The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is a midrange-priced laptop known for its long battery life, strong build quality, and high-resolution screen, making it suitable for general use, creative tasks, and for customers who prioritize portability and premium features like a fingerprint reader and fanless operation. However, it lacks dedicated gaming features and hardware ray tracing, which are present in the MSI Katana 15. The MSI Katana 15 is a lower-midrange-priced laptop with a larger screen, better performance for 3D and machine learning tasks, and suitability for gaming. It has a more powerful dedicated graphics card, more storage, and a higher refresh rate display, but it also weighs more and has a shorter battery life compared to the MacBook Pro. 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 Pro 13 (2022)
Good overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Katana 15
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
7.6/10
4.3/10
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 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) 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.
Software Development
7.8/10
7.0/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) and MSI Katana 15 are both good for software development, though the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is somewhat better.
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
7.6/10
6.8/10
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has a better screen than the MSI Katana 15 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has a high-resolution Retina display known for its brightness and color accuracy, which makes it great for general use and engineering tasks where clarity and color representation are key. However, its standard refresh rate isn't suited for 3D applications, which demand faster screen updates for smooth motion. In contrast, the MSI Katana 15 offers fair screen quality with lower brightness and color accuracy, thus being adequate but not exceptional for general tasks and engineering design, and its lack of a high refresh rate diminishes the gaming and 3D experience.
Battery
20.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has 20 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
Very Good
Fair
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) has very good portability, while the MSI Katana 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Katana 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,219
$949
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) has a price of $1,219 and the MSI Katana 15 costs $949.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) and MSI Katana 15 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is good for general use due to its high screen quality, solid battery life, and lightweight design making it highly portable, while the more powerful CPU and greater RAM of the MSI Katana 15 make it suitable for multitasking and more demanding applications, bolstered by its higher storage capacity, though it is less portable and has a shorter battery life. Both laptops have quality keyboards and speakers, with the MacBook excelling in build quality and silent operation, and the Katana 15 offering more gaming-related features such as a dedicated graphics card and a display with a higher refresh rate.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
7.7/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Katana 15 and Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is beneficial for engineering and design due to its high-quality screen, powerful integrated GPU, and optimally matched CPU and RAM, enabling smooth operation and precision in detailed work. In contrast, the MSI Katana 15 is equipped with a dedicated high-performance GPU and more RAM, providing an advantage in handling complex engineering simulations and design tasks that require intensive graphics processing.
Content Creation
7.9/10
7.4/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) and MSI Katana 15 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) and the MSI Katana 15 compare to other laptops
"The MacBook Pro 13 is still a very good subnotebook. The 2022 MacBook Pro 13 might look like recycling at first, because the device is completely identical to the old model expect for the new M2 SoC. We have to admit that we were surprised to see another iteration of the MBP 13 as well. The laptop is obviously familiar, but this does not change the fact that it is still a very good subnotebook. You get an excellent chassis with good stability, a very good display, good input devices and the new M2 chip is very powerful and efficient."
"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 Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) or the MSI Katana 15
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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