MSI Bravo 15 (2023)

MSI Bravo 15 (2023)

Manufacturer	MSI
Release date	January 2023 (2023-01)
Discontinued	No
Operating system	Windows 11 Home Windows 11 Pro
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS
Memory	16 (2x8) or 32 (2x16) GB DDR5-4800 or DDR5-5600 (supports up to 64 GB)
Memory slots	2 user accessible
Storage	512 GB, 1 or 2 TB M.2 2280 NVME
Storage slots	2 user accessible
Display	Screen size: 15.6 inch Panel type: IPS-Level Coating: Matte (anti-glare) Resolution: 1920 x 1080 PPI: 141 Aspect ratio: 16:9 Refresh rate: 144 Hz Brightness: 300 Nits Contrast ratio: 1000:1 sRGB: 99 % Adobe RGB: 72 % P3: 75 % Screen-to-body ratio: 80 %
Graphics	AMD Radeon 680M Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop 6 GB GDDR6 105 W w/ Dynamic Boost Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop 8 GB GDDR6 105 W w/ Dynamic Boost
Sound	2 x 2 W stereo speakers
Camera	Front: 720p with dual microphone
Connectivity	WiFi 6E Bluetooth 5.3 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-C, DP) 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A) 1 x USB 2.0 (Type-A) 1 x HDMI 2.1 1 x Ethernet (RJ45)
Dimensions	W: 359 millimetres (14.1 in) D: 259 millimetres (10.2 in) H: 24.9 millimetres (0.98 in)
Mass	2.25 kilograms (5.0 lb)
Power brick	200W AC adapter
Battery	3 cell Li-Polymer 53.5 Wh
Keyboard	4 zone RGB backlit, single backlit (blue)
Chassis	Color: Black Materials: Plastic Cooling:
Fingerprint reader	No
Facial recognition	No
Website	MSI

All statements attributed to reviews are the reviewer's own opinion. Note that these claims were accurate at the time of publication and may be dated when you are reading this article. Read more.

This section was written by AI and requires review. Remove this after review.

The MSI Bravo 15 (2023) is a mid-range gaming laptop equipped with AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4000 series mobile GPUs. Available configurations vary by store and location.

Primary Hardware

This section was written by AI and requires review. Remove this after review.

Processor

The MSI Bravo 15 (2023) can come with the following processors:

• AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS with 6 cores and 12 threads, 16 MB cache and a max frequency of 4.55 Ghz.
• AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS with 8 cores and 16 threads, 20 MB cache and max frequency of 4.75 Ghz.

MSI supplies the processors with sufficient power and cooling for CPU-intensive tasks resulting in average to above-average performance compared to other laptops with the same processors. In CPU-only tasks, SKUs with the Ryzen 7 7735HS perform as expected. SKUs with Ryzen 5 7535HS perform well, scoring on average 5-7% higher than the average Ryzen 5 7535HS in other laptops. Performance sustainability is good but not perfect, with all processors losing about 5% performance in long stress tests.

MSI also supplies the processor with sufficient power in mixed CPU and GPU tasks like gaming leading to noticeably better performance than competitors with the same configurations. In particular, the SKU with Ryzen 7 7735HS and RTX 4060 performs better than most other laptops with this configuration and is only 10% behind the Bravo 15 with Ryzen 7 7735HS and RTX 4070.

All SKUs lose a significant amount of CPU performance when running on the battery.

Benchmarks:

• Cinebench R23:
  • Ryzen 5 7535HS: ~1400 pts (single-core), ~12000 pts (multi-core)
  • Ryzen 7 7735HS: ~1600 pts (single-core), ~14000 pts (multi-core)

Graphics

In addition to the integrated AMD Radeon 680M, the Bravo 15 (2023) ships with the following discrete GPUs:

• Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU with 6 GB GDDR6 memory, 2355 Mhz boost clock, and 105 W Total Graphics Power (TGP) with Dynamic Boost.
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU with 8 GB GDDR6 memory, 2250 Mhz boost clock, and 105 W TGP with Dynamic Boost.

All configurations support DLSS 3.5, Dynamic Boost 2.0, VR ready, and DirectX® 12 Ultimate technologies.

MSI supplies all GPU configurations with 105 W of max power. In GPU-only benchmarks, SKUs with RTX 4060 perform slightly above average while SKUs with RTX 4050 perform impressively with results that are up to 10% faster than the average laptop RTX 4050.

In gaming, the RTX 4060 SKUs with the Ryzen 7 7735HS perform significantly better than the competition with the same GPU and are just 10% behind the RTX 4070 Bravo 15 with the better Ryzen 7 7735HS CPU. The RTX 4050 and Ryzen 5 7535HS SKU also perform above average and outperform laptops with the same 105W RTX 4050 configured with a lower power processor.

