MSI X-Slim X340 Gets New 8hr+ Battery, Stiffer Keyboard, Cheaper Price

It's perhaps a fact of life that with age comes a paunch, but who would've thought the MSI X-Slim X340 would go from toned ultraportable to tubby laptop so quickly?  The company have been showing off their updated model, which gets a girth increase thanks to a new, extended 8-cell battery intended to address complaints about poor runtimes.

There's also a new keyboard design which, according to LaptopMag, all but vanquishes flex while typing.  Considering they compared the original version to a trampoline, that's some impressive structural engineering MSI have been getting up to inside the X340's chassis.

The new battery – which will also be offered as a $99 option for existing X340 owners – takes the X-Slim to 3.4lbs (from 2.9lbs), but boosts battery life to a massive 8hrs and 48 minutes.  Even more impressively, MSI have hacked at the CULV notebook's price, too: it's now down to $799 compared the $899 of the original launch.