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Ultra 16
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Katana 17
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 12, 2024·

The LG Ultra 16 and the MSI Katana 17 cater to different needs, so the better choice depends on your specific requirements. If portability and cost are your primary concerns, the LG Ultra 16, being lighter and typically less expensive, might suit you well, especially for everyday tasks like web browsing, office work, and media consumption. On the other hand, if you're looking for more power for activities such as gaming, 3D rendering, or intensive engineering software, the MSI Katana 17, despite being heavier and generally more expensive, provides superior performance that could justify the extra cost and reduced portability. Lastly, consider battery life; higher performance laptops like the MSI often have shorter battery life compared to more efficiency-focused models like the LG Ultra. 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 LG Ultra 16
  • Good portability
  • Excellent battery life
Advantages of the MSI Katana 17
  • Very good for engineering and design
  • Good for gaming and AI
  • Good overall build quality
  • Good keyboard

Key differences

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Gaming and AI

6.2
Ultra 16
Katana 17
7.9
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
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Katana 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the LG Ultra 16 is only fair.

Engineering and Design

7.0
Ultra 16
Katana 17
8.4
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
3.6/10
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 LG Ultra 16 is good.

Screen Quality

6.2
Ultra 16
Katana 17
6.9
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
270.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
The MSI Katana 17 has a better screen than the LG Ultra 16 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.

Battery

17.0 Hours
Ultra 16
Katana 17
3.0 Hours
The LG Ultra 16 has 17 hours of battery life. The MSI Katana 17 has 3 hours of battery life.

Portability

Good
Ultra 16
Katana 17
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3.6 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The LG Ultra 16 has good portability, while the MSI Katana 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

6.5
Ultra 16
Katana 17
7.2
The MSI Katana 17 has good build quality, while the LG Ultra 16 has only fair build quality.

Cost

$1,000
Ultra 16
Katana 17
$1,367
Product image
Product image

$0

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

The LG Ultra 16 has a price of $1,000 and the MSI Katana 17 costs $1,367.
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Key similarities

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General Use

7.7
Ultra 16
Katana 17
7.9
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
270.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
17.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.0 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI Katana 17 and LG Ultra 16 are both good for general use.

Content Creation

7.7
Ultra 16
Katana 17
7.8
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Katana 17 and LG Ultra 16 are both good for content creation.

Software Development

7.5
Ultra 16
Katana 17
7.5
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The LG Ultra 16 and MSI Katana 17 are both good for software development.

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How the LG Ultra 16 and the MSI Katana 17 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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LG Ultra 16MSI Katana 17
LG Ultra 16MSI Katana 17

GENERAL

Price
$1,000
$1,367
Release Date
March 1, 2023May 1, 2023
Overall Dimensions
14'' x 9.8'' x 0.64''15.7'' x 10.8'' x 0.99''
Weight
3.63 lbs5.73 lbs
Width
14.02"15.67"
Depth
9.78"10.75"

INTERNAL

Processor
AMD Ryzen 7 7730UIntel i7-13620H
RAM
16 GB32 GB
DDR Memory Version
55
RAM Slots
02
Storage
512 GB1024 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
17 Hours3 Hours
Battery Capacity
72 Wh53.5 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
16"17.3"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1920 x 12001920 x 1080
Refresh Rate
60Hz144Hz
Display Brightness
270 nits256 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
6.5/107.2/10
Portability Score
7.9/106.2/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoYes
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
10/107/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
6.8/107.5/10
Speaker Quality Score
7/107.5/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
NoNo
Backlit Keyboard
NoYes
Number Pad
YesYes

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
23
USB-C ports
11
USB-C Charging
YesNo
Display Outputs
12
Thunderbolt Ports
00

Shopping

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LG Ultra 16

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Sebastian Jentsch | October 2022
"Unlike the gram, the Ultra PC isn't designed to be as lightweight as possible. The 16-inch laptop is a whole 400 g (0.88 lb) heavier than its 16-inch gram counterpart partly because its chassis is not made of magnesium. Other than that, the Ultra PC seems like a copy of the gram – but with longer battery life, lower noise levels, and a clean, delicate look."

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 LG Ultra 16 or the MSI Katana 17

About