The ASUS ROG Strix G18 is often significantly more expensive and is a larger, heavier laptop with an 18-inch screen, which makes it less portable. Its high-end processor and graphics card offer excellent performance in engineering tasks, 3D rendering, and gaming, but its bigger size and weight reduce its ease of carrying around. Conversely, the MSI Katana 15 is often significantly less expensive, lighter, and has a more portable 15.6-inch screen size, making it a better choice if portability and budget are important. Performance-wise, it's suitable for general use, and while it can handle gaming and engineering work, it might not perform as robustly in those areas as the ASUS. 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 Strix G18
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Good battery life
Best in class speakers
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Katana 15
The MSI Katana 15 has no clear advantages over the ASUS ROG Strix G18.
Key differences
General Use
8.3/10
7.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
422.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
5.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 is very good for general use, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 offers better general use capabilities due to its high-end CPU, larger screen with better screen quality, and more robust battery life, but is less portable given its larger size and weight. On the other hand, the MSI Katana 15, while offering good performance with a decent CPU and RAM for everyday tasks, emphasizes easier portability with its lighter weight and smaller dimensions, at the expense of lower battery life and a smaller, lower resolution screen.
Gaming and AI
8.7/10
7.6/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.2/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 is very good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 outshines the MSI Katana 15 in gaming and 3D applications due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 240Hz, compared to the Katana 15's Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and 144Hz refresh rate. While both laptops have quality IPS displays and capable CPUs, the superior GPU and screen refresh capabilities of the ASUS model make it more suited for demanding gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.9/10
7.7/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 surpasses the MSI Katana 15 in performance for engineering and design due to its higher-end CPU and GPU, and superior screen quality, which is crucial for detailed work; however, this also makes it less portable and with a shorter battery life.
Content Creation
8.6/10
7.4/10
9.9/10
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 Strix G18 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
8.1/10
7.0/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 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
8.7/10
6.8/10
18.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
422.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 has a better screen than the MSI Katana 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 stands out with its high-resolution display and exceptional brightness levels, providing crisp, clear visuals for everyday tasks and detailed work in engineering and design, where color accuracy is crucial. However, for gaming and 3D applications, it falls short due to a lower refresh rate, which is essential for smooth motion and responsiveness. In contrast, the MSI Katana 15 offers satisfactory performance for daily activities and engineering with adequate resolution and brightness, but like the ASUS, it lacks in refresh rates, diminishing the gaming experience.
Battery
8.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 has 8 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
Poor
Fair
18.0in
SIZE
15.6in
6.6 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI Katana 15 has only fair portability, while the ASUS ROG Strix G18 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8/10
7.2/10
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 and MSI Katana 15 both have good build quality, though the ASUS ROG Strix G18 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,299
$949
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 has a price of $2,299 and the MSI Katana 15 costs $949.
"With the ROG Strix G18, Asus has made an almost consistently good debut in the still quite new 18-inch laptop segment. The base unit case shows a few signs of weakness in the area of stability and is something which has an effect on the perceived quality of the input devices (the chassis tends to rattle a bit). Nevertheless, thanks to generous port features (incl. Thunderbolt 4), a striking design, and extensive lighting (keyboard, LED strip on the front), gamers get a fitting gaming platform."
"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 Strix G18 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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