Choosing between the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) and the MSI Katana 15 involves considering both your needs and the key differences in features. The MacBook Pro offers better screen quality, longer battery life, and is more portable due to its lighter weight and smaller dimensions, making it suitable for on-the-go usage, general use, and multimedia tasks. The MSI Katana 15, on the other hand, has a larger screen, provides significantly more storage space, and includes a dedicated graphics card which is more suitable for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, engineering applications, and machine learning tasks. However, the increased performance comes with a trade-off in terms of shorter battery life and less portability compared to the MacBook Pro. Additionally, the MacBook runs MacOS while the Katana 15 runs Windows 11 Home, so your preference for the operating system can also influence your decision. 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 (Late 2023)
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
8.2/10
7.5/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
489.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
17.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is suited for general use due to its powerful Apple M3 processor and high-quality Mini LED screen, alongside commendable portability with a long battery life. In contrast, the MSI Katana 15 offers more storage and RAM, which aids in multitasking and storage-heavy tasks, but has a shorter battery life and heavier build, making it less portable.
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
7.6/10
4.5/10
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 (Late 2023) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14's Mini LED display with a high color accuracy is suitable for 3D work that requires color fidelity, while its integrated Apple M3 GPU supports professional 3D applications, but has a lower screen refresh rate, less favorable for high-speed gaming.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) 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
8.2/10
7.0/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
8.0 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 (Late 2023) 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
489.0 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.
For general use, the MacBook Pro 14's display is superior due to its high resolution and brightness along with an advanced panel type that provides clear and vibrant images. Engineers and designers benefit from the MacBook Pro's wide color gamuts, ensuring accurate color representation for precise work. However, the lower refresh rate on the MacBook Pro makes it less ideal for 3D applications, where the MSI Katana's potential higher refresh rate, despite its lower resolution, may render smoother motion yet not match the MacBook in color accuracy or viewing experience for non-3D tasks.
Battery
17.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 17 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
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) 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 (Late 2023) 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
$1,499
$949
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has a price of $1,499 and the MSI Katana 15 costs $949.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) to be very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) boasts a high-quality Mini LED screen and an efficient Apple M3 CPU/GPU combo suitable for engineering tasks requiring strong graphics and processing, while the MSI Katana 15, with its dedicated Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a larger amount of RAM, provides robust performance for design applications that can benefit from a more powerful graphics card and increased memory. However, the MacBook Pro offers greater portability and a longer battery life which might appeal to those on the go, despite MSI's model having a larger storage capacity and a screen better suited for less color-critical tasks.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) and the MSI Katana 15 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 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 (Late 2023) 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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