When we reviewed MSI’s GT77 laptop earlier this year, we criticized its “lackluster” 1080p display. Well, that’s not going to be a problem anymore, because MSI is set to update the GT77 to come with a stonking 17.3-inch 4K screen with both a 144Hz refresh rate and mini-LED backlighting, according to NotebookCheck. That could make it the first laptop to offer that refresh rate alongside both a 4K resolution and mini-LED tech.
NotebookCheck cites “industry sources” to claim that the new version of the GT77 could make a splash at CES 2023 in January. While the outlet says it did not see any photos of the device, it has published what it claims is the official spec sheet of the new panel, which can be seen below.
That set of specifications includes the aforementioned 144Hz refresh rate, 4K resolution and mini-LED backlighting. Compared to other screen technologies like LCD and OLED, mini-LED displays offer a huge number of miniaturized LEDs. This means there is much greater control over lighting and dimming of the display. In fact, the new GT77 is said to include 1,008 dimming zones, which could make its output pretty spectacular.
As well as that, NotebookCheck’s spec sheet indicates that the GT77 could offer a 3ms response time, 1,000 nits of peak brightness, VESA DisplayHDR 1000 compatibility and 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut. That’s the kind of performance gaming laptop displays have been crying out for.
How does that compare to the current GT77? Well, the latest version of MSI’s high-end laptop packs in a 4K screen, but its refresh rate is limited to 120Hz. Perhaps more significantly, it uses an LCD panel, meaning the switch to mini-LED will be a huge upgrade.
Elsewhere, NotebookCheck speculates that the updated GT77 will come with Intel Raptor Lake-HX CPUs and Nvidia 40-series graphics cards. There are some other changes over the previous model, including “a new 8-heatpipe cooling system and an upgraded Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1690 WLAN card,” according to NotebookCheck.
The 4K version of the GT77 is already our pick for the best 4K gaming laptop, and adding a 144Hz mini-LED screen is likely to further cement its dominance. There are relatively few mini-LED laptops out there, with Apple’s MacBook Pro currently winning our approval as the best mini-LED laptop you can buy. Will the MSI GT77 be able to steal its crown? We’ll have to see once CES 2023 rolls around.
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