MSI Modern 14 (2021) Review: Perfectly fits the remote working and learning bill with some noticeable flaws

As the popularity of remote working and learning sores during the ongoing covid-19 crisis, the demand for PCs is also rising. There are a few key specs that are vital for fulfilling work from home requirements for the average remote worker. And on paper, the new MSI Modern 14 pretty much meets all of them. But in today’s review, we will deep dive into the full spec sheet of the Modern 14 to see if it can deliver in the real world.

Design and Build

First off is the design, which I have to say is pretty straightforward. The laptop has a sleek thin and light profile with a subtle brushed grey and blue aluminium finish. The matte finish keeps fingerprints off the laptop and lends it a polished look. It also features a thin and light form factor, weighing in at only 1.3kg. Additionally, the screen has slim bezels on all sides, with the chin being slightly larger, but relatively small compared to what we see in the competition.

The MSI logo is imprinted on the bottom of the screen and in the middle of the lid. The hinge allows you to use the screen at a 180-degree angle, which I guess could be useful while presenting on a table to a couple of colleagues. The hinge also lifts the bottom of the laptop slightly above the surface to ensure better heat dissipation. The overall design and build quality feel pretty solid here while maintaining a very slim and light form factor.

Ports

In terms of connectivity, the MSI Modern 14 is equipped with two full-size USB ports on the right along with a 3.5mm audio jack. On the left, you get a USB Type-C port, an HDMI port, an SD card slot, and a power outlet. Additionally, the laptop supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1, while the USB Type-C port has Thunderbolt 4 support. For a slim and light 14-inch laptop, the new Modern 14 has a very strong assortment of ports.

Keyboard and Trackpad

The new Modern 14 has a gold old chicklet keyboard with a white backlight. The keycaps are relatively large, yet the spacing between the keys seem adequate for the most part. Additionally, the keys had a decent travel distance of 1.5mm making them ideal for both typing and the odd bit of casual gaming. The trackpad on the new Modern 14 has a large surface area that is smooth to the touch and quite responsive, making it ideal for daily work.

Display

For the display, the Modern 14 opts for a 14-inch Full HD (1080p) IPS display. The screen has a 16:9 aspect ratio and offers good viewing angles. The display also offers 47 percent NTSC coverage and gets sufficiently bright to get by in most scenarios. The anti-glare coating makes it usable outdoors as well. When it comes to media consumption and productivity workloads, the display does a pretty decent job but it isn’t suitable for creators whose work relies on colour accuracy.

Audio

For audio, the new Modern 14 packs two 2W speakers powered by Harman Kardon. It is worth noting that the sound quality on the Modern 14 can be found lacking as the speakers are placed at the bottom. I found myself constantly relying on external speakers or using a pair of headphones as the speaker volume falls flat even when it is maxed out.

Performance

When it comes to performance, the MSI Modern 14 opts for an Intel Core i5-1135G7 CPU paired with a base clock speed of 2.4GHz and a boost frequency of 4.2GHz. The quad-core CPU is paired with Intel’s integrated Iris Xe graphics. The Modern 14 comes with 8GB of RAM that can be expanded up to 32GB. The laptop also packs 512GB of M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD storage. So, how do these specs fare in the real world?

The Modern 14 does an excellent job of handling multitasking workloads. The laptop ran pretty smooth when multitasking between Google Chrome and MS Word. Additionally, the CPU managed to hit a single-core score of 1239 points and a multi-core score of 4287 points in Geekbench 5. In Cinebench R23, the laptop scored 4717 points in the multi-core test and 1297 points in the single-core test.

But if that isn’t enough, the Modern can also handle some casual gaming. I managed to play Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Heroes of the Storm on low settings for about an hour, before the machine started to get a little too hot.

The Modern 14 is by no means a gaming laptop and isn’t built to handle games, but its ability to handle the odd bit of casual gaming was impressive. However, the machine is well-built for multi-tasking. I also ran Raid: Shadow Legends (Android Game) in the background while multitasking for several hours without any issues. Overall, performance on the Modern 14 was pretty solid.

Battery Life 

The new MSI Modern 14 packs a 52Whr battery that delivers up to six to seven hours of battery life when multitasking on a full charge. Our multitasking involved browsing the web and using MS Word, which isn’t that intensive, making battery life just about decent. You will get more time with media playback, but I still think the Modern should be doing better here.

Verdict

The new MSI Modern 14 is configurable with an 11^th Gen Intel Core i3 or Core i7 as well, but our model with the Core i5 will set you back Rs 54,990. The Modern 14 features one of the best builds and designs in its segment. Moreover, the laptop delivers excellent performance and decent battery life, making it ideal for everyday use. You also get a comfortable keyboard and tons of ports for a 14-inch laptop.

However, despite all its Pros, the new Modern 14 isn’t without its faults, the display and speakers are not at all up to the mark. That being said, the new Modern 14 perfectly fits the remote working and learning bill. And even when you need to head back to work, the notebook is ultraportable and offers just about enough battery to last during a commute.