MSI Launches AMD-Powered Alpha 15, Alpha 17 Gaming Laptops; Should You Buy?

MSI has officially announced two new gaming laptops -- the MSI Alpha 15 and the Alpha 17 or as the company likes to call them -- all-AMD gaming laptops. These are the first laptops from the company based on the AMD CPU and AMD GPU based on 7nm fabrication, making them much power efficient than the Intel and NVIDIA counterpart.

The only major difference between these two laptops is the display size. Both models come with a 1080p resolution IPS panel with a 144Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium technology. Even with the difference in screen size, both laptops pack a 6-Cell, Li-ion, 65Whr battery, hence the 15-inch model is likely to deliver slightly better battery life.

MSI Alpha 15, Alpha 17 Specifications

The MSI Alpha 15 and the MSI Alpha 17 are available in multiple SKUs and the top of the tier model will be based on the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H processor which also powers the ASUS TUF A15 that we reviewed recently. The graphics are handled by the AMD Radeon RX 5600M dedicated GPU with 6GB video memory.

Both models offer two NVMe SSD slots based on PCIe Gen3 along with support for up to 64GB DDR4 RAM with up to 3200MHz. These laptops offer SteelSeries/ Silver-Lining Print gaming keyboard with per-key RGB support. In terms of connectivity, these laptops support Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) powered by an Intel modem with Gigabit Ethernet.

Coming to the audio experience, the laptops offer a 2x2W speaker setup with Hi-Res audio along with Hi-Res audio technology. The Alpha 15 weighs 2.4KG, whereas the Alpha 17 is 200 grams heavier than the 15-inch model.

Pricing And Availability

As of now, there is no information on the pricing or the availability of the MSI Alpha 15 and the Alpha 17 in India. Considering the specs sheet, the base variant of the Alpha 15 is likely to be priced below $1000.