Whenever I hear the brand MSI, I always visualize PC gaming and hardcore gaming laptops with flashy RGBs. But over the past couple of years, the brand has expanded its line-up to include the equally powerful creator laptops and the more subtle and subdued business laptops like the MSI Summit E14 Evo, a small, compact 2-in-1 powered by Intel’s latest 12th Gen processors.
Design: 4.5/5
Straight up, I like the looks of the MSI Summit E14 Flip Evo. It has an aluminum chassis that feels and looks good. While the color choice of black may feel old school and boring, I prefer to call it classy.
Opening the laptop you’ll be greeted by a 14-inch QHD (2880 x 1800) IPS display. What’s great about this display is that it uses a 16:10 aspect ratio that allows users to see more than the standard 16:9. As a 2-in-1 you can actually rotate the display 180 degrees allowing for more versatile uses.
Port selection is alright, not the best. On the left side of the laptop is a full-size HDMI Port (nice), and two USB Type-C ports that are Thunderbolt 4 compatible. These USB-C ports also double as the device’s charging ports. On the right side is a USB 3.2 Type-A port, a 3.5mm audio port, a microSD card reader, and the webcam lock switch.
Hardware: 4.5/5
What makes the MSI Summit E14 Flip Evo outstanding is what’s powering it underneath the hood. The laptop is powered by an Intel Core i7-1280-P with 14 cores (six power cores and eight efficiency cores). Paired to the processor is Intel’s integrated Iris Xe graphics. Also on the laptop are 16GB of DDR5 RAM and 1TB of NVMe SSD storage.
PCMark 10 Express rated the laptop with 9823 for Essentials and 6361 for Productivity. 3DMark Time Spy has the laptop at 18010. In other words, the processor is pretty good not only for work but also for some light gaming. I wouldn’t recommend running AAA games, though.
On top of the hardware, MSI also fitted the laptop with some quality software. The MSI Pro Center offers in-depth information about the status of your laptop and comes with AI that manages the temp mode and power draw. Then there’s the included Tobii aware software that uses the laptop’s webcam to determine whether someone’s snooping behind you and immediately blurs the screen and alerts you. Lastly, there’s Tile integration where users can find their laptop (even if it’s turned off) using Tile’s location fetching technology.
Then there’s the added MSI Pen support, and MSI’s stylus which I’ll detail more later.
User Experience: 4/5
The MSI Summit E14 Flip Evo is a pretty good laptop. It offers great performance with the 12th Gen Core i7 processor with the added bells and whistles of some great software.
For those who are picky with security the laptop already has hardware-based TPM 2.0. Aside from that, there’s also the Windows Hello log-in via Face Unlock or fingerprint with the fingerprint reader beside the touchpad.
Then there’s also the built-in Tile location which helps you locate the laptop through the Tile app. Even if your laptop is shut down you can use the tile app find where you last left the device. It does this by emitting a loud sound even if the device is turned off. You can also see on the app’s map the approximate location of the device. You can also use the tile app on the laptop to find your phone which also uses the same method.
While you might think that the laptop is all business, the display makes the laptop all the more versatile. I actually found myself using the laptop as my main Netflix-binging device. Meanwhile, the tablet mode was a great note-taking method as I reviewed for my exams during my time with it.
The included MSI Pen was also great. The pen felt great to use, paired with a great display on the laptop itself and you’re all set. The MSI Summit E14 Flip Evo was also a joy to type on. Unlike other laptops, the key spacing on the keyboard was big enough. The touchpad also felt great.
The laptop was also a surprising workhorse, the battery lasted me a day in light use. Plus the use of a USB Type-C charging means that you can charge it with a phone charger instead of carrying the power brick all the time. Speaking of charging, the laptop’s charge time was also fast. The included 65W power brick refilled the battery from 10% to 100% in just two and a half hours.
For someone always on the go, the laptop is also exceptionally portable coming at just 17.9mm thin and 1.6kg light.
Another thing that surprise me was the webcam. As a laptop made for business, MSI did a great job in including a great webcam. It has a legitimate FHD IR camera that looks really great. The webcam is also used for the Tobii security software which blurs the display if you’re not looking or someone is snooping around.
There is a catch though, you’ll need to always turn on the webcam to use the Tobii software. When software is active the Webcam LED was blinking, which made me feel uneasy, like I forgot to leave my zoom call.
One thing that concerned me about the laptop was the heat. I found it to get quite hot to the touch after using it for a couple of hours. I tried some adjustments in MSI Center but still could really find a solution to the heat. That said, heat has always been a concern in slim and lights and the MSI Summit E14 Flip Evo is no exception.
Value: 3/5
Coming in at PHP89,995 the MSI Summit E14 Flip Evo is on the pricier side. However, I still think that the laptop is worth considering, with its extra features and MSI Pen. The MSI Summit E14 has everything you might want and need from a business-centric laptop.
Specifications:
- Processor: Intel Core i7-1280P
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
- OS: Windows 11 Home
- Display: 14-inch QHD (2880 x 1800) IPS display with 16:10 aspect ratio
- Memory: 16GB of DDR5
- Storage: 1TB of NVMe PCIe4 SSD
- Ports: 2x Type-C (USB / DP / Thunderbolt™ 4) with PD charging, 1x Type-A USB3.2 Gen2, 1x Micro SD Card Reader, 1x (4K @ 60Hz) HDMI, 1x Mic-in/Headphone-out Combo Jack
- Battery: 72Whr with 65W charger
- Connectivity: Intel® Killer™ AX Wi-Fi 6E + Bluetooth 5.2
- Dimensions: 314 x 227.5 x 17.9mm
- Weight: 1.6kg
What’s Hot:
- Great webcam
- Tobii privacy
- Tile
- Exceptionally portable
What’s Not:
- Pricey
- Thermals are a concern
Bottomline
The MSI Summit E14 Flip Evo is a great laptop with great added software.
Reviewed by Gabriel Pe
Also published in Gadgets Magazine July 2022 Issue