Choosing between the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) and the MSI Katana 17 involves considering how you prioritize portability, performance, and the specific tasks you'll perform. The MacBook Pro is more portable, offers better display quality, and longer battery life, with the Apple M2 Pro chip providing smooth performance for general use, creative work, and some engineering applications. It also seamlessly integrates with other Apple products. The MSI Katana 17 is larger and heavier but comes with a more powerful graphics card suitable for gaming, 3D rendering, and intensive engineering software, plus it has a larger screen and double the storage. It runs Windows, which may be required for certain applications. If you favor a lightweight machine for general use and are invested in the Apple ecosystem, the MacBook may suit you best. Opt for the MSI if gaming, specialized engineering software, or a larger screen are your priorities. 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 (2023)
Very good for general use
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 17
The MSI Katana 17 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023).
Key differences
General Use
8.5/10
7.9/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
489.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for general use, while the MSI Katana 17 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023), with its Apple M2 Pro processor, high RAM, and Mini LED screen offers excellent performance, screen quality, and battery life, enhancing general usage in a portable design. In contrast, the MSI Katana 17 offers a larger screen size and higher RAM, along with a dedicated Nvidia GPU that supports better heat management for gaming, but its bulkier form and shorter battery life make it less portable than the MacBook Pro.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
7.9/10
5.2/10
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 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) are both good for gaming and AI, though the MSI Katana 17 is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 is tailored for 3D applications with its powerful in-house GPU suitable for both professional creative work and some gaming, despite a relatively lower screen refresh rate; however, it runs on MacOS, limiting game availability compared to Windows-based systems. The MSI Katana 17 boasts a robust dedicated GPU with a higher refresh rate making it an excellent gaming machine especially for fast-paced games; moreover, it operates on Windows which supports a wider range of games, although it might be less preferred for high-end creative tasks due to the lesser display quality.
Content Creation
8.5/10
7.8/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is 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.
Software Development
8.4/10
7.5/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (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
9.2/10
6.9/10
14.2in
SIZE
17.3in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
489.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the MSI Katana 17 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14's display boasts high resolution and brightness, along with wide color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, which makes it ideal for general use and color-critical engineering and design tasks, but it typically has a standard refresh rate, which is not optimized for 3D applications that benefit from faster screen updates. The MSI Katana 17 offers a good resolution and decent brightness necessary for satisfying general use and some level of detail for engineering and design, but it likely has limited color gamut coverage compared to the MacBook Pro and lacks a high refresh rate for optimal 3D or gaming experiences. Therefore, while the MacBook Pro 14 excels in display quality for productivity and professional creative work, the MSI Katana 17 provides a balanced display that is serviceable for various tasks but does not excel in areas demanding higher color accuracy or rapid refresh rates.
Battery
13.5 Hours
3.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 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
14.2in
SIZE
17.3in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (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 Pro 14 (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
$1,700
$1,367
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) has a price of $1,700 and the MSI Katana 17 costs $1,367.
The MSI Katana 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) are both very good for engineering and design.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) and the MSI Katana 17 compare to other laptops
"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 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 Pro 14 (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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