise from Dell and Apple.
They’re even more powerful, with better webcams
The original Galaxy Book Pro series was incredible because it seemingly made no compromises to hit that weight. This year, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro and Pro 360 are even more powerful, using Intel’s 28W processors. The P-series is new to 12th-gen, and along with the higher TDP, it also has more cores and hybrid architecture.
Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro
Intel’s hybrid CPUs have big and little cores, or P-cores and E-cores, respectively. P-cores are there to perform powerful tasks, while E-cores are there to do the things that just don’t take as much effort. Now, when your computer is doing something like syncing background notifications, it doesn’t have to use as much power to do it.
Along with the new processors come new webcams, which are now FHD. The reason that they come along with the new processors is, well, because FHD webcams are part of Intel’s new Evo spec. Indeed, 28W CPUs and FHD webcams are a big improvement for the product, but they’re not differentiating from the rest of the market. You’re going to see a lot of that this year. It’s still the AMOLED displays and the ultra-light designs that make the Galaxy Book 2 Pro series come out on top.
To be clear, this entire section applies to only the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro and Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360. The Galaxy Book 2 360 still uses a U-series processor and has an HD webcam, so the big upgrade on the mainstream model is going to be that it now has the same Super AMOLED display as the Pro.
The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro comes in beautiful colors
I really love the design of these new laptops. The Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 comes in Silver, Graphite, and Burgundy, while the regular Pro comes in Silver and Graphite. And yes, I have a favorite color of both.
Galaxy Tab S8, Galaxy S22 Ultra, and Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360
For the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, it’s definitely Burgundy. So many laptops these days are just gray or silver, so it’s nice to see something a little bit different, a little more bold. I quite like it.
And yes, that image is extending the screen to the Tab S8, using the Second Screen functionality. I played around with it a bit, and as you’d expect, there’s some lag. It’s something that can definitely come in handy when you’re on the go, but there’s better equipment you can use when you’re at home.
Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro in Silver
For the clamshell model, it’s definitely Silver for me. Here’s the thing though. This Silver is actually different from the Silver on the convertible. As you can see in the image, as well as the image in the section above, this is more of a two-tone design. It’s white on the bottom and silver on the lid.
Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro, Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, and Galaxy Book 2 360
This different color extends to the inside of the device too. You can see from the image above that the Silver clamshell even has white keys, whereas the convertible has black keys on a silver deck.
Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 in Graphite
Of course, there’s also Graphite, which is still pretty sexy. I’m a big fan of the design here in general. Samsung did good.
Ultimately, these are fantastic laptops, and they’ll stand out as the best laptops Samsung has. They’re great for those that have Samsung phones, but personally, I think Samsung’s laptops are great for everyone. If you read my laptop reviews, you’ll notice that I mostly break them up into sections that cover the design, the display, the keyboard, and performance / battery life. After all, you’ll want a sexy design that feels good to use and makes you proud to show your friends. The display and keyboard are the two things you interact with the most, and performance and battery life are key for obvious reasons.
These are what I consider to be the key value indicators for laptops, and I feel like Samsung nails every aspect of them. They’re beautiful, with stunning AMOLED displays. They pack powerful new P-series processors, and the keyboard and touchpad doesn’t make compromises.
The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro series will be available for pre-order on March 18. The clamshell starts at $1,049.99, while the convertible starts at $1,249.99.
Last year, Samsung’s Galaxy Book Pro 360 blew us away when we reviewed it, and today, the company is refreshing the whole lineup. It’s introducing the Galaxy Book 2 Pro, Galaxy Book Pro 2 360, and Galaxy Book 2. There’s a fourth model too, the Galaxy Book 2 Business, but only some details of that one are being announced now.
“Our goal at Samsung is not just to create mobile technology, but to give our users unique experiences that fundamentally enhance their everyday lives,” said Hark-sang Kim, Executive Vice President & Head of New Computing R&D Team of Mobile experience Business, Samsung Electronics. “As part of this pursuit, we are reimagining the PC. Together, with seamless continuity across our Galaxy devices and secure mobility, users can unlock more efficiency and enable the possibilities of the office of tomorrow.”
The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro and Pro 360
The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro and Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 still include the two key features that set the previous generation apart from the pack. They’re incredibly light, and they have FHD AMOLED displays. The Galaxy Book Pro comes in at 1.92 and 2.45 pounds for the 13.3- and 15.6-inch models, respectively, and the Galaxy Book Pro 360 comes in at 2.29 and 3.06 pounds for 13.3- and 15.6-inch models, respectively.
Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro
With FHD AMOLED displays, you get the true blacks and vibrant colors that those kinds of screens provide, but without the battery drain that comes with 4K resolution. This was one of the key differentiators that Samsung had last year, so it makes sense that it’s doing the same thing this year.
One of the things that’s new this year is Intel’s 12th-generation processors. They use the new 28W P-series chips, specifically the Core i7-1260P in the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, while the Pro has that as well as an option for the Core i5-1240P. Not only do the new CPUs have a higher wattage, but they have a new hybrid architecture, mixing performance cores and efficiency cores to optimize power.
Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 with Tab S8 as second screen
Another thing that’s new is an FHD webcam, which is a big step up from the HD webcams seen in the previous generation. This is a recommendation under Intel’s latest Evo specification, so you’re going to see a lot of it this year. And if you work from home, it’s going to be a welcome change.
Next up, we have security. The Galaxy Book 2 Pro series meets Microsoft’s secured-core PC requirements, using hardware, firmware, and software to protect your device from bad actors.
“Working with Samsung on the Galaxy Book2 Pro series is the next chapter in our proud collaboration to remove barriers between different operating systems and bring the best of Microsoft apps and services to the Galaxy Ecosystem,” said David Weston, director of Enterprise and OS Security, Microsoft. “Delivering the first consumer PC with Microsoft’s secured-core PC designation is a crucial step in this effort as today’s consumers deserve the same security protections they get in the office as they do while working remotely.”
With pre-orders beginning on March 18, the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 comes in Burgundy, Graphite, and Silver, and it starts at $1,249.99. The Galaxy Book 2 Pro comes in Graphite and Silver, starting at $1,049.99.
The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 360
With the lack of ‘Pro’ branding, the Galaxy Book 2 360 is meant to be more mainstream. There are a couple of key differences.
First of all, it uses U-series processors, specifically the Core i5-1235U or Core i7-1255U. With Intel’s 12th-generation CPUs, the P-series is new. In previous years, everything in this range would have been U-series, so this is the first time that we’re seeing a differentiation in CPU power. The Galaxy Book 2 360 is still getting a 15W chip, so it’s the Pro that’s getting a boost, rather than the non-Pro getting a downgrade.
Samsung Galaxy Book 2 360
Still, the 12th-gen U-series processors only have two performance cores, while they pack eight efficiency cores. These CPUs haven’t hit the market yet, so we haven’t been able to test them out. It’s going to be interesting to see how they do though, as they’re radically different from the quad-core chips of years past.
One other thing that’s different about the Galaxy Book 2 360 is that is has an HD webcam, rather than the newer FHD sensor that the Pro got. It’s also a little bit heavier at 2.62 pounds, although that’s still very light for a 13-inch convertible.
One thing that’s not different from the Pro, but is different from the previous generation, is that the Galaxy Book 2 360 has an AMOLED display. Obviously, this is going to be a big improvement for the overall experience as discussed earlier.
Pre-orders for the Galaxy Book 2 360 also start on March 18, and it comes in Graphite and Silver, starting at $899.99.
The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Business
Samsung is also entering the business laptop space, competing with Lenovo’s ThinkPads and HP’s EliteBooks. This product is the one that still has some question marks though, as the Korean firm says that it’s going to announce more details later this spring.
It has a 14-inch anti-glare 16:10 display, so it’s a completely different panel than the AMOLED one found on the rest of the Galaxy Book 2 lineup. This one isn’t AMOLED at all, with the company prioritizing the matte finish to suit businesses. It’s also got an FHD camera, Windows 11 Pro, and a bunch of ports like USB Type-C, Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, and Ethernet.
The Galaxy Book 2 Business comes with Intel 12th-gen vPro processors, which haven’t actually been announced by Intel just yet. It’s shown off the SKUs, but it hasn’t fully announced the chips. That might be one of the reasons that this laptop is coming later on this spring.
Interestingly, this laptop is the only one of the bunch that comes with cellular connectivity, as it’s a common feature found in business laptops. It will be out in April.
To kick off Mobile World Congress, TCL announced a whole bunch of devices, including five new phones from its 30 series. They include the TCL 30 5G, 30 Plus, 30, 30 SE, and 30 E. The new phones are primarily for the European market.
“The expansion of the TCL 30 Series shows our commitment to democratize technology so more people have access to reliable, high-performing, innovative smartphones,” said Aaron Zhang, CEO at TCL Communication. “The TCL 30 Series portfolio is our way of giving consumers around the world the freedom to showcase their unique style through feature-packed technologies and connected experiences, inspiring them to get the most from life.”