All SKUs lose a significant amount of graphics performance when running on the battery.

Benchmarks:

• 3D Mark TimeSpy 2560 x 1440:
  • RTX 4050: ~9000 pts
  • RTX 4060: ~11000 pts
• 3D Mark Fire Strike 1920 x 1080:
  • RTX 4050: ~22000 pts
  • RTX 4060: ~27000 pts
• The Witcher 3 1920 x 1080 Ultra HBAO+:
  • Ryzen 7 7735HS and RTX 4060: ~100 fps
  • Ryzen 5 7535HS and RTX 4050: ~85 fps

Memory

The AMD XDNA architecture used in the Bravo 15 supports a maximum of 2 SO-DIMM sticks and the 7th Generation AMD HS processors support up to 64 GB DDR5-5600Mhz memory.

Pre-configured SKUs come with either 16 GB (2 x 8) DDR5-4800 or 32 GB (2 x 16) DDR5-5600 Memory. These sticks perform identically even when paired with different CPUs.

Benchmarks:

• AIDA64 Memory Copy: ~70000 MB/s

Storage

The Bravo 15 can ship with 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB M.2 NVMe SSD depending on the seller. The OEM SSD only uses 1 slot in all configurations leaving the other slot open for upgrades.

Reviews of the Ryzen 7 7735HS + RTX 4060 and Ryzen 5 7535HS + RTX 4050 SKUs note that both came with the Samsung PM9A1 1 TB SSD which is an OEM version of the popular 980 Pro. This is a downgrade from the SK Hynix PC801 used in the previous model since the transfer rates drop to 50 % after some time in stress tests due to thermal throttling.

Benchmarks:

• CrystalDiskMark 8:
  • SEQ1M Q8T1 (Sequential 1MB blocks): ~6600 MB/s (read), ~4900 MB/s (write)
  • RND4K Q1T1 (Random 4 KB blocks): ~90 MB/s (read), ~250 MB/s (write)

Co-processors

The Bravo 15 does not have a dedicated NPU to accelerate AI applications.

Input Devices

This section was written by AI and requires review. Remove this after review.

Keyboard

The Bravo 15 comes with a standard keyboard layout with full size number pad and full size arrow keys. The keyboard offers 1.5 mm travel and 0.2 mm pitch. The RGB backlight has two modes - single zone or quad zone. The refresh rate of the display can be changed using the Fn + R keys. The Fn + Q keys can be used to switch between the three performance modes - Quiet, Balanced and Performance.

The typing experience is average with the deeper travel and stronger feedback resulting in a better typing experience than competitors like Razer Blade or Asus ROG Zephyrus.

Touchpad

The Bravo 15 comes with a plastic clickpad that measures 4.7 inches (12 cm) x 3 inches (7.6 cm).

The touchpad is smaller than the ones in competitors like Razer Blade but is spacious enough for simple tasks. The clicking is shallow and lacks enough feedback.

Webcam

The Bravo 15 comes with a 720p webcam with an electronic shutter and no IR options.

The webcam has poor color accuracy with a minimum DeltaE of 2.31 and a maximum DeltaE of 17.75. The webcam looks soft but is much sharper than 720p webcams that used to be common a few years back. The clarity is adequate for casual calls. There is a physical kill switch on the right side that disconnects the webcam from the laptop.

Microphone

The Bravo 15 comes with a dual microphone array.

Output Devices

This section was written by AI and requires review. Remove this after review.

Display

MSI ships the Bravo 15 with a 15.6 inch FHD (1920x1080) IPS-Level display with a 144Hz refresh rate and 300 nits brightness.

The display reaches the rated 300 nits, has good screen uniformity and has above average contrast for an IPS panel at around 1000:1. It also covers almost 99% of sRGB and 75% of DCI-P3 as rated and covers around 72% of AdobeRGB. The screen is not well calibrated out of the box and NotebookCheck records an average ColorChecker DeltaE of 4.3 on their unit. They also measure an average gray to gray response time of 4.8 ms.

None of the tested panels exhibit any PWM flickering at any brightness level.

Audio

The Bravo 15 comes with two bottom facing speakers near front corners in stereo configuration.

The speakers have a low maximum volume around 75 to 80 dB for a 15.6 inch laptop. They produce balanced to high mids and balanced highs but lack any noticeable bass.

Connectivity

This section was written by AI and requires review. Remove this after review.

WiFi

MSI equips the Bravo 15 with an Intel AX211 WiFi 6E WLAN module.

