MSI Creator Z16

Overview

The MSI Creator Z16 is a laptop marketed towards content creators but actually works better as a hybrid device for creatives and gamers. It's a great laptop, but this middle ground means it doesn't particularly excel at either, instead, sitting the fence as a middling alternative for folks looking for a single device for work and play.

-- As reviewed by TechRadar

TechSpot Metascore

Based on 5 expert reviews

Excellent:

1
Good:

3
Average:

1
Bad:

0

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Last revision on August 15, 2023

Reviewers Liked

Fantastic high-refresh screen
Great 16:10 display ratio
Handles GPU and CPU-heavy editing software with ease
Not a bad gaming machine

Reviewers Didn't Like

No HDMI or Display port
Battery life is lackluster
Small, flimsy touchpad
16GB of RAM feels limiting
Very high price

Competitors and Related Products

Our editors hand-pick related products using a variety of criteria: direct competitors targeting the same market segment, or devices that are similar in size, performance, or feature sets.

Expert reviews and ratings

For one, while the port selection should be fine for general use (two Thunderbolt 4, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, one microSD reader, and a headphone jack, in addition to a DC-in for the barrel charger), there’s no HDMI. This may be inconvenient for folks who need certain external displays or tablets for their work — which is at least a chunk of the Z16’s professional target audience.

By The Verge on January 21, 2022

By TechRadar on December 03, 2021

The MSI Creator Z16 is an industrial-styled hybrid laptop that combines features from both Creative workstations and gaming devices. Where it tries to succeed at both, there are a few issues that make it more of a toasty middleground than a champion of both markets though.

By CreativeBloq on November 18, 2021

Con tarjeta Nvidia RTX 3060, CPU i7-11800H, RAM de 32 GB y SSD Gen4x4 el hardware de esta unidad estará a la altura de un equipo gaming en toda regla. Su mayor problema serán las temperaturas en tareas pesadas como renderizado o juegos, pero no se puede hacer mucho mejor trabajo en un disipador como este de triple ventilador. Quizás sí, aplicar pasta térmica de metal líquido. La autonomía obtenida nos da garantías para lograr una jornada de estudio casi completa, siempre que hagamos tareas ligeras y mantengamos bajo control su potente hardware.

By ProfesionalReview on October 26, 2021

The MSI Creator Z16 is a solid MacBook alternative that’s stylish and packs enough power to handle your creative needs.

By LaptopMag on September 20, 2021

With an Nvidia RTX 3060 card, i7-11800H CPU, 32 GB RAM and Gen4x4 SSD, the hardware of this unit give us outstanding performance. Your biggest problem will be the temperatures in heavy tasks like 3D rendering or gaming. The battery autonomy obtained gives us guarantees to achieve an almost complete workday, as long as we do light tasks and keep its powerful hardware under control.

By DigitalMasta on October 29, 2021

At the end of the day, as MSI states on their Web page, the Creator Z16 is all about aesthetics. Its beautiful, and tough body is definitely going to give you some respect points, but to be honest, the laptop is quite behind some competitors. For instance, there is the Lenovo Legion 7 (16″), which is more powerful, has a better cooling solution, and its display has a lot better color uniformity across the area of the panel. Of course, the purchase decision is entirely yours, but we feel that MSI could have done a better job, or at least they could have put a more competitive price tag.

By LaptopMedia on August 21, 2021

MSI Creator Z16

Overview

Pros & Cons

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Price: $2,398

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Reviewers Liked

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LG Gram 16

Expert reviews and ratings