While MSI has not attempted to overthrow the best in class with the Alpha 15, it has developed a package that inconspicuously challenges the midrange market that Intel and NVIDIA have dominated until now. In short, the Alpha 15 represents an initial foray into a market in which AMD could gain a foothold.

The key feature with the Alpha 15 is its Radeon RX 5500M GPU, based on AMD's Navi architecture. The GPU, manufactured on a 7 nm processor, sits between the GeForce GTX 1650 and GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q on paper, something which our tests with our pre-production model confirmed. However, it must be noted that the range of possible results is high for the time being. For example, while the RX 5500M does not go beyond the level of a GTX 1650 in some games, it reaches GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q levels in others. Overall, it generally sits between the two, though.

The MSI Alpha 15 can compete against Core i5-9300H, and GeForce 1660 Ti Max-Q powered laptops in some games with its Ryzen 7 3750H processor and new Radeon RX 5500M GPU.

Whether one can speak of the device as a success for AMD or MSI depends on the price at which the Alpha 15 launches. Early information suggests that the device will ship for US$999 to US$1099 for 120 and 144 Hz options, pricing that puts the Alpha 15 beyond the reach of Core i5-9300H and GTX 1650 powered, which typically cost well under US$1,000. However, GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q laptops generally exceed US$1,000, which puts the RX 5500M in a better light. We imagine that deciding between the three GPUs will depend on what features the laptops in which they are paired offer too.