The Bravo 15 performs noticeably worse than other laptops with the same module however it is still able to reach decent transfer speeds for regular use.

Benchmarks:

• iperf3 transmit AXE11000: ~630 Mb/s
• iperf3 receive AXE11000: ~1040 Mb/s
• iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6 Ghz: ~820 Mb/s
• iperf3 receive AXE11000 6 Ghz: ~1200 Mb/s

Bluetooth

The Bravo 15 comes with a Bluetooth 5.3 module.

SD Card Reader

MSI does not include an SD card reader with the Bravo 15.

USB

MSI equips the Bravo 15 with the following USB ports:

• 1 x USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 1, 5 Gbps) with DisplayPort functionality.
• 2 x USB-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1, 5 Gbps).
• 1 x USB-A (USB 2.0).
• 1 x HDMI 2.1.
• 1 x RJ45 Ethernet port.

Community reports suggest that the USB-C charging will be limited to 100 W. In either case, performance mode cannot be enabled when charging through USB-C.

Display Outputs

The Bravo 15 comes with 2 display outputs:

• 1 x USB-C with DisplayPort functionality.
• 1 x HDMI 2.1.

The Bravo 15 supports up to 3 displays simultaneously including the built-in display.

Case

This section was written by AI and requires review. Remove this after review.

The Bravo 15 (2023) is only available in one color: black. The chassis remains the same as the previous model except for the redesigned ventilation grilles at the bottom which are now hexagons instead of rectangles. The display lid is made out of plastic while the keyboard deck and bottom cover are made out of PC-ABS plastic. The lid opens to the full 180 degrees however the hinge rigidity weakens past ~160 degrees. Surfaces are slightly roughened to reduce fingerprint buildup however it still attracts dust and fingerprints. The rear is elongated beyond the display lid and is thicker as well to accommodate a larger internal cooling solution. This contributes to the heavy weight of 2.25 kilograms (5.0 lb). There are two MSI logos - one on the lid on the bottom left and another on the palm rest on the right. There is one big Bravo logo on the top right side of the lid.

The chassis has a more professional look compared to the previous model with a uniform color instead of a two-tone silver and gray color scheme. There are fewer accents and angles as well.

Chassis rigidity is excellent with no audible creaking or weak points. The base and lid exhibit some twisting but not enough to be concerning.

Maintenance

This section was written by AI and requires review. Remove this after review.

The bottom panel is held on by 10 Philips-head screws. Four screws on the leading edge are shorter than the rest. There are clips securing the panel that must be popped up after removing the screws.

Upgradeable components:

• 53.5 WHr battery.
• Two M.2 2280 PCIe4 x4 SSDs each covered by an aluminum heatsink (most configurations only have one slot filled from the factory).
• Two DDR5-5600 SODIMMs covered by a single plastic shield (most configurations only have one slot filled from the factory).
• M.2 2230 wireless card.

Cooling System

This section was written by AI and requires review. Remove this after review.

The Bravo 15 is equipped with dual 60mm fans connected to the core components with five copper heat pipes. There is one shared heat pipe for the CPU and GPU, one dedicated heat pipe for the CPU and GPU each, and another smaller heat pipe for the VRMs. The system intakes air from the side and bottom grilles and exhausts air through the back grilles.

Heat

Surface temperatures vary depending on the configuration.

The Ryzen 7 7735HS + RTX 4060 SKU gets quite warm while idling, up to 39 °C on the bottom of the device. The left side with the WASD keys heats up more than the right side. Under heavy load, there is a hot spot of 57 °C on the bottom.

The Ryzen 5 7535HS + RTX 4050 SKU is slightly cooler while idling across all areas reaching up to 36 °C on the bottom. The palm rest and the WASD keys remain comfortable during intensive tasks.

Benchmarks:

• Ryzen 7 7735HS + 4060:
  • Maximum upper side: ~43 °C
  • Maximum bottom: ~50 °C
  • Idle upper side: ~30 °C
  • Idle bottom: ~34 °C
• Ryzen 5 7535HS + 4050:
  • Maximum upper side: ~44 °C
  • Maximum bottom: ~55 °C
  • Idle upper side: ~33 °C
  • Idle bottom: ~36 °C

Noise

There is no electronic noise or coil whine. The laptop is effectively silent during undemanding loads like light browsing or video playback, hovering below 30 dB(A). During intensive tasks, the fans quickly ramp up even when set to balanced mode. Fan noise while gaming in balanced mode is identical to performance mode despite temperatures being noticeably lower in balanced mode. During intensive tasks, the laptop emits noise above 50 db(A) and is louder than most other gaming laptops. Most variants emit the same amount of noise with more powerful configurations being slightly louder.

