CES 2026 is shaping up to be a hardware reset moment for laptops, and MSI is leaning all the way into it. Rather than joining the industry-wide obsession with paper-thin ultrabooks, MSI has unveiled a sweeping refresh of its portfolio that prioritizes rawpow er.
The company rolled out a dramatically refreshed lineup of gaming laptops and AI-powered machines, all powered by Intel’s latest Core Ultra Series 3 chips and NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 50-series graphics. These are the components expected to define premium gaming and creator PCs in India over the next year.
Raider 16 Max HX
The most headline-grabbing launch is the Raider 16 Max HX, which MSI calls the world’s first gaming laptop capable of delivering 300W of total system power.
That figure is staggering for a 16-inch chassis. It allocates up to 175W for the RTX 5090 or 5080 graphics cards and 125W for Intel’s Core Ultra 200HX processor. In a market like India, where desktop-level performance is often desired but space is at a premium, this is a clear pitch for the “desktop replacement” crowd.
To keep this machine from becoming a localized space heater, MSI is debuting a new Cooler Boost Trinity thermal system. It uses three fans, multiple exhaust vents, and phase-change materials to maintain stability during sustained gaming sessions.
While 300W sounds impressive on a spec sheet, the real test will be fan noise. MSI’s history with high-wattage machines suggests we should expect a jet-engine-level hum when the Raider is at full tilt.
Stealth and Crosshair Laptops
If the Raider is about raw power, the Stealth 16 AI+ is about the “Pro” pivot. At under 2kg and just 16.6mm thick, it delivers RTX 50-series graphics in a chassis that doesn’t look out of place in a boardroom. It’s a formula that earned it a CES Innovation Award, positioning it as the primary rival to the Razer Blade and MacBook Pro.
Meanwhile, the refreshed Crosshair series leans into bold aesthetics and high-refresh OLED panels. It offers up to 200W of total power and features repositioned rear I/O for cleaner desk setups, a small but thoughtful touch for competitive gamers who hate cable clutter.
The MSI Claw gets an icy makeover
MSI is also refreshing its handheld gaming PC with the Claw 8 AI+ Glacier Blue Edition. While the internals remain flagship-tier—Intel Core Ultra processors with Arc graphics—the update is primarily cosmetic. The “Glacier Blue” finish makes the Claw feel less like a prototype and more like a consumer-ready platform.
AI is everywhere
Beyond the frame rates, MSI’s AI push is actually functional this year. Across the lineup, AI engines are now used to:
- Optimize Cooling: Adjusting fan curves based on real-time acoustic feedback.
- Manage Workloads: Dynamically shifting power between the CPU and GPU.
- Battery Efficiency: A critical feature for Indian users who often deal with long, mixed-use days on the move.
