Compared to older MSI Wind netbooks (, , etc.), the is definitely a breath of fresh air in terms of looks and design. The Wind U160's screen lid is colored in a deep shade of coffee brown with a glossy layer on top -- surprisingly, it barely attracts any fingerprints. Also, the MSI logo engraved on the screen lid lights up when you turn on the netbook -- looks pretty cool. The insides (screen bezel, keyboard, palmrest) are painted in a lighter shade of metallic brown. The Wind U160's tubular central hinge and battery at the back are covered in silver.

The chassis is slim, less than an inch thick, and the netbook sports a nice clean look overall. After the , the MSI Wind U160 is the second most good looking netbook in our . However, the MSI Wind U160's a very good looking netbook with ordinary build quality -- but nothing to spoil the party. The netbook weighs a decent 1.3-kg (with a six-cell battery pack).

The comes with a 10.1-inch glossy LED-backlit screen that supports a 1024x600 pixel resolution. The screen is adequately bright (both indoors and outdoors) and good for reading both text and video. Where the Lenovo Ideapad S10-3's (review coming soon) screen's brighter in comparison, the Wind U160 manages to do a better job in displaying warmer, vibrant colors. Like the Wind U120, the MSI Wind U160 retains a characteristic design element: its battery bulge on the back of its spine. This actually elevates the netbook at the hinge (while placed on a flat surface), creating a downward slope towards the palmrest. I find this to aid typing better while the Wind U160's perched on a desk or flat surface. Of the netbooks reviewed recently -- including , . -- none have the Wind U160's "useful" battery bulge.