[section_title title=The MSI AP16 Flex]
The MSI AP16 Flex
My take on the MSI flex is a pretty complicated one, every day there is a new innovation meaning products move forward and interesting product designs appear on the market. It’s nice to see new products like the AP16 Flex making an appearance on the market because It’s not quite a tablet, but at the same time it’s not really a computer or a laptop. It’s an AIO that makes use of an incredibly large touchscreen, but it’s still not the biggest touch screen. It’s got a huge amount of potential because it sits perfectly in the middle of so many product ranges.
The MSI AP16 Flex is a low-cost solution that over time is cheaper than some computers to run in regards to reducing electricity bills. It uses little to no power due to the Intel Bay-Trail quad core, but even though it’s a low power solution, don’t let this fool you! The MSI AP16 Flex has incredible graphics power that rivals some integrated chips, I was seriously impressed with the pickup and go performance the AP16 produced, mainly because the AP16 Flex uses a completely fanless design. But you should note this low power alternative does come at a cost of £349.99. I look at the price tag and I wonder why would I not get a low power i3 ultrabook?
Things we disliked:
Now I think that all products ever made are built for a specific purpose unless it’s something apple made… This is why I slowly fell in love with the flex ap16 during testing, but I actually thought I’d go into the things I disliked with the flex first:
- It’s big, granted it’s supposed to be big. It’s hard to hold in your lap and use like a “Tablet” if you really wanted to, and I’m sure quite a few people buying this will maybe have that in mind. Not to mention the final version will ship with a battery, which will make this even heavier. Now this is a bad point, because I feel a lot of people won’t see the all in one aspect of the product, and simply buy it for using as a really big tablet.
- The orientation of the power cable running into the side of the Flex really ruined it for me, especially for a product that boasts a wall mount.
- The buttons on the top of the Flex felt a little cheap and rushed.
- The speakers sounded average, would have been nice to have a bit more sound quality and volume for taking the Flex away on holiday.
Things we liked:
So not really many complaints regarding the flex, I can understand the short-comings at this price range and you cannot have everything. Let’s talk about a few of the things I really love about the product:
- Ease of use, it is pretty snappy meaning you can just throw it about to suit your workflow. If you need to get up and go to a meeting simply put the stand at a different angle and you are ready. This is something that I feel makes it an interesting product, because you can use it like a normal computer and instantly pack it away to suit the environment.
- The speed and power the AP16 commands is enough to satisfy most people, its doubtful you’ll encounter a slow moment unless you plan on running the original Crysis, although it would probably run the newer ones with ease. Also you can get a model with flash memory which would dramatically increase speed in applications and general use..
- Silence, I had this on next to my SFF test rig which is mostly inaudible, I could pretty much just hear the disk spinning away. Also the fact the AP16 uses a fanless design does increase the lifespan of the product.
- Electricity is another selling point, thanks to the Intel processor powering the AP16 this AIO PC. It uses almost nothing to power the system, meaning in the long run you’ll save money.
- With the “Cheap and tacky” button comment out the way, let me add to this review, the front of the MSI Flex is simply gorgeous. And looks well at home almost anywhere, so no complaints in that department.
