Choosing between the Gigabyte Aero 16 and the MSI Katana 17 depends on what you prioritize in a laptop. If a high-resolution display is important to you, the Aero 16 has an OLED screen with a sharper image. However, if you want more raw power for gaming or heavy tasks, the Katana 17 has a stronger graphics card. The Aero 16 is lighter and might be more convenient for travel, but the Katana 17 has a larger screen which could be better for media consumption and productivity. Both laptops run Windows 11 Home, but design preferences, brand loyalty, and slight differences in port allocation or keyboard features might also influence your decision. 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 content creation
Very good overall display quality
Good portability
Good battery life
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Katana 17
Good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.4/10
6.9/10
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
368.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has a better screen than the MSI Katana 17 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the Gigabyte Aero 16's superior resolution and brightness offer crisper visuals and more vibrant colors, making everyday tasks more visually enjoyable. For engineering and design, the Aero 16's wider color gamuts ensure more accurate color reproduction, which is crucial for professional photo editing and graphic design. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the MSI Katana 17's lower refresh rate can make fast-moving visuals less smooth, which is less ideal for high-speed gaming where screen responsiveness is key.
Battery
7.0 Hours
3.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has 7 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
Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
5.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has good portability, while the MSI Katana 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8/10
7.2/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and MSI Katana 17 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
$1,367
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has a price of $1,260 and the MSI Katana 17 costs $1,367.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 16 to be very good for general use, while the MSI Katana 17 is good.
The Gigabyte Aero 16, with its high-resolution OLED screen, larger battery capacity, and lighter weight, offers a clearer display and longer battery life for general use, making it highly portable. In contrast, the MSI Katana 17 features more RAM and a larger screen size, enhancing multitasking and immersion, but its heavier build and shorter battery life make it less convenient for mobility.
Gaming and AI
7.8/10
7.9/10
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 MSI Katana 17 and Gigabyte Aero 16 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Gigabyte Aero 16, with its Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti and a 60Hz OLED screen, is suitable for gaming and 3D use, offering deep color quality and contrast; however, the MSI Katana 17 steps up in gaming performance with a Nvidia RTX 4060 and a higher 144Hz refresh rate IPS screen, which can display more frames per second for smoother visuals in fast-paced games.
Engineering and Design
8.6/10
8.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and MSI Katana 17 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Gigabyte Aero 16 excels in engineering and design due to its high-resolution OLED screen for detailed visuals and powerful GPU and CPU combo for demanding tasks, while the MSI Katana 17 offers more RAM, which is crucial for multitasking in design software, and a larger screen although at a lower resolution.
Content Creation
8.2/10
7.8/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 16 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
7.9/10
7.5/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and MSI Katana 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.
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How the Gigabyte Aero 16 and the MSI Katana 17 compare to other laptops
"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."
"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 Gigabyte Aero 16 or the MSI Katana 17
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.
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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