Benchmarks:

• Ryzen 5 7535HS + RTX 4050:
  • Load: > 50 db(A)
• Ryzen 7 7735HS + RTX 4060:
  • Idle: ~23 db(A) (min), ~23 db(A) (avg), ~25 db(A) (max)
  • Load: ~45 db(A) (avg), ~53 db(A) (max)
• Ryzen 7 7735HS + RTX 4060:
  • Idle: ~24 db(A) (min), ~24 db(A) (avg), ~29 db(A) (max)
  • Load: ~46 db(A) (avg), ~57 db(A) (max)

Energy Management

This section was written by AI and requires review. Remove this after review.

Power Consumption

The Bravo 15 ships with a 200 W AC adapter.

MSI remains very liberal with the power supplied to the CPU during combined CPU and GPU loads. Both the Ryzen 7 7735HS + RTX 4060 and Ryzen 5 7535HS + RTX 4050 SKUs consume around 150 W during load with temporary spikes to around 200 W.

The Ryzen 7 7735HS + RTX 4060 Bravo 15 draws around 50 W when idling for the most part, reducing to 15-20 W after waiting a very long time and any minor input brings the consumption back up to 50 W.

Battery Life

All Bravo 15 SKUs come with a 53.5 WHr Li-Polymer battery that MSI claims can charge from 0-40 % in 10 mins, 0 - 80 % in 30 mins and 0 - 100 % in 60 mins using the provided power adapter.

The battery life during light tasks is slightly below average for this class of laptop. Many competitors now include 60+ Whr batteries. Reviews verify the charging claims to be accurate.

Benchmarks:

• Ryzen 7 7735HS + RTX 4060:
  • WiFi Browsing (150 nits): 308 minutes
  • Load: 105 minutes
• Ryzen 5 7535HS + RTX 4050:
  • WiFi Browsing (150 nits): 290 minutes
  • Load (max brightness): 65 minutes

Biometrics

This section was written by AI and requires review. Remove this after review.

The Bravo 15 does not support Windows Hello face recognition and does not have a fingerprint reader.

Software

This section was written by AI and requires review. Remove this after review.

All SKUs ship with Windows 11 Home but the laptop can be upgraded to Windows 11 Pro, either manually or when buying directly from MSI.

Preinstalled Software

MSI Center

The MSI Center program acts as the primary control center in the Bravo 15. In addition to the performance profiles, the program also handles keyboard lighting macro keys, hardware troubleshooting, always on USB settings, toggling flip to start (opening the lid starts the laptop), battery conservation mode (limit charge to 80 %), MUX switch, system updates and other things.

There are three preset performance profiles - quiet, balanced and performance. MSI supports adding an AI engine in balanced mode that automatically adjusts system parameters based on the context. There is also a customized mode where the user can manually set various parameters.

Most reviewers use performance mode for performance benchmarks and quiet mode for the battery tests unless otherwise stated.

MSI App Player

The MSI App Player allows users to play mobile games on their laptop. This may be helpful for users who use multiple platforms to play games.

Other Preinstalled Software

The Bravo 15 also comes with other less useful software like MSI Now, which exists just to sell software and services, and MSI Avatar Master, which creates your digital avatar.

There is also unwanted software like 30-day McAfee security trial.

Accessories & Warranty

This section was written by AI and requires review. Remove this after review.

The Bravo 15 comes with a 200 W AC adapter and paperwork.

There is one-year limited manufacturer warranty if purchased in the US.

Reviews Summary

This section was written by AI and requires review. Remove this after review.

Overall Sentiment

The Bravo 15 is considered one of the best gaming laptops at its price with high CPU and GPU performance relative to competitors. Often found under $1200, the Bravo 15 is suitable for people looking for a high performance gaming laptop without breaking the bank. The laptop also comes with a decent screen for gaming and is highly upgradeable. The primary downsides are the poor battery life, large size and weight which make it unsuitable for portable use away from an outlet for a long time.

Problems Summary

• No SD card reader.
• Below average speakers given the form factor.
• Slow WiFi compared to other laptops with same module.
• OEM SSD loses 50 % performance during sustained disk loads.
• Plastic touchpad does not provide the best tracking experience.
• High idle power consumption
• Higher than average surface temperatures while idling and during intensive tasks.
• Below average battery life.
• Heavy
• Large size

Links

Ryzen 5 7535HS, RTX 4050, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD: TechRadar,

Ryzen 5 7535HS, RTX 4050, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD: TechGuyBeau

Ryzen 7 7735HS, RTX 4060, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD: NoteBookCheck,

Ryzen 7 7735HS, RTX 4060, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD: NoteBookCheck