If you favor performance for tasks like video editing, the MacBook Pro with its Apple M1 Pro chip excels, though it carries a higher price. For gaming or engineering software that requires dedicated graphics, the MSI Katana 15 might be more suitable with its Nvidia graphics card, and it costs less. The MacBook Pro offers longer battery life and a high-resolution mini-LED screen, appealing for creative work. The MSI, with a larger screen and high refresh rate, is better for fast-paced gaming. The MacBook is more portable due to its lighter weight and smaller size, while the MSI provides more storage space out of the box. 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 14 (2021)
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Excellent 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 15
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
8.4/10
7.5/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
479.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for general use, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 offers superior battery life, a higher-quality screen, and excellent portability, making it very good for general use; key features include the efficient M1 Pro processor and a mini LED display with high brightness and color accuracy.
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
7.6/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Katana 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) excels in 3D work due to its high-quality screen with superior color coverage and a reasonable refresh rate, powered by Apple's proprietary GPU; however, it falls short for gaming because many popular games are not available on macOS. In contrast, the MSI Katana 15 offers a higher screen refresh rate essential for gaming smoothness, and it comes with a dedicated Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU that's capable of running a wide variety of games on Windows.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
7.7/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is favored for engineering and design due to its powerful Apple M1 Pro processor, robust integrated graphics, and high-resolution Mini LED display that offers excellent color accuracy and brightness; aspects crucial for design tasks. In contrast, the MSI Katana 15, while also suitable for engineering, sports an Intel CPU and a dedicated Nvidia RTX GPU, which are good for design applications but paired with a standard full HD display, it may not offer the same level of detail and color precision as the MacBook Pro.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.4/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) 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
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) 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
9.2/10
6.8/10
14.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the MSI Katana 15 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The MacBook Pro 14's screen stands out in general use and engineering due to its high resolution and brightness, along with a wide color gamut that presents vibrant and precise colors, but for 3D tasks, its standard refresh rate limits the smoothness of moving images. The MSI Katana 15 offers a decent resolution and brightness for everyday tasks and design work but falls short in reflecting the full spectrum of colors that professionals may require. When it comes to gaming and 3D applications, the MSI's screen again may not provide the buttery-smooth motion that comes from a higher refresh rate, making it less ideal for fast-paced visual experiences.
Battery
13.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 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
14.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) 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 14 (2021) 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
$1,905
$949
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has a price of $1,905 and the MSI Katana 15 costs $949.
"In the Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023, the M2 Pro is slowed down. From the improved 5nm process, the new M2 Pro is a very solid upgrade. Graphics performance has increased by about 25% in tandem with a clear improvement in efficiency. The processor has also seen a performance leap of up to 20%, but this is accompanied by an increase in consumption of up to 25%. Fundamentally, Apple its maintaining its advantage over AMD and Intel, particularly in optimized applications where the results are very good in view of the comparatively low power consumption."
"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 14 (2021) 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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