If your priority is portability and longer battery life for general use like web browsing and document editing, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is a better choice, and it's geared towards business with a high-quality keyboard and touch screen. However, if you need a laptop for intensive tasks like 3D modeling, machine learning, or gaming, the MSI Katana 15 will offer significantly better performance due to its more powerful processor and dedicated RTX graphics card. The MSI also has a larger screen and is more affordable, but it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less convenient for frequent travel. 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 X1 Titanium Yoga
Good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Excellent portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Katana 15
Good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
7.6/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
2256 x 1504
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
9.1/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Katana 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga 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
6.7/10
7.7/10
3.9/10
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 is good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Screen Quality
7.3/10
6.8/10
13.5in
SIZE
15.6in
2256 x 1504
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
451.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga has a better screen than the MSI Katana 15 for general use, engineering and design, and software development.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga boasts a higher resolution and brighter display which makes it better for general use and detailed engineering tasks that benefit from sharper images and more vivid colors. It likely covers a wider range of color gamuts, enhancing the precision required for engineering and design work. However, its refresh rate is probably lower compared to dedicated gaming laptops, making it less ideal for gaming and 3D applications where smoother motion is crucial.
Battery
8.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga has 8 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
Excellent
Fair
13.5in
SIZE
15.6in
2.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga has excellent portability, while the MSI Katana 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.0/10
7.2/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga 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
$725
$949
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga has a price of $725 and the MSI Katana 15 costs $949.
The MSI Katana 15 and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga 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
7.3/10
7.4/10
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
2256 x 1504
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Katana 15 and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga 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
7.3/10
7.0/10
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2256 x 1504
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga 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.
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How the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga and the MSI Katana 15 compare to other laptops
"The ThinkPad X1 Titanium is a showcase of what Lenovo thinks business computing will look like in the near future. People want thinner, lighter laptops with high-quality screens and enough computing power to get their work done. The X1 Titanium achieves these goals with some controversial but innovative design choices, including a redesigned keyboard and a pared-down port selection."
"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 X1 Titanium Yoga 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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