The Apple MacBook Pro 16 is a high-end device with a premium build, exceptional screen quality, and strong performance for general use, engineering tasks, and 3D/machine learning. Its battery life is notable, and it's designed primarily for professionals who need power and precision. It comes with macOS and is less portable due to its size and weight but offers a higher-quality keyboard and better speakers than most laptops.
On the other hand, the MSI Katana 15 provides greater storage and is equipped with dedicated Nvidia graphics for intensive gaming and engineering tasks, albeit with less battery life and a lower-quality build relative to the MacBook Pro. It runs on Windows, is more affordable, and has an RGB backlit keyboard but is not as portable and has a lower quality display compared to the MacBook Pro.
Choose the MacBook Pro if build quality, display excellence, and battery life are priorities and you don’t mind the higher cost. Opt for the MSI Katana if you prioritize gaming, want a Windows-based system, or need more storage while preferring a more budget-friendly option. 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 16 (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
Good portability
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Katana 15
The MSI Katana 15 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023).
Key differences
General Use
8.8/10
7.5/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) with its more powerful CPU, more RAM, superior screen quality, and significantly longer battery life is very good for general use, ensuring smooth performance, vivid display, and all-day usability, though it's less portable compared to the MSI Katana 15.
Engineering and Design
8.9/10
7.7/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 with a high-performance CPU and GPU tailored for heavy workloads, combined with a Mini LED screen that offers exceptional color accuracy and contrast, is very suitable for engineering and design tasks. In contrast, the MSI Katana 15, with competent but less powerful CPU and GPU, and a lower quality IPS display, still delivers good performance for such tasks but falls short of the MacBook Pro’s premium capabilities in processing power and screen fidelity.
Content Creation
8.9/10
7.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (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
8.9/10
7.0/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (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
9.3/10
6.8/10
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the MSI Katana 15 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has superior screen quality because its display offers high resolution and brightness, alongside a wide color gamut that covers DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, which is essential for accurate color rendering in engineering and design. The MSI Katana 15's screen provides adequate resolution and brightness for general use, and fair color representation for engineering tasks, but doesn’t excel in any specific area. However, both laptops have screens with lower refresh rates, which are not ideal for 3D applications where smoother motion and quicker screen updates are critical.
Battery
17.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 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
Good
Fair
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has 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 16 (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
$2,499
$949
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has a price of $2,499 and the MSI Katana 15 costs $949.
The MSI Katana 15 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) are both good for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 with its M3 Pro GPU and 120Hz refresh rate excels in 3D tasks and productivity, while the MSI Katana 15, equipped with an Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and higher 144Hz refresh rate, is optimized for gaming, especially since many games are not compatible with macOS.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and the MSI Katana 15 compare to other laptops
"The Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023: M2 Max challenges GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The new MacBook Pro 16 2023 with the M2 Max SoC is the most powerful laptop Apple has on sale right now. While we do not get the expected performance and efficiency improvements from completely new 3 nm chips, which we expected ahead of the launch, the 2023 model is still a solid update. The CPU of the M2 Max can be up to 20 % faster than the old model and we also see an advantage of 25-30 % for the GPU with 38 cores. However, both components also consume more power, so the efficiency did not change that much under maximum load."
"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 16 (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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Joe Golden, Ph.D
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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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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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