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Updated January 16, 2024·
If you're looking for a laptop that's easier on the wallet, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro may be the way to go. However, if your tasks include intensive gaming or resource-heavy software, the additional investment in the MSI Katana 17 could be justified due to better performance and a larger display, which can enhance your experience. The Lenovo will be more portable and possibly have longer battery life, making it suitable for on-the-go use and everyday tasks. Decide based on whether performance and screen size or portability and battery life are more crucial for your needs. 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 IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
- Good overall display quality
- Very good portability
- Good battery life
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Katana 17
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
7.3
7.9
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
395.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
8.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI Katana 17 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro are both good for general use, though the MSI Katana 17 is somewhat better.
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.
Gaming and AI
6.1
7.9
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
90Hz
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 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is only fair.
The MSI Katana 17 outshines the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro in gaming and 3D because it has a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate at 144Hz, which are crucial for smooth visuals and gameplay. While the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has an Intel Iris Xe GPU that is less suited for high-end graphics tasks and a lower 90Hz refresh rate, limiting its ability to render fast-paced scenes as smoothly.
Engineering and Design
7.0
8.4
5.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Katana 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is good.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is suited for engineering and design tasks thanks to its high screen resolution, which makes for crisper visuals, but its integrated graphics fall short for heavy graphical tasks compared to the MSI Katana 17's dedicated Nvidia GPU, which alongside its larger RAM and higher-end CPU, makes it very capable of handling demanding engineering software and designs.
Screen Quality
7.7
6.9
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has a better screen than the MSI Katana 17 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design, while the MSI Katana 17 has a better screen for software development.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has a high-resolution display with bright and vivid colors, making it great for everyday tasks and professional design work, but its lower refresh rate is less suitable for 3D gaming, where smoother motion is key. The MSI Katana 17's screen, while good for general activities, may not bring out the full range of colors needed by engineers and designers, as it likely doesn't cover as much of the professional color gamuts. Furthermore, its refresh rate is also not ideal for gaming, leading to less fluid motion during fast-paced scenes.
Battery
8.5 Hours
3.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has 8.5 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
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has very good portability, while the MSI Katana 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8
7.2
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro and MSI Katana 17 both have good build quality, though the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$799
$1,367
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has a price of $799 and the MSI Katana 17 costs $1,367.
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Key similarities
Content Creation
7.4
7.8
5.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Katana 17 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 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
7.3
7.5
5.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Katana 17 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 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 Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro and the MSI Katana 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro | MSI Katana 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$799 | $1,367 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2021 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.3'' x 8.7'' x 0.62'' | 15.7'' x 10.8'' x 0.99'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.04 lbs | 5.73 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.29" | 15.67" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.74" | 10.75" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-11300H | Intel i7-13620H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 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 | 8.5 Hours | 3 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 60.7 Wh | 53.5 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2880 x 1800 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 90Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 395 nits | 256 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.8/10 | 6.2/10 | |
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 | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 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 | 1 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | October 2021
"The main selling point of the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro versus a regular IdeaPad Slim 7 is its faster Core H-series CPU. In reality, the Core i7-11370H is only marginally faster than the U-series Core i7-1165G7 to the point where most users are not likely to notice the benefits. The slight performance uptick comes at the cost of slightly higher power consumption as well meaning owners will have to deal with potentially warmer temperatures or louder fans to compensate. Unless if you happen to be a power user, then the regular non-Pro model will be more than enough. Once you go 90 Hz, you can't go back."
MSI Katana 17
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Benjamin Herzig | February 2023
"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 Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro or the MSI Katana 17
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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