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Updated January 10, 2024·
To decide between the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 and the MSI Katana 15, consider how you'll use the laptop. The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 typically offers high-end performance and build quality, good for demanding tasks like video editing or 3D modeling. However, it usually comes with a higher price tag and might be heavier, affecting portability. On the other hand, the MSI Katana 15 is often tailored for gaming with dedicated graphics, but it may have a shorter battery life due to its powerful components. If you need a laptop for everyday use, the MSI might be more budget-friendly but not as sleek or lightweight as the Zenbook. Consider the balance between performance, price, portability, and battery life that best fits your daily requirements and usage scenarios. 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 Zenbook Pro 15
- Good overall display quality
- Good portability
- Excellent battery life
Advantages of the MSI Katana 15
- Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.7
7.6
4.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Katana 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 is only fair.
The MSI Katana 15's Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 144Hz make it better suited for gaming and 3D applications compared to the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15, which has a less powerful Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU and a screen refresh rate of 60Hz. While both laptops have similar CPUs and screen qualities, the superior GPU and refresh rate in the Katana 15 provide a smoother and more responsive visual experience for those tasks.
Screen Quality
7.6
6.8
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
346.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 has a better screen than the MSI Katana 15 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
If you prioritize a sharp, vibrant display for general tasks or professional design work, the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 is superior with its high-resolution and bright screen that reproduces colors accurately, crucial for detail-oriented work in engineering and design due to its wide color gamuts. The MSI Katana 15 offers adequate screen characteristics for everyday activities and design work; however, it doesn't match the ASUS in color accuracy or brightness, which can be a drawback for precision tasks. Both laptops are not ideal for gaming or 3D purposes because their screens have lower refresh rates, which can affect the fluidity and responsiveness in fast-paced visual content.
Battery
12.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 has 12.5 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
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
4.4 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 has good portability, while the MSI Katana 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,109
$949
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 has a price of $1,109 and the MSI Katana 15 costs $949.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.7
7.5
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
346.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
12.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 and MSI Katana 15 are both good for general use.
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 excels in general use with its OLED screen that provides excellent color quality, a powerful AMD processor, and a longer battery life, making it suitable for work that involves visual content and requiring it to last throughout the day. Meanwhile, the MSI Katana 15 has a more recent CPU, a higher-refresh-rate IPS display, and superior graphics capabilities, which also cater to everyday tasks and are tailored towards gaming or tasks that benefit from better graphics processing, but it has lesser battery life and a slightly heavier build that affects portability.
Engineering and Design
7.5
7.7
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
4.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Katana 15 and ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 are both good for engineering and design.
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 is equipped with an OLED screen which offers superior visual quality, and a robust AMD Ryzen processor alongside an Nvidia RTX GPU, making it ideal for tasks that require accurate color representation and computational power. In contrast, the MSI Katana 15, while still providing a capable Intel processor and a more powerful Nvidia RTX GPU, offers more storage and a higher screen refresh rate, useful for fast-paced applications, but it settles with an IPS display which is less vibrant compared to OLED.
Content Creation
7.7
7.4
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 and MSI Katana 15 are both good for content creation.
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
7.5
7.0
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 and MSI Katana 15 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
7.6
7.2
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 and MSI Katana 15 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 Zenbook Pro 15 and the MSI Katana 15 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 | MSI Katana 15 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,109 | $949 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2021 | February 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 13.9'' x 9.4'' x 0.7'' | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.98'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.41 lbs | 4.96 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.94" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.37" | 10.2" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | Intel i5-12450H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 12.5 Hours | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 96 Wh | 53.5 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 346 nits | 258 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.7/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 1 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
ASUS Zenbook Pro 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | May 2022
"The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 offers a strong CPU, chassis, and display. One of the most popular 15.6-inch prosumer or multimedia laptops out there is the Dell XPS 15. Thus, comparisons between it and the Asus Zenbook Pro 15 are inevitable. Asus has a couple of tricks up its sleeve that XPS users are still missing out on including 1080p OLED and an AMD Ryzen CPU which help separate the Zenbook Pro 15 from the XPS 15. It also integrates a numpad and a few more port options albeit at the cost of a larger chassis size."
MSI Katana 15
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NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | March 2023
"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 Zenbook Pro 15 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.
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