The TCL 30 series
TCL 30 5G cameras
At the top of the lineup is the TCL 30 5G, a 5G smartphone that costs €249. And at that price, it provides a ton of value, starting off with the 50MP f/1.85 camera. Indeed, the improved camera chops are a big deal, and this sensor can be found in all of the phones announced today except for the TCL 30 E, which is more entry-level.
The 30 5G also packs MediaTek’s Dimensity 700 chip, which is a 5G SoC and the main thing that differentiates it from the rest of the newly announced devices. It also comes with a 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, but that can also be found in the TCL 30 and 30 Plus.
TCL 30 5G in Dreamy Blue
The TCL 30 5G comes in two colors, Dreamy Blue and Tech Black. Dreamy Blue changes depending on how you look at it, as you can see from some of the images. Don’t sleep on the Tech Black though, which sort of sparkles in the right light.
TCL 30 series 4G devices
They’ve all got big batteries too. The TCL 30 5G, 30, and 30 Plus all come with 5,010mAh batteries, while the SE and E have 5,000mAh batteries. Those three top-end models also come with 18W charging, and yes, TCL is going to continue to include the charger in the box. Not compromising to market trends, it’s also keeping the 3.5mm headphone jack around on all of its devices for the foreseeable future.
The TCL 30 5G and 30 E are coming in April, but the rest are available now. As for pricing, the 30 5G is €249, the 30 Plus is €199, and 30 is €179, and 30 SE is €149, and the 30 E is €139.
But wait, there are tablets too
While the 30 series smartphones are the star of the show, there are also several tablets being announced, such as the NXTPAPER MAX 10, TAB 10 HD 4G, and TAB 10s 5G.
The NXTPAPER MAX 10 is meant to feel like paper when you touch it. It doesn’t quite use color E Ink like the original NXTPAPER did, as that one required lighting for you to be able to see it. TCL has done some work on the display technology since then. Ultimately, it’s meant to be comfortable for reading, writing, and anything else that you use it for.
The TAB 10 HD 4G and TAB 10s 5G are all about cellular connectivity, so you can use them from wherever you are. The former has a 5,500mAh battery, but the latter actually has a big 8,000mAh battery and an FHD display.
The NXTPAPER MAX 10 will arrive in Asia in mid Q2, starting at €269. The TAB 10 HD 4G is available now in Europe for €179, and there will be an FHD version coming to Asia in late March for €199. Finally, the TAB 10s 5G is coming in mid Q2 for €349.
The thing that really stands out about the MSI Creator 15 is its beautiful OLED display. Indeed, when you use it, you’re going to fall in love with it, especially if you’ve never used an OLED display on a laptop before. It’s incredible, and if you’re editing photos or videos, that kind of color makes a difference.
The biggest thing that feels a bit strange is that it feels like a repurposed gaming laptop. It has that thick and squared-off design that’s common in gaming devices, and it has a loud fan. When I put it next to other creator-focused devices like Dell’s XPS 15 or HP’s Spectre x360 16, the MSI Creator 15 definitely stands out as something different.
Aside from the OLED display, the other thing that I absolutely love about this machine is the battery life. It has a 99.9WHr battery, which is literally as big as it gets. Speaking of other creator laptops, I’m pretty confident that this one gets the best battery life, so when I talk about that boxy design, it just might be worth it.
The MSI Creator 15 starts at $1,849, but it’s frequently discounted.
There’s a higher-end model with a GeForce RTX 3080 and 1TB storage.
The MSI Creator 15 has been out since 2021, so it’s not too hard to get your hands on one. The model that MSI sent me for review includes a Core i7-11800H, 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM, a 512GB SSD, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics. The MSRP is $1,849, but it seems to be discounted pretty regularly.
That model is actually the base model, which is pretty impressive. You can get it with up to RTX 3080 graphics and up to a 1TB SSD. This top-end model costs $2,349, and it’s up to you what kind of graphics and storage you need. Personally, I think an RTX 3060 is pretty solid for a creator laptop.
This laptop isn’t very configurable, and there are only three options. Luckily, the OLED display comes standard.
MSI Creator 15: Specs
CPU
Intel Core i7-11800H
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU 6GB GDDR6
Up to 1517MHz Boost Clock, 95W Maximum Graphics Power with Dynamic Boost.
