Tested MSI Summit E16 Flip Flip

Eyes on the top

MSI eschews its usual chunky red-and-black design to serve up a flexible and versatile 2-in-1 that looks as good as it performs

R40000 / computermania.co.za

We’re used to MSI’s gaming hardware, so this productivityfocused 2-in-1 is an interesting deviation from the norm. The company’s quite handy at making machines that go fast and those skills have transferred well to this attractive slice of computing goodness.

There’s almost no fat on this slim, sturdy computer and MSI attempted to make it as multitalented as possible. They’ve also succeeded, provided your expectations aren’t too high in a few departments. Gaming. We’re talking about gaming here. Being MSI, yes, the Summit E16 Flip can play games. It’d be weird if it couldn’t, but that’s obviously not its main function.

It’s designed to replace whatever machine you’re used to working on during office hours, and a few other devices besides. Want a 16in tablet? That’s an option, with stylus support a decent bonus. But the 2kg weight and accompanying size means it’s the sort of tablet you rest on a desk.

Jack of all trades, master of none? Kinda. It’ll handle most duties impressively enough, but there’s a little way to go before total mastery is achieved.

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Reach for the Summit If you’re keen on some postoffice gaming, the Summit E16 Flip’s RTX 3050 will happily oblige (1). It’s not pure gaming hardware but if you’re mucking around with Fortnite you’re looking at close to 60 frames per second. It’ll handle most other games at medium settings, with an occasional excursion to ‘high’.

Look at that view The 16in IPS display (3) has a native resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 and a ratio of 16:10 – that’s how you know this one’s supposed to live at the office. The panel is bright and clear enough to handle a touch of glare, but the 120Hz refresh rate does a bit of a number on the battery life. Quite a pick Intel’s Core i7-1195G7 chipset powers this beastie, with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage in our review model (2). It’s plenty fast, though you’ll snag dedicated laptops that can outperform this model at similar price points. That’s not to say it’s slow. MSI’s performance mode’ll give you a little more headroom, too.

Pitching a tent The Summit’s hinge folds all the way round, letting you choose from laptop, tent, or tablet orientations (4). It also lifts the base when you’re in laptop mode, exposing the vents there. It’s not as finely engineered as Lenovo or Dell’s efforts, but there’s no real cause for complaint.

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Rock solid Build quality is always a concern with a 2-in-1 and while the MSI Summit isn’t rugged, it’s durable enough. There’s aluminium construction encasing this machine on all sides (5), giving it heft (that you’ll only dislike if you’re carrying it long distances) and reassuring presence.

GOOD MEH EVIL

Looks much slicker than expected. Nice

The keyboard is begging be typed to on Trackpad could do with a little more room The price is a tiny bit of a kick in the nards Battery life could be better, but it’ll serve

But the screen’s 16:10 ratio makes up for it

Instant Upgrade The Summit E16 Flip ships with Windows 10 Pro, the “last version of Windows”, but users get a free upgrade to Windows 11 if they want it.

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Tech specs

Screen 16in QHD+ 120Hz IPS Processor Intel Core i7-1195G7 RAM 32GB GPU GeForce RTX 3050 Storage 1TB M.2 SSD Battery 82Wh OS Windows 10 Pro (Windows 11 avail.) Weight 2KG Dimensions 358.2x258.5x16.9mm

Needsmorecowbell

As with mountain climbing, it’s the little things that really matter. The Summit has all the tools you need

■ Contact strength

The E16 Flip’s keyboard is a gorgeous LED-backlit chiclet arrangement with great spacing and satisfying travel. The only place it gets cramped is in the number-pad region, which is squeezed in just a tad too much for comfort. ■ Chalk bag

About the only complaint we have is that MSI skimped a bit on the trackpad. It’s plenty wide enough, but there was scope to expand the navigation panel vertically as well as horizontally, with room to spare.

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■ Left approach

Along the left side, users will find a full-sized HDMI port, dual Thunderbolt 4 ports (one is reserved for the charger) and a key to disable the webcam. It’s not a physical switch, but there’s an on-screen confirmation. ■ Right approach

The opposite end is a whole other ballgame. Here you’ll find two USB-A ports, for some legacy equipment, as well as a microSD slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s a pity MSI didn’t spring for the full SD slot.

There’s a whole lot going for the MSI Summit E16 Flip. It’s usable is most orientations, has plenty of grunt and a fair complement of ports for peripherals. The generous screen’s 120Hz chops reigns in an already average battery. Use it as a desktop machine to fix that. Then, there’s the price. R40k is a bit much, guys.