[section_title title=Closer Look]
Closer Look
Quick disclaimer, this product is not far off the retail release however the final production sample will ship with retail packaging. And will also include a battery extending the portability and life of the device for up to two hours. I have to say I really like what MSI have done, the MSI Flex AP16  looks pleasant on the eyes especially at the price range. The AP16 was designed for using just about anywhere, this is thanks to the flex stand that can be mounted in all sorts of orientations, or perhaps you just want to setup on a desk? This is something I thought was awesome, however because of this small feature I feel a premium will be placed upon the AP16, however being able to mount the flex stand using wall bracket makes it hugely versatile when compared to other AIO computers.
The back of the case felt like an almost matte plastic, I really loved the front bezel design of the AP16 as it used a nice brushed aluminum material, so it would have been nice to have seen this carried on through to the back of the AP16, at the same time though I doubt many people will see the back of the device when using the product.
At the rear of the device are the RJ45 and two USB ports enabling a nice clean desk, freeing up the USB3.0 ports on the side for USB drives and misc use. You can even find an SD card reader for general use or perhaps expanding the internal capacity of the device.
The front of the device uses an incredibly glossy surface as shown in this picture, it’s well polished and uses good materials however it did make it harder to get good photos.
One thing that I dislike about tablets and other devices that perhaps spend their time living on a desk and this is even a point I notice with the majority of the laptop market. Power cables hanging off the side of the device really bring down the overall thought put into the device, especially when you can wall mount the AP16.
The stand itself can be angled from a near 90-degree angle all the way down, this makes it nice to have on your desk and move around to get the ideal position for using the AP16.
It’s a pretty simple design, but it doesn’t need to be a complicated design. Obviously the selling point for this product you might have noticed is the large “flex” stand on the back of the system allowing the impressive 15.6″ LED screen to tilt around freely. I even ran the Flex AP16 in portrait orientation (although I don’t think they planned on the product being used this way), but I’m sure you want to read a little more about the AP16 to see if the performance lives up to the gorgeous aesthetics.
