The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED offers a vibrant OLED display with higher resolution, making it excellent for visual tasks and general use, with the added benefit of better portability due to its smaller size and longer battery life. However, it falls short in gaming and intensive tasks like 3D rendering or machine learning due to its less powerful GPU compared to the MSI Katana 17. The MSI Katana 17, on the other hand, is equipped with a more robust Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, which excels in gaming and demanding graphical applications, but its larger size and shorter battery life make it less ideal for frequent travelers. It also has a lower-resolution IPS display, which might not be as appealing for media consumption or color-critical work. If you prioritize performance for gaming or engineering tasks and don't mind a bulkier laptop with less battery life, the MSI Katana 17 is the way to go. But if you value a superior display, portability, and longer battery life for general use, the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED is the better choice. 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 Vivobook S 15 OLED
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good portability
Good battery life
Very good speakers
Advantages of the MSI Katana 17
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
7.9/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
2880 x 1620
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Katana 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Screen Quality
8.8/10
6.9/10
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
2880 x 1620
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
600.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED has a better screen than the MSI Katana 17 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
9.0 Hours
3.0 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED has 9 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
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED has very good portability, while the MSI Katana 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,249
$1,367
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED has a price of $1,249 and the MSI Katana 17 costs $1,367.
The MSI Katana 17 and ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED are both good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Engineering and Design
8.0/10
8.4/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Katana 17 and ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED 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.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.8/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
2880 x 1620
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED to be 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
7.8/10
7.5/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2880 x 1620
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED and MSI Katana 17 are both good for software development.
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.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.2/10
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED and MSI Katana 17 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED and the MSI Katana 17 compare to other laptops
"The Asus Vivobook S 15 OLED excels as a capable work machine at an affordable price. It offers commendable performance, thanks to its 12th Gen Intel chip, delivers quality on-screen entertainment with its 15.6-inch OLED display, and can (kind of) get you through a full day of work. Oh, and its special Asus Antibacterial Guard is a nice touch for those who like a clean laptop."
"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 ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED or the MSI Katana 17
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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