The ASUS Zenbook S 13 offers higher portability, better screen quality with higher resolution and OLED display, longer battery life, and is more suited for general use with its light weight and compact design. In contrast, the MSI Katana 15 is less expensive, has a larger screen with a high refresh rate for smoother visuals, and includes dedicated gaming hardware like the Nvidia RTX 4060 which makes it better for 3D rendering, gaming, and engineering applications. The tradeoff is that the MSI Katana 15 is heavier and less portable, with a shorter battery life, suited for those who prioritize gaming and performance over mobility and screen quality. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook S 13
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Best in class portability
Very good battery life
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Katana 15
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
8.6/10
7.5/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
365.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
11.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
9.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for general use, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 provides a high-quality OLED screen, a powerful CPU, and ample RAM, making it very good for general use, and its light weight and long battery life enhance its portability. In contrast, the MSI Katana 15, while still offering good general use capabilities with a capable CPU and discrete graphics, has a lower screen quality and half the RAM, which may reduce multitasking efficiency, and it is heavier with shorter battery life, making it less portable.
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
7.6/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Katana 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook S 13 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Content Creation
8.5/10
7.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for content creation, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
8.3/10
7.0/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for software development, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
8.1/10
6.8/10
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
365.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a better screen than the MSI Katana 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
If you prioritize a sharp, bright display for daily tasks and web browsing, the ASUS Zenbook S 13, with its superior resolution and panel type, offers a clearer and more vibrant viewing experience. For engineering and design tasks where color accuracy is crucial, the Zenbook's wider color gamut meets professional needs better than the MSI Katana 15. However, for gaming or 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to their lower refresh rates, but for non-gaming uses, the ASUS clearly has the edge in display quality.
Battery
11.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has 11 hours of battery life. The MSI Katana 15 has 4 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Best in Class
Fair
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2.2 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has best in class portability, while the MSI Katana 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,400
$949
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a price of $1,400 and the MSI Katana 15 costs $949.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS Zenbook S 13 to be very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 stands out for engineering and design thanks to its high-quality OLED screen, superior screen resolution, and more RAM, which enables smoother multitasking and detailed visual work, while the MSI Katana 15 offers a dedicated graphics card with hardware ray tracing capabilities that can handle more graphically intensive tasks but has a lower screen resolution and less RAM, which could limit performance in certain design scenarios. Despite being heavier and less portable, the MSI Katana 15 has the advantage in graphical power, whereas the ASUS Zenbook S 13 wins on portability, screen quality, and system memory, making it suitable for tasks that demand a balance of mobility and high-resolution detail work.
Build Quality
7.6/10
7.2/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and MSI Katana 15 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the ASUS Zenbook S 13 and the MSI Katana 15 compare to other laptops
"The Asus Zenbook S 13 is the slimmest OLED ultrabook worldwide struggles with annoying fans. The new Zenbook S 13 leaves us with mixed feelings, particularly since last year's model was so good. Asus has completely reworked the device, making the laptop noticeably slimmer. The result also looks good and the case makes a great impression, particularly also in terms of the stability. The new plasma ceramic surface feels great, and there are no problems with fingerprints. In addition, it now includes some of the known connections such as an HDMI port and a regular USB-A connection, which is a good achievement in such a slim device."
"The MSI Katana 15 B12 combines a Gen12 CPU with an RTX 4050, which is actually not a bad idea for a budget gamer. The CPU is anything but bad and the GPU in the Katana 15 proves to be significantly more efficient than last year's models. However, our main point of criticism for budget gamers is the price: while you can get budget laptops with RTX 3060 from around US$800, you pay a whole US$1,499.99 here! The efficiency advantages of the RTX 4050 do not justify this price premium."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook S 13 or the MSI Katana 15
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
103,695
Recommendations made
22,468
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.