MSI Unveils Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: A Mini PC with Advanced AI Capabilities and Unique Features

MSI's new mini PC includes a Copilot button and fingerprint reader

MSI's latest Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG mini PC is as much smart speaker or laptop as it is a small, compact, desktop NUC: It boasts a dedicated hardware Copilot button as well as a dedicated fingerprint reader, and you can talk to it, too. Starting at $899, MSI's little mini PC is also Copilot+ qualified, with either a Core Ultra 9 288V or Core Ultra 7 258V chip inside. Both are Core Ultra Series 2 "Lunar Lake" chips. The hardware design, however, is something special. This isn't the first mini PC with a dedicated Copilot button -- that was the Asus NUC 14 Pro AI, launched at the 2025 edition of CES. However, this is the first mini PC that I can recall with a dedicated fingerprint reader underneath the power button, a feature normally associated with laptops like the Samsung Galaxy series. Naturally, the dedicated Copilot button unlocks voice capabilities, as well. The Cubi NUC AI+ includes both a speaker and built-in mic, so you should be able to wake Copilot with a trigger word (or, alternatively, have a voice chat with Claude or ChatGPT.) Based on my own experiences, I don't think users will want to talk to their PCs in a public environment, but MSI obviously thinks differently. All told, there's a lot of power packed inside this mini PC, which measures 5.3 x 5.2 x 2.0 inches and weighs about 1.5 pounds without the power brick. As you might expect, the NUC lacks a dedicated GPU, leaving Intel's very good integrated Lunar Lake GPU to shoulder the load. Naturally, the CPU also includes a 48 TOPS NPU that's ready to run Microsoft's AI applications like Windows Studio Effects. Users can configure the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG with up to 32GB LPDD5X memory as well as a single M.2 2280 SSD. However, the $899 starting price reflects a bare-bones config available at B&H; a configured version of the NUC with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD sells for $1,256.99 at CDW. Otherwise, the port lineup looks like a traditional laptop: two Thunderbolt 4 ports (one accepts power), two 10Gbps USB-A ports, two 480Mbps USB-A ports, a microSD slot, two RJ-45 Ethernet ports capable of 2.5Gbps speeds, HDMI 2.1, and a 3.5mm jack. There's also a Kensington lock port. All in all, this is a mini PC that doubles as a new breed of smart speaker. Mini PCs have quietly emerged as one of the hottest tech products of 2025, for consumers who want a small, compact PC without the need for a laptop screen. MSI certainly has one of the more interesting offerings.

MSI Launches Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG Mini PC, Powered By Intel Lunar Lake, Starting At $899

Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG offers great computing power inside an ultra-compact chassis, offering powerful solutions to individuals and enterprises. MSI has launched a new mini PC called Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG, featuring Intel's latest Core Ultra Series processors, also known as Core Ultra 200V. The mini PC delivers powerful AI capabilities and enterprise-grade security inside a compact 0.8-liter chassis, thanks to the Lunar Lake processors, which offer an 8-core/8-thread configuration for powerful computing on a budget. The Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is a certified Copilot+ AI PC as it delivers 48 TOPs of AI performance through a dedicated NPU available in the Core Ultra series processors. The mini PC will feature either the flagship Core Ultra 9 288V or the Core Ultra 7 258V, both of which have the same core count. However, the former features higher clocks and a wider TDP range. These chips offer Xe2-based Arc 140V integrated graphics, which is capable of executing intensive graphical workloads and can even play games with satisfactory frame rates. The specifications include 32 GB onboard LPDDR5X memory clocked at up to 8533 MT/s and a single M.2 2280 SSD. For connectivity, there are plenty of high-bandwidth ports, including multiple USB-A 10 Gbps ports, 2x Thunderbolt 4 ports, including a 100W PD port, and 2x basic USB 2.0 ports for peripheral connectivity. For the internet, users can either use the WiFI 6E/WiFi 7 or 2.5G LAN for wired connectivity. The Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG features a built-in D-Microphone and a speaker, making it ideal for productivity and office usage. It also features an additional layer of security through its Fingerprint recognition feature, which is embedded in the power button. MSI offers a Physical Copilot key on the device, which allows access to all the Microsoft's Copilot+ tools for enhanced productivity and assistance. Users will also receive several on-device AI experiences like Live Captions with Live Translation, Cocreator, Recall, and Click-to-Do that are excellent for professionals, office goers, educators, and content creators. MSI claims that the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is built using 37.25% post-consumer recycled plastic and is packaged in FSC-certified cartons, making it a more environmentally conscious choice for users. Furthermore, the device comes with MSI Power Meter, which lets users monitor the power usage, reduce carbon emissions, and also estimate the energy costs. MSI's Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is launched at B&H at a price tag of $899, featuring Core Ultra 7 258V-based Barebone (without storage), and at $1256 for B2B solutions, featuring Core Ultra 9 288V and a 1TB SSD storage on CDW.