Killer Gb LAN (Up to 2.5G)
Killer ax Wi-Fi 6E + Bluetooth v5.2
Webcam
IR HD type (30fps@720p)
Color
Core Black
OS
Windows 11 Home
Price
$1,849
Design: It looks and feels a lot like a gaming PC
Essentially, the black chassis has a boxy design that feels like a gaming laptop was repurposed as a creator laptop.
The MSI Creator 15 looks a lot like the company took a gaming laptop and swapped out a bunch of features to make it more appealing to creators. For example, there’s no RGB light bar in the front, there’s a 4K OLED screen instead of an FHD screen with a high refresh rate, it has an IR camera for Windows Hello, and the design is just more subtle. It comes in a color called Core Black, which you might know by its street name: black.
Obviously, it comes with the MDI logo stamped in the lid, and that’s subtle as well, as it’s only a darker shade of black instead of a more flamboyant chrome color.
But as you can see from the side view, it has that sort of boxy look. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just a design that I expect to see more often from gaming devices. It does have lots of ports, which are all on the left and right sides. This is different from MSI’s gaming laptops, which have ports in the rear.
And here’s what’s cool about the ports. All three of the USB Type-A ports are USB 3.2 Gen 2, meaning they get 10Gbps data transfer speeds. You’ll find two of those on the right side, along with a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, a headphone jack, and an Ethernet port. That USB Type-C port also supports DisplayPort, so you can use it to connect another monitor.
On the left side, there’s an HDMI port that you can use to output to an 8K 60Hz or 4K 120Hz display, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, and a Thunderbolt 4 port. Obviously, the USB Type-C port on this side is a lot more versatile than the one on the other side, supporting 40Gbps data transfer speed, dual 4K displays, or even an external GPU thanks to Thunderbolt. As always, I’m not a fan of the user having to know the difference between two ports that look the same, but at least they’re labelled.
Display: MSI brings that sweet, sweet OLED with the Creator 15
The 4K OLED screen means that the experience is as delightful as it gets.
Unfortunately, the webcam is 720p.
The MSI Creator 15 comes with a 15.6-inch 3,840×2,160 OLED display, and it’s awesome. Seriously, it makes the laptop an absolute delight to use. When you use an OLED display, your PC goes from being a utility to something more personal.
The 4K OLED display makes the MSI Creator 15 a delight to use.
If you’re not familiar with OLED displays, your phone probably has one if you use a premium device. Since parts of the screen actually get turned off, blacks are truly black, to the point where you wouldn’t be able to see where the screen ends and the bezels begin in a dark room. Colors rendered on top of that instead of a backlight are more vibrant.
With wider color gamuts, higher contrast ratios, and more, OLED displays are perfect for creative work like photo and video editing. MSI also has an app called True Color that lets you adjust for Adobe RGB, sRGB, and more.
In my testing, I came up with 100% sRGB, 90% NTSC, 96% Adobe RGB, and 89% P3. Those are really good, and you won’t get those scores from almost any non-OLED laptop.
Brightness maxed out at 411.9, and contrast maxed out at 28,020:1, although that contrast ratio is really just the largest that my SpyderX Pro is going to be able to read.
To be clear, none of these display tests are a surprise. This is what you get with a premium OLED display. The contrast ratios are essentially infinite, and it makes that much of a difference to the user experience.
Speaking of consumption, the dual 2W speakers sit in a soundbar above the keyboard. They don’t get incredibly loud, but they’re still fine for listening to music or streaming media. The quality is great though. Obviously, you’ll do fine with calls if you’re working from home too.
There’s one problem though, which is that it has a 720p webcam. The quality of the webcam actually seems pretty decent for what it is, but with Intel’s new Evo spec, you’re about to see a lot of new laptops with FHD webcams on the market. If you’re on a lot of video calls, it’s something to be aware of.
Speaking of calls though, there’s another app on here called MSI Center Pro. It has lots of productivity features like battery optimization, but it also has noise cancellation, which definitely helps in the work-from-home scenario.
Keyboard and touchpad: The keyboard is RGB, and the touchpad is a bit small
The RGB keyboard also feels like something that’s more gaming-oriented.
The most interesting thing about the keyboard is that the backlight is RGB. That’s a feature typically reserved for gaming laptops, so the colors are more subtle, like pastel colors. The only other time I’ve seen something like this was from Razer with the Razer Book 13. I don’t mind it; it’s just an interesting choice, and it seems to be what happens when a gaming laptop company makes something aimed at another market.
As for using the keyboard itself, I feel like the keys require just a little too much force. This feels like the kind of keyboard that’s great for gaming, but for typing, it’s going to take a little bit of getting used to. I spent a lot of time with the MSI Creator 15, and I definitely made more errors writing articles than I usually do. Like I said, you’ll just have to get used to it a bit.
