If you prioritize a lightweight and quiet laptop with long battery life for everyday tasks, the Apple MacBook Air is a better fit with its fanless design and efficient Apple M2 chip. However, if high-performance gaming or demanding software applications are important to you, the MSI Katana's more powerful Intel i7 processor and Nvidia RTX graphics card could serve you better, despite being heavier and likely having shorter battery life. The MSI also offers a larger screen and more storage, but these come at the cost of portability and higher price. Operating system preference also matters—macOS for the MacBook Air vs. Windows for the MSI Katana. 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 15 (2023)
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
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
6.5/10
7.9/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
2880 x 1864
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 15 (2023) 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.
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
8.4/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
4.3/10
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 15 (2023) is good.
The MSI Katana 17 is considered very good for engineering and design use because it boasts a more powerful Intel processor, substantial RAM for multitasking, a dedicated Nvidia GPU suitable for graphics-intensive tasks, and a larger screen; however, its weight and portability are less favorable compared to the Apple MacBook Air 15, which offers a sharp, color-accurate screen and a lightweight, fanless design, but has less formidable processing power and RAM which may limit performance in highly demanding engineering applications.
Software Development
8.1/10
7.5/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is very good for software development, while the MSI Katana 17 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
7.8/10
6.9/10
15.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen than the MSI Katana 17 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 likely boasts a higher resolution and brightness, which alongside its panel type contributes to its very good screen quality for both general use and tasks like engineering and design, where color accuracy—signaled by broad color gamuts—is essential. The MSI Katana 17, with good screen quality for general use, may offer a suitable resolution and brightness, but it could have limitations in color gamut, leading to only fair screen quality for engineering and design. For 3D applications, a lack of a high refresh rate severely affects the quality on both the MacBook Air and the MSI Katana, regardless of their resolution or panel type.
Battery
15.0 Hours
3.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 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
15.3in
SIZE
17.3in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) 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 15 (2023) 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 15 (2023) has a price of $1,000 and the MSI Katana 17 costs $1,367.
The MSI Katana 17 and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) offers excellent screen quality, superior battery life, and its portability is highlighted by lightweight and fanless silent operation, making it a solid choice for general use. Conversely, the MSI Katana 17, with its more powerful CPU and significantly higher RAM, caters to more demanding tasks and offers a larger storage capacity, but this comes at the cost of heavier weight and lower battery life, despite good general use capabilities.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.8/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) to be very good for content creation, while the MSI Katana 17 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.
Give feedback
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How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the MSI Katana 17 compare to other laptops
"The Apple MacBook Air 15 is boringly good. The new MacBook Air 15 is a very good, but also boring device, because apart from the larger screen and the higher price, there are no differences compared to the smaller MacBook Air M2 from last year. No new processor, no additional ports, just the usual basic hardware - but the overall package is extremely good and it simply works. Above all, the lack of fans is an aspect that should not be underestimated in everyday use. In our opinion, the Air could be a lot better, but Apple goes easy on itself here."
"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 15 (2023) 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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