MSI Stealth 18 HX AI (2026) vs Lenovo Pro 9i Aura Edition (16")
Review
Key differences
Key distinctions and advantages between MSI Stealth 18 HX AI (2026) and Lenovo Pro 9i Aura Edition (16")
Reasons to consider the MSI Stealth 18 HX AI (2026)
- + Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX
- + GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop 8GB graphics
- + 32GB/1024GB
- + 18 inches display
- + 99.9 Wh battery
Reasons to consider the Lenovo Pro 9i Aura Edition (16")
- + Intel Core Ultra 7 356H
- + GeForce RTX 5050 Laptop 8GB graphics
- + 32GB/1024GB
- + 16 inches display
- + 92.2 Wh battery
Pros & Cons
- Strong performance
- Thunderbolt connectivity
- Generous 32GB RAM
- Heavy (2.89 kg (6.37 lbs))
"A high-end MSI Stealth 18 HX AI (2026) laptop with strong performance (93/100). Suited for demanding professional and gaming workloads."
- Thunderbolt connectivity
- Generous 32GB RAM
- No significant drawbacks for its tier
"A premium Lenovo Pro 9i Aura Edition (16") laptop with capable performance (79/100). Suited for productivity, content creation and gaming."
Value for Money Beta
Please input up-to-date prices for the selected configurations to get an accurate value-for-money index.
Benchmarks
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI (2026) | Lenovo Pro 9i Aura Edition (16") | |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core) | 17384 | 14030 |
| Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core) 206 | 142 | 125 |
| Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core) | 1951 | 1114 |
Specifications
| Specification | MSI Stealth 18 HX AI (2026) ↗ | Lenovo Pro 9i Aura Edition (16") ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 2.89 kg (6.37 lbs) | 1.9 kg (4.19 lbs) |
| Dimensions | 399.99 x 289.67 x 19.9-23.99 mm 15.75 x 11.4 x 0.78-0.94 inches | 360.6 x 247.9 x 17.2 mm 14.2 x 9.76 x 0.68 inches |
| Area | 1159 cm 2 (179.6 inches 2 ) | 894 cm 2 (138.6 inches 2 ) |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~81.1% | ~83% |
| Side bezels | 6.1 mm | 8 mm |
| Colors | Black | Gray |
| Material | Aluminum | Aluminum |
| Transformer | No | No |
| Opening angle | 170° |
| Specification | MSI Stealth 18 HX AI (2026) ↗ | Lenovo Pro 9i Aura Edition (16") ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Cooling system | Active | Active |
| Vapor chamber | Yes | No |
| Liquid metal | No | No |
| Number of fans | 2 | 2 |
| Noise level (max. load) | 63 dB | 50.1 dB |
| Specification | MSI Stealth 18 HX AI (2026) ↗ | Lenovo Pro 9i Aura Edition (16") ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 18 inches | 16 inches |
| Type | IPS LCD | OLED |
| Refresh Rate | 144 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | Yes | |
| PPI | 126 ppi | 212 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 16:10 | 16:10 |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1200 pixels | 2880 x 1800 pixels |
| HDR support | No | Yes, Dolby Vision |
| Sync technology | No | No |
| Touchscreen | No | Yes |
| Coating | Matte | Glossy (Antireflective) |
| Ambient light sensor | No | Yes |
| Display tests | ||
| Contrast | 1000000:1 | |
| sRGB color space | 100% | |
| Adobe RGB profile | ||
| DCI-P3 color gamut | 100% | |
| Response time | 1 ms | |
| Max. brightness | 500 nits |
| Specification | MSI Stealth 18 HX AI (2026) ↗ | Lenovo Pro 9i Aura Edition (16") ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 99.9 Wh | 92.2 Wh |
| Full charging time | 2:00 hr | |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Po |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
| Charging via USB (Power Delivery) | Yes, 140 W | Yes |
