The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 is at the upper midrange price and offers better portability due to its smaller screen and lighter weight, suitable for general use and engineering tasks. It comes with a touch display, high refresh rate, and a wide range of color accuracy, making it ideal for creative professionals. The MSI Katana 15, less expensive, provides a bigger screen for gaming and general tasks, but with a heavier build, it might not be as suitable for frequent travel. Both have similar storage and RAM, but the ASUS has a superior processor and GPU suitable for more intensive 3D and machine learning tasks, while the MSI is a solid choice for general gaming and computing at a more budget-friendly price. 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 ASUS ROG Flow Z13
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Excellent portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Katana 15
The MSI Katana 15 has no clear advantages over the ASUS ROG Flow Z13.
Key differences
General Use
8.0/10
7.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
511.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
9.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 is very good for general use, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 offers a high-end CPU and a high-quality screen, which are very important for general use, and its tablet feature adds to its versatility and portability, despite a shorter battery life; the MSI Katana 15, while still offering good CPU and screen quality, excels in longer battery life and a larger screen but is less portable. Both laptops have comparable RAM and storage, which are somewhat important, but the Flow Z13 leads in portability due to its smaller size and detachable keyboard, making it an excellent choice for those who value performance and versatility in a more compact form.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
7.7/10
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 stands out for engineering and design due to its high-tier CPU and GPU, greater screen resolution and quality, which are crucial for intensive tasks and detailed visuals, even though it is more portable and has lower operating noise. In contrast, the MSI Katana 15, although slightly less suited for demanding engineering tasks due to its mid-range CPU and lower screen resolution, still provides ample power for design work and has a larger screen, which may be preferred for multi-window work or larger visuals.
Content Creation
8.2/10
7.4/10
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 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
8.0/10
7.0/10
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 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
8.4/10
6.8/10
13.4in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
511.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 has a better screen than the MSI Katana 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the ASUS ROG Flow Z13's display offers sharper images and more vivid colors due to higher resolution and brightness, providing a more pleasant viewing experience for everyday tasks and media consumption. In engineering and design, this laptop excels with its larger color gamut coverage, ensuring more accurate color reproduction which is crucial for professionals in these fields. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the refresh rate of the ASUS is lower than what is preferred, leading to less smooth visuals, whereas the MSI Katana 15, despite having similar shortcomings in refresh rate, also lacks in resolution and panel quality across all use cases, making it less ideal for detailed work or high-quality media viewing.
Battery
6.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 has 6.5 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
Excellent
Fair
13.4in
SIZE
15.6in
2.6 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 has excellent portability, while the MSI Katana 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.2/10
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 has very good 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
$1,575
$949
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 has a price of $1,575 and the MSI Katana 15 costs $949.
The MSI Katana 15 and ASUS ROG Flow Z13 are both good for gaming and AI.
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 boasts a higher screen refresh rate and a powerful GPU making it highly suitable for gaming and 3D applications; whereas the MSI Katana 15 includes a slightly stronger GPU but a lower refresh rate screen, also accommodating gaming and 3D tasks with proficiency.
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How the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 and the MSI Katana 15 compare to other laptops
"The Asus ROG Flow Z13 is a gaming tablet with powerful Alder Lake i9 CPU. The ROG Flow Z13 impresses with its good cooling. After our review, the impression is predominantly positive. Besides a very fast Alder Lake CPU and stable gaming performance, especially the cooling system is surprisingly effective and quiet. You can use the integrated speakers without any issues while gaming. The 1200p display in the 16:10 format also impresses with good color reproduction and high brightness. Since the battery runtimes aren't particularly long as it is, we wouldn't recommend the optional 4K panel."
"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 ASUS ROG Flow Z13 or the MSI Katana 15
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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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