BATTERIES & CHARGERS BLOG

Set to debut on the first AMD chipset MPOWER motherboard from MSI, the B850MPOWER.

Seasoned PC DIYers have always had to wear dexterity-stifling gloves or put up with pricked fingers when upgrading a motherboard or putting together a new PC build – until now. MSI showcased a series of motherboard design tweaks at Computex 2025, including a feature dubbed ‘PinSafe Design’ which enables users to “avoid injury caused by sharp pins during the assembly process.”

The concept here isn’t difficult to grasp, unlike a traditional prickly motherboard. MSI’s mobo manufacturing arm appears to be adopting a far tidier component soldering technique, which results in elegantly flat pads on the reverse of the PCB, rather than forests of spikes.

Admittedly, this isn’t the greatest of technological achievements, Nevertheless, there might have been some component strength, reliability, or stability concerns preventing such a manufacturing change. So we have a baby step here, which should be welcomed as long as the finished product doesn’t suffer in any way compared to a traditional design.

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Other touted PinSafe Design benefits

Saving your fingers from pricks and lacerations isn’t the only benefit of PinSafe Design, according to MSI. Likely the result of fevered brainstorming, threaded with some thin strands of truth, MSI says that the PinSafe Design boosts system stability and ESD protection. We think the lack of protruding pins might also give foreign objects less chance of getting caught or jammed between contacts, reducing the potential to create shorts.

MSI’s first MPOWER motherboard for AMD processors

The above PinSafe Design looks set to debut on MSI MPOWER series motherboards, designed for enthusiasts and overclockers. MSI is preparing new MPOWER boards, and the B850MPOWER sample we saw was actually the firstAMD-based motherboardfrom MSI to use this set of features.

Standard MPOWER features include; leveraging the Dragon Alliance collaboration with memory brands, using only 2x DIMM slots for reliable DDR5 overclocking, and the equipping of the EZ Dashboard which integrates power, reset, clear CMOS, and a debug LED on the board for simpler troubleshooting.

If you compare any modern laptop, like the Asus Zenbook Duo, and a smartphone, like the iPhone 16, you will find a lot of similarities in terms of what they can be used for. For instance, both devices can be used to access social media platforms, work on documents, join meetings, and more. Another thing that you will find common in laptops and smartphones these days is the use of USB-C technology. Interestingly, the technology has become a standard lately. As a result, it’s no longer limited to smartphones and laptops, but you’ll also find it on external hard drives, keyboards, mice, and more.

If both your smartphone and laptop support USB-C charging, you might wonder if you can use your USB-C laptop charger to charge your smartphone. You’ve probably had this thought when you have lost your smartphone’s USB-C charger and are now looking for something to charge it. The short answer is yes, you can charge your smartphone with a USB-C laptop charger, but before you do so, there’s an important thing that you need to take care of.

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Is it safe to use a USB-C laptop charger for a phone?

You can use your USB-C laptop charger to charge your smartphone, but only if the charger supports USB-C PD charging. The availability of this technology allows the charger to talk with your smartphone about the maximum power it requires. It’s kind of like your smartphone saying to the charger, “Hey bro, I only need 20 W,” and the charger going along with it.

Unfortunately, not all the USB-C chargers come with PD technology. If you use a USB-C laptop charger that doesn’t feature PD technology to charge your smartphone, you might eventually end up damaging your device’s battery. Luckily, you can easily find out if your laptop charger supports PD technology.

Usually, you’ll have a PD logo embedded on your laptop charger. If it’s not there, you can check the charger specification to confirm if it supports PD charging. Alternatively, you can check the output specification on the back of your charger. If you find multiple voltages embedded on your charger, like 5 V, 9 V, and 20 V, then it also means that your laptop charger supports PD charging.

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There are two main advantages of charging your smartphone with a laptop USB-C charger. First, it ensures that you don’t have to purchase a separate charger for your smartphone. Second, and the most important, advantage is the high power rating of laptop chargers. Let’s say your smartphone is capable of charging at 65 W, but you have a mobile charger that’s capable of only charging at 45 W; then you won’t be able to charge your smartphone at its maximum capacity. A laptop charge, in this case, will provide the maximum power required by your smartphone, i.e., 65 W.

In partnership with a Japanese art studio, MSI has created a beautifully designed lacquered lid for its Prestige 13 AI+ Ukiyo-e Edition laptop. I checked it out in person on the Computex show floor.

TAIPEI—At MSI’sComputex 2025booth, one of the most head-turning products on the show floor caught my eye: a lacquered-finishedlaptoplid that looks like beautiful hand-painted art.

MSI has partnered with Japanese art studio Okadaya to create limited-edition lacquered print laptops in theukiyo-estyle, a recognizable genre of Japanese art, for its Artisan Collection.

The Prestige 13 AI+ Ukiyo-e Edition will be the flagship laptop for this endeavor. However, due to the extra steps required in manufacturing to apply the artwork, MSI can only produce a few hundred per month for the time being. The effect is beautiful in person; read on for photos, video, and more of my impressions.

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A Genuinely Gorgeous Laptop Lid

While I saw a few different designs at the booth, the main piece of art (and that which will occupy this Prestige model’s lid) is Hokusai’s iconic wood block print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa. This highly recognizable piece is a natural pick for this collection’s debut.

While the art and clarity level are fantastic, the glossy finish inherent in this lacquer process sings in person. Hokusai’s art has a pleasant reflectiveness, particularly in its darker portions; the gloss black finish is lovely. The wave is vibrantly colored, too—perhaps more saturated than I’m used to seeing on this piece, but it’s effective.

The gloss also extends to the keyboard, as seen in the photo above, and the laptop package will include a mouse. If you can get your hands on one, this system will undoubtedly be a fingerprint magnet, but it sure is nice to look at.

MSI also showed off another design, but the matter of which of its laptops this artwork will appear on has not yet been settled.

MSI can only produce so many of these units to begin with, and I imagine the reception will determine how much longer MSI will continue to create them. Regardless, since this release also kicks off MSI’s Artisan Collection brand, it’s likely the laptop maker will continue down this path for the near future.

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It’s Beautiful on Paper, Too

Measuring just 0.7 inches thick and weighing only 2.2 pounds, MSI’s first Ukiyo-e Edition laptop is anultraportable laptopthrough and through. MSI also outfitted this Prestige with an array of parts to live up to its beauty.

Having “AI” in the name, the laptop is naturally a Copilot+ PC, housing up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V processor backed by as much as 32GB of memory and an M.2 SSD with an unspecified capacity. This is all accessed through a 13.3-inch, 2,880-by-1,800-pixel OLED screen in 16:10 aspect ratio.

A Small Wave (of Laptops)

We sometimes hesitate to share limited-edition laptop designs, but the final effect here is too exciting to pass up. MSI wasn’t able to share too many details about the creation process. I imagine Okadaya also wants to keep its cards close to its chest, but the booth contained a walkthrough of the general method, seen below.

You can see the stages evolve through the series of in-progress lids, starting with applying silver-white ink to the lacquerware magnesium alloy lid. Then, the process applies blue ink, followed by dabs of gold powder to create the accents. Finally, the method applies black line ink to create definition.

This process presumably has a more frequent failure rate using this delicate method than regular laptop manufacturing, contributing to the slower and lighter production rate. If you love the idea (I certainly appreciate the end product), keep your eyes peeled for availability and prices, which MSI haven’t revealed yet.