If you prioritize a lightweight and thin design with long battery life for everyday tasks and prefer macOS, the Apple MacBook Air may suit you well, especially if a lower price is important. On the other hand, if you need a laptop for more resource-intensive tasks such as gaming, 3D modeling, or video editing, and you're open to using Windows, the MSI Katana 17, with its larger screen and more powerful internals, will handle those demands better, albeit at a higher cost and with reduced portability due to its size and weight. Consider your primary activities and budget when choosing between these two. 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 Apple MacBook Air (2020)
Good overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Katana 17
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
7.9/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Katana 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a less powerful integrated GPU suitable for less demanding 3D tasks, and a 60Hz screen refresh rate which limits smooth visuals, while the MSI Katana 17 includes a dedicated Nvidia RTX GPU and a 144Hz screen refresh rate, ensuring very good gaming and 3D performance. Moreover, the MacBook Air's MacOS limits the availability of popular games, unlike the MSI Katana 17's Windows 11, which supports a wide range of gaming titles.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
8.4/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Katana 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
The MacBook Air is suitable for engineering and design due to its high-quality display, silent operation, and portability but has less power with its integrated GPU and lower RAM. The MSI Katana 17, on the other hand, offers a very powerful CPU and GPU combo, ample RAM, and a larger screen which makes it very good for demanding tasks, but it is less portable and has shorter battery life.
Screen Quality
7.5/10
6.9/10
13.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the MSI Katana 17 for general use, and engineering and design.
The MacBook Air typically includes a high-resolution Retina display, known for its vibrant colors and sharpness, making it suitable for general use and engineering tasks where color precision, like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB gamuts, is crucial. However, its refresh rate is lower, which is less optimal for 3D work where a high refresh rate is needed for fluid motion rendering. The MSI Katana 17, although it has a decent display for everyday tasks, may lack the color range important for professional design work and doesn't provide the high refresh rate gamers and 3D developers seek for a smoother visual experience.
Battery
15.0 Hours
3.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The MSI Katana 17 has 3 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
Very Good
Fair
13.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the MSI Katana 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.2/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Katana 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$1,367
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a price of $1,000 and the MSI Katana 17 costs $1,367.
The MSI Katana 17 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.8/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Katana 17 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both good for content creation.
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
7.7/10
7.5/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and MSI Katana 17 are both good for software development.
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.
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2020) and the MSI Katana 17 compare to other laptops
"The Apple MacBook Air M2 Entry is a very good, but too expensive daily MacBook. The new MacBook Air M2 is undoubtedly once again a very good mobile companion, but we are still a little bit disappointed on a very high level, which is definitely connected with the increased price point. The new chassis is extremely slim and the front edge is no problem during typing, but the bezels are pretty wide for a modern device and in addition with the vertical space required for the notch, the new Air has larger footprint than some Windows rivals."
"The MSI Katana 17 B13V laptop impressed us in its main area of competency - gaming. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 ensures high-performance levels which can compete with the previous generation's RTX 3070 Ti. In addition to the speedy GPU, the MSI comes with a 144 Hz display as well as an RGB keyboard and provides a very good typing experience. Despite the power at hand, the laptop remains comparatively cool."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the MSI Katana 17
About Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
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.
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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