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MSI Stealth 18 HX A2W
MSI's 2026 Stealth 18 HX A2W pairs the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus with an RTX 5080 Laptop GPU, the only combination on MSI's spec sheets. This record covers the 32GB DDR5, 2TB SSD version with a 3840x2400 120Hz Mini-LED screen and a 99.9Wh battery. It follows the 2025 Core Ultra 9 275HX Stealth 18 HX AI. No US price; from about 4,050 euros in Germany.
Pros
- 18-inch 3840x2400 Mini-LED panel at 120Hz with VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification and 100% DCI-P3 (typical)
- Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (8 P-cores, 16 E-cores, up to 5.5GHz) with an RTX 5080 Laptop GPU with 16GB GDDR7 and up to 150W graphics power
- 2.89kg and 19.9-23.99mm thick in a magnesium-aluminum chassis, with a 99.9Wh battery
- Two DDR5 slots (up to 96GB), two Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI 2.1, an SD Express card reader, 2.5G Ethernet and Wi-Fi 7
- IR webcam with a privacy shutter, fingerprint reader and a six-speaker Dynaudio system
Cons
- Only one M.2 SSD slot, so more storage means replacing the 2TB drive
- Two Thunderbolt 4 ports rather than Thunderbolt 5
- Needs a 280W adapter, and graphics power tops out at 150W for the RTX 5080
- No US launch price found; about 4,050 euros and up in Germany
Good
Computed from specs & benchmarks via our public methodology.
Performance uses the published results of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, because we have no benchmark result for this device itself yet.
Full specifications
Everything we track for the MSI Stealth 18 HX A2W
Display
- Screen size
- 18 ″
- Panel type
- Mini-LED
- Resolution
- 3840x2400
- Refresh rate
- 120 Hz
Performance
- Processor
- Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus
- Graphics
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU (16GB GDDR7, up to 150W)
- RAM
- 32 GB
- RAM type
- DDR5-6400 (2 slots, up to 96GB)
- Storage
- 2,048 GB
- Storage type
- PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD (1 M.2 slot)
Battery
- Capacity
- 100 Wh
- Charging
- 280 W
Design
- Weight
- 2.89 kg
- Thickness
- 24 mm
- Material
- Magnesium-aluminum alloy
Connectivity
- Ports
- 2x Thunderbolt 4 (DisplayPort, Power Delivery 3.1), 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, HDMI 2.1, SD Express card reader, 2.5G Ethernet (RJ45), 3.5mm combo jack, Kensington lock
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi 7 (Intel Killer BE1750)
- Bluetooth
- 5.4
- Webcam
- 1080p IR with privacy shutter and HDR
- Biometrics
- Fingerprint reader, IR camera for Windows Hello
Software
- Operating system
- Windows 11 Home
Quick answers
Is the MSI Stealth 18 HX A2W good in 2026?
The MSI Stealth 18 HX A2W earns an Inno Score of 60.8/100 (“Good”) based on its specs and benchmark results. MSI's 2026 Stealth 18 HX A2W pairs the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus with an RTX 5080 Laptop GPU, the only combination on MSI's spec sheets. This record covers the 32GB DDR5, 2TB SSD version with a 3840x2400 120Hz Mini-LED screen and a 99.9Wh battery. It follows the 2025 Core Ultra 9 275HX Stealth 18 HX AI. No US price; from about 4,050 euros in Germany.
What are the key specs of the MSI Stealth 18 HX A2W?
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus · RAM: 32 GB · Screen size: 18 ″ · Weight: 2.89 kg
What are the closest alternatives to the MSI Stealth 18 HX A2W?
Its closest rivals on InnoReviews are Acer Predator Helios 16 AI (PH16-73), Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 10 (16IAX10), ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) — open the comparison pages for a spec-by-spec breakdown.