I just have to say it, but the Precision touchpad should be taller. It’s nice and wide, which is great. Now, it just needs to be taller. There’s some real estate on the deck that could have been used, but the whole thing could have been done differently; in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it done differently in future generations. A lot of OEMs are moving to 16:10 screens, which makes them taller, adding more room on the deck for a taller touchpad.
The thing is, the touchpad isn’t even particularly small. It’s just that with it going so wide, the Y dimension feels small. If you look at something like a Dell XPS 15 or a MacBook Pro, which compete directly with this laptop, you can see what companies are doing with larger touchpads. It’s not a big deal. It’s just something I’d like to see from a laptop like this.
Performance: With a Core i7-11800H and RTX 3060 graphics, it gets the job done
The Core i7-11800H, RTX 3060, and 16GB RAM are great for photo and video editing, but there’s an option for an RTX 3080 if you want that extra boost.
The 99.9WHr battery is literally as big as it gets, so battery life is great for such a powerful laptop.
I mentioned earlier that the model that MSI sent me is the base model, packing a Core i7-11800H, RTX 3060 graphics, 16GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD, but to be honest, I don’t think most people need more than that. This thing flies, and most of the time, I used it connected to dual 4K monitors.
The higher-end model is going to be better if you need more storage for sure, but it also comes with an RTX 3080, so you’ll get more graphics power. If you’re looking for a creator laptop that can double up as a gaming machine, that’s the one you want.
The base model should offer all of the performance you need, but you can get an RTX 3080 if you want it.
But for what I used it for, the performance was great. That includes batch exports in Adobe Lightroom Classic, editing images in Photoshop, and of course, my general work flow of writing articles, having over a dozen Chromium tabs open (Vivaldi specifically), and using other apps like Slack, Skype, and OneNote at the same time. I did a bit of gaming too, playing some Forza Horizon 5. It doesn’t go for Ultra or Extreme settings, which is fine, but the game plays nicely, and it looks beautiful on the OLED display.
For benchmarks, I used PCMark 10, 3DMark, Geekbench, Cinebench, and VRMark.
MSI Creator 15
Core i7-11800H, RTX 3060
Acer Swift X
Ryzen 7 5800U, RTX 3050 Ti
Dell XPS 15 9510
Core i7-11800H, RTX 3050 Ti
PCMark 10
5,965
6,019
5,988
3DMark: Time Spy
6,880
4,046
4,801
Geekbench 5
1,417 / 6,217
1,447 / 8,104
1,538 / 7,514
Cinebench R23
1,370 / 8,382
1,434 / 10,568
1,491 / 9,399
VRMark: Orange Room
9,772
VRMark: Cyan Room
2,752
VRMark: Blue Room
2,101
The MSI Creator 15 also has a big old battery at 99.9WHr, and that’s as big as it gets. Anything bigger than that wouldn’t meet certain regulatory restrictions, such as being allowed on planes. In my testing, it got between four and five hours of usage, which is really good for a machine like this. that’s about average for what I get in an ultrabook or a convertible, but this thing has a 45W CPU and RTX graphics. Five hours of battery life under real-world use is killer.
The MSI Creator 15 has the biggest battery that exists in a laptop.
I didn’t use any particular setting this time. It’s not like a productivity machine where I can set the power slider to balanced all the time. There was a lot of photo editing happening, and sometimes, it was also powering a 15.6-inch FHD OLED display that was sent by INNOCN. I didn’t try to preserve power, or run a test by looping local video playback or something like that. This was straight-up real-world usage, and the results are really good.
Who should buy the MSI Creator 15?
There’s a lot about the MSI Creator 15 that’s really good, and there’s some that’s not that great, so obviously, it’s not for everyone.
Who should buy the MSI Creator 15:
People who want a laptop for photo and video editing, but also might want to play some games too
Customers that want to be delighted by an OLED display
Creators that aren’t able to be connected to power all the time
Who shouldn’t buy the MSI Creator 15:
Users who are on a lot of video calls and would benefit from an FHD webcam
People who are looking for a laptop that’s primarily for productivity
Other than the OLED display, which is absolutely stunning, one of the biggest things that stands out to me here is that boxy design. MSI’s laptops are traditionally made for gaming, and it feels like the firm took a gaming laptop design and swapped out a bunch of gamer-centric features for creator-centric ones. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; indeed, it might be quite the opposite, but it should give you an idea if this laptop is for you.
