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Company ProductName Specs
Company ProductName Specs
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 5 15"
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Katana 15
- The MSI Katana 15 has no clear advantages over the Lenovo Legion 5 15".
Key differences
Engineering and Design
8.2
7.7
8.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
9.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The Lenovo Legion 5 with its higher screen resolution and better color coverage offers superior screen quality for design tasks compared to the MSI Katana 15, an important aspect for engineering and design work. While both laptops have robust CPUs and GPUs suitable for demanding applications, and similar amounts of RAM, the Legion 5's AMD processor may offer an edge in certain computational tasks, but the MSI Katana 15 compensates with greater storage capacity and slightly better portability.
Screen Quality
8.0
6.8
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
350.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has a better screen than the MSI Katana 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" offers a more vibrant and sharp display due to its higher resolution and brightness, improving the overall experience for general tasks and detail-oriented work in engineering and design, with its color accuracy bringing graphics to life. However, it falls short for gaming and 3D applications because of its lower refresh rate, which may lead to less fluid motion and slow response times during fast-paced scenes. Meanwhile, the MSI Katana 15 provides a balanced display that's reasonable for everyday tasks and sufficient for technical applications, but like the Legion, it lacks in refresh rate, making it less ideal for the smooth visuals that gaming and 3D rendering require.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.5
7.5
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
350.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
4.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
6.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
The MSI Katana 15 and Lenovo Legion 5 15" are both good for general use.
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" offers a balance of performance with its AMD Ryzen processor, ample RAM, and high-resolution display, which are very important for a smooth general use experience, however, it is less portable due to its weight. The MSI Katana 15, although having less screen quality, offers similar RAM and CPU performance for general tasks, and it is lighter, making it more portable, with keyboard and speaker quality that are somewhat important also contributing to a satisfactory user experience.
Gaming and AI
7.9
7.6
9.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" and MSI Katana 15 are both good for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Content Creation
7.4
7.4
8.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion 5 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
7.3
7.0
8.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 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.
Battery
4.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has 4 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
Fair
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
5.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI Katana 15 and Lenovo Legion 5 15" both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6
7.2
The Lenovo Legion 5 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.
Cost
$999
$949
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has a price of $999 and the MSI Katana 15 costs $949.
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How the Lenovo Legion 5 15" and the MSI Katana 15 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Legion 5 15" | MSI Katana 15 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$999 | $949 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | February 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 10.3'' x 0.95'' | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.98'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.3 lbs | 4.96 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.13" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.33" | 10.2" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | Intel i5-12450H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4 Hours | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 60 Wh | 53.5 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1440 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 350 nits | 258 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.8/10 | 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 | 6.5/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 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 | 3 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Lenovo Legion 5 15"
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | September 2021
"The Lenovo Legion 5 15 is an affordable gaming laptop with a lot of power. The new AMD processor Ryzen 7 5800H offers plenty of performance and it is also very efficient. The combination with the fast 130W version of the GeForce RTX 3060 ensures high gaming performance. We also like the fast 165 Hz display with the 1080p resolution. The automatic graphics switching causes some problems with stutters, which are very annoying. If you do not need long battery runtimes, you should definitely deactivate the hybrid graphics mode in Lenovo's Vantage app. The Legion 5 15 is never silent."
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 Legion 5 15" 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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