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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 is a more budget-friendly and portable option with a touchscreen and better battery life, making it suitable for general use and mobility. Its performance is suitable for everyday tasks and some multitasking. The MSI Katana 15, however, offers superior performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering software due to a more powerful graphics card and processor, which also makes it better suited for intensive gaming. However, it is less portable and has shorter battery life, making it less ideal for on-the-go use. If portability and cost are crucial, go for the Lenovo, but if you need high performance for specialized tasks or gaming, consider the MSI. 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 Lenovo Flex 5 14
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Katana 15
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.2
7.6
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Katana 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Flex 5 14 is only fair.
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 is fair for gaming and 3D due to its integrated GPU, which is less powerful compared to dedicated gaming GPUs, and its standard screen refresh rate of 60Hz, which is suitable for general use but not optimal for fast-paced games.
Engineering and Design
7.0
7.7
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Katana 15 and Lenovo Flex 5 14 are both good for engineering and design, though the MSI Katana 15 is somewhat better.
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 with its AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, integrated AMD Vega 8 GPU, and high-resolution touchscreen display is well-suited for engineering and design tasks that require good screen quality and processing power. The MSI Katana 15, on the other hand, is equipped with an Intel i5 CPU, Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU for more demanding graphics tasks, and a larger screen, making it a better choice for engineering applications where advanced GPU performance is essential, although it's less portable and has a lower screen resolution.
Screen Quality
6.4
6.8
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
277.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has a better screen than the MSI Katana 15 for software development, while the MSI Katana 15 has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, both the Lenovo Flex 5 14 and the MSI Katana 15 offer adequate resolution and brightness, but their panel types may not deliver the fidelity and viewing angles desired by more discerning users. In the case of engineering and design work, while sufficient for casual use, neither laptop covers the wider color gamuts necessary for professional-level color grading or detailed visual work. When it comes to gaming and 3D applications, their relatively lower refresh rates could hinder the smooth visual experience required for fast-paced action or detailed animation work.
Battery
11.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has 11.5 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
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has very good portability, while the MSI Katana 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.7
7.5
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
277.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
11.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 and MSI Katana 15 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.
Content Creation
7.6
7.4
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 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
7.4
7.0
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 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
7.0
7.2
The MSI Katana 15 and Lenovo Flex 5 14 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$950
$949
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has a price of $950 and the MSI Katana 15 costs $949.
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How the Lenovo Flex 5 14 and the MSI Katana 15 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Flex 5 14 | MSI Katana 15 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$950 | $949 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | December 1, 2022 | February 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.3'' x 8.9'' x 0.7'' | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.98'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.42 lbs | 4.96 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.32" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.85" | 10.2" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7730U | Intel i5-12450H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 11.5 Hours | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 52.5 Wh | 53.5 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 277 nits | 258 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.3/10 | 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 | 7.5/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Lenovo Flex 5 14
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | May 2021
"The highlight of the latest IdeaPad Flex 5 14 is clearly its AMD CPU. The octa-core Ryzen 7 5700U is insanely fast even when compared to the best Tiger Lake Ultrabooks in the market or even Core H CPUs in many gaming laptops. It's a lot of raw processing power for what is supposed to be a budget 14-inch convertible. If your daily workloads can benefit from extra multi-thread CPU performance, then look no further than the inexpensive AMD-powered Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14. For regular on-the-road browsing or video streaming, however, a slimmer and lighter 10th gen Core Yoga, Spectre, or XPS would be a more balanced option."
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 Lenovo Flex 5 14 or the MSI Katana 15
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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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