| Charging port position | Right, Bottom | Left |
| Charge power | 280 W | 170 / 245 W |
| Cable length | ||
| Weight of AC adapter | 723 grams | 753 grams |
| Specification | MSI Stealth 18 HX AI (2026) ↗ | Lenovo Pro 9i Aura Edition (16") ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| CPU name | Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX | Intel Core Ultra 7 356H |
| Base frequency | 2.4 GHz | 1.9 GHz |
| Cores | 20 (8P + 12E) | 16 (4P + 12E) |
| Threads | 20 | 16 |
| Integrated GPU | Arc Graphics (4-Cores) | Intel Xe3 Graphics |
| Fabrication process | 3 nm | 2 nm |
| Specification | MSI Stealth 18 HX AI (2026) ↗ | Lenovo Pro 9i Aura Edition (16") ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| GPU name | GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop 8GB | GeForce RTX 5050 Laptop 8GB |
| Type | Dedicated | Dedicated |
| Fabrication process | 4 nm | 5 nm |
| GPU boost clock | ||
| FLOPS | 26.2 TFLOPS | 13.6 TFLOPS |
| Memory size | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory type | GDDR7 | GDDR7 |
| Memory bus | 128 bit | 128 bit |
| Memory speed | ~24 Gbps | ~24 Gbps |
| Shading units (cores) | 4608 | 2560 |
| Texture mapping units (TMUs) | 144 | 80 |
| Raster operations pipelines (ROPs) | 48 | 32 |
| GPU performance | 26.2 TFLOPS | 13.6 TFLOPS |
| Blender GPU | ||
| Solar Bay |
| Specification | MSI Stealth 18 HX AI (2026) ↗ | Lenovo Pro 9i Aura Edition (16") ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| RAM size | 32GB | 32GB |
| Channels | 2x16 GB | 2x16 GB |
| Clock | 6400 MHz | 7467 MHz |
| Type | DDR5 | LPDDR5X |
| Upgradable | Yes | No |
| Specification | MSI Stealth 18 HX AI (2026) ↗ | Lenovo Pro 9i Aura Edition (16") ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Storage size | 1024GB | 1024GB |
| Bus | PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) | PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) |
| Storage type | SSD (M2) | SSD (M2) |
| Channels | 1x1024 GB | 1x1024 GB |
| Upgradable | Yes | Yes |
| NVMe | Yes | Yes |
| Specification | MSI Stealth 18 HX AI (2026) ↗ | Lenovo Pro 9i Aura Edition (16") ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Speakers | 2.4 (2 tweeters and 4 woofers) | 2.4 (2 tweeters and 4 woofers) |
| Dolby Atmos | No | Yes |
| Loudness | ~90 dB | ~83.1 dB |
| Microphones | 2 | 4 |
| Specification | MSI Stealth 18 HX AI (2026) ↗ | Lenovo Pro 9i Aura Edition (16") ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | v7 | v7 |
| Bluetooth | v5.4 | v6.0 |
| Fingerprint | Yes | No |
| Infrared sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Optical drive | No | No |
| Webcam | Above the display | Above the display |
| Webcam resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| Specification | MSI Stealth 18 HX AI (2026) ↗ | Lenovo Pro 9i Aura Edition (16") ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| USB-A | 2x USB 3.2 | 2x USB 3.2 |
| USB Type-C | 2x USB 4.0 | 2x USB 3.2 |
| Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt 4 | Thunderbolt 4 |
| HDMI | 1x HDMI 2.1 | 1x HDMI 2.1 |
| DisplayPort | No | No |
| VGA | No | No |
| Audio jack (3.5 mm) | Yes | Yes |
| Ethernet (RJ45) | Yes | No |
| SD card reader | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary charging port | Yes | Yes |
| Specification | MSI Stealth 18 HX AI (2026) ↗ | Lenovo Pro 9i Aura Edition (16") ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Keyboard type | Island | Island |
| Numpad | Yes | No |
| Backlit | Yes | Yes |
| Key Travel | 1.5 mm | |
| Size | 13.5 x 9.0 cm | 15.0 x 9.5 cm |
| Surface | Plastic | Glass |
| Windows Precision | Yes | Yes |
