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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Gigabyte Aero 16 offers superior display quality with a high-resolution OLED screen and covers a wide color gamut, making it excellent for color-sensitive tasks like photo editing or graphic design, but its battery life is shorter and it is heavier, which might reduce its portability. The MSI Katana 15, on the other hand, is lighter and has a high refresh rate IPS screen suited for fast-paced gaming, but the lower resolution and smaller color range might not be ideal for creative professionals. The Aero has better performance for engineering and intensive 3D tasks due to a more powerful processor and GPU, but the Katana is more budget-friendly with fairly strong performance and has a slightly higher portability due to its lighter weight. Overall, choose the Aero 16 if display and performance in creative and engineering applications are your priority, or opt for the Katana 15 if you need a lighter, gaming-capable laptop at a lower cost. 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 Gigabyte Aero 16
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Good portability
- Good battery life
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Katana 15
- Good speakers
Key differences
Engineering and Design
8.6
7.7
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
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
8.2
7.4
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aero 16 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
7.9
7.0
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and MSI Katana 15 are both good for software development, though the Gigabyte Aero 16 is somewhat better.
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
6.8
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
368.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 16 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 Gigabyte Aero 16 offers a crisp, bright display with high resolution suited for everyday tasks like web browsing and document editing, while the MSI Katana 15 has a decent display that meets basic needs but isn't as vivid or sharp. The Aero 16 excels in engineering and design thanks to its wide color gamuts, reproducing more accurate colors necessary for precise work, something the Katana 15 can handle, but with less color fidelity. When it comes to 3D and gaming, the Aero 16's lower refresh rate may not deliver as smooth visuals compared to laptops designed for gaming, while the Katana 15, despite fair screen attributes, also lacks the high refresh rate that gaming enthusiasts typically seek.
Battery
7.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has 7 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.
Build Quality
7.8
7.2
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and MSI Katana 15 both have good build quality, though the Gigabyte Aero 16 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,260
$949
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has a price of $1,260 and the MSI Katana 15 costs $949.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.0
7.5
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
368.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 16 to be very good for general use, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The Gigabyte Aero 16 offers a high-end CPU, ample RAM, and an OLED screen which delivers exceptional quality for any visual task with long battery life, making it suitable for extensive general use, although it is less portable due to its weight. On the other hand, the MSI Katana 15 also provides enough CPU power and RAM for routine tasks, a high refresh rate screen for smooth visuals, and relatively better portability due to lighter weight, but it compromises on screen quality and battery life compared to the Aero 16.
Gaming and AI
7.8
7.6
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and MSI Katana 15 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Gigabyte Aero 16 with its Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card and a 60 Hz OLED screen makes for rich visuals in gaming and 3D applications but at a lower screen refresh rate, whereas the MSI Katana 15, equipped with a Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a higher 144 Hz refresh rate IPS screen, may offer smoother gameplay but with potentially less vibrant color quality. Both offer capable CPUs and good screen quality, but gamers who prioritize fluid motion may lean towards the MSI Katana, while those who value detailed image quality may prefer the Gigabyte.
Portability
Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
5.0 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.9in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 16 to have good portability, while the MSI Katana 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Gigabyte Aero 16 and the MSI Katana 15 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Gigabyte Aero 16 | MSI Katana 15 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,260 | $949 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | February 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.8'' x 0.88'' | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.98'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.07 lbs | 4.96 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.02" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.78" | 10.2" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-12700H | Intel i5-12450H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 2048 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 99 Wh | 53.5 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3840 x 2400 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 368 nits | 258 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.1/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.8/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 3 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Gigabyte Aero 16
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Dig into reviews and images
Tom's Hardware
Isaac Rouse | May 2022
"The Gigabyte Aero 16 is a workstation laptop for light gaming. It's design is still muted, with a silver chassis alongside a black keyboard and trackpad that provides some contrast. The Gigabyte Aero’s full-size chiclet-style keyboard is enjoyable to type on thanks to its snappy feel and responsiveness. The 4K+ AMOLED display is good, but it could be better. It doesn’t handle true black very well and suffers from strong reflections and glare. The Gigabyte Aero excels at productivity performance and can keep up with other gaming laptops in 1080p. But it has very few ports and its refresh rate leaves a bit to be desired."
MSI Katana 15
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Dig into reviews and images
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 Gigabyte Aero 16 or the MSI Katana 15
About Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
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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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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