If you need a laptop for general use with good portability and longer battery life, the MSI Katana 15 is often less expensive and lighter, making it easier to carry around, but with shorter battery life compared to the Lenovo ThinkPad P16. However, for more intensive tasks like engineering, 3D rendering, or machine learning, the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 generally offers better performance due to a more powerful processor and graphics unit, despite being heavier and with a higher price. Both have good build quality and decent keyboards, but the ThinkPad P16 has a larger, higher-resolution screen, which may benefit detailed work despite contributing to reduced portability. 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 ThinkPad P16
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good battery life
Excellent speakers
Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Katana 15
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
8.0/10
7.5/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
569.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
5.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good for general use, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
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
6.9/10
7.6/10
4.5/10
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
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Katana 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is only fair.
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.
Engineering and Design
8.3/10
7.7/10
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is equipped with a powerful Intel i7 processor, higher screen resolution, and superior NVIDIA professional graphics, making it excellent for engineering and design, where such high-level components are very important for complex tasks and detailed visuals. On the other hand, the MSI Katana 15, while still a strong choice with a capable Intel i5 processor and NVIDIA gaming graphics, offers more storage but sacrifices some screen quality, making it less optimal for high fidelity engineering work but still suitable due to its own set of high-performance features.
Content Creation
8.2/10
7.4/10
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 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
8.4/10
7.0/10
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good for software development, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
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
8.2/10
6.8/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
569.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has a better screen than the MSI Katana 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 typically boasts a higher resolution and brighter display which enhances the viewing experience for everyday tasks and detailed work in engineering and design, complemented by wider color gamuts that ensure more accurate color reproduction. However, its lower refresh rate can disappoint gamers, who generally prefer screens that can deliver smoother motion for fast-paced games. In contrast, the MSI Katana 15's screen might not shine as brightly or offer the same color fidelity, making it less ideal for both general use and specialized engineering work but shares a similar limitation for gaming due to its unremarkable refresh rate.
Battery
10.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has 10 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
Poor
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
6.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
1.2in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI Katana 15 has only fair portability, while the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.2/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has very good build quality, while the MSI Katana 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,449
$949
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has a price of $1,449 and the MSI Katana 15 costs $949.
"It's only a few months since we gave the MSI CreatorPro X17 one of our rare 4.5-star ratings and our top mobile workstation honor, but the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 matches that achievement in a more premium overall build. Ultimately, its build quality, screen, and keyboard give our latest Editors' Choice nod to the Lenovo—it's enough of a monster on almost all fronts that it simply cannot be ignored."
"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 ThinkPad P16 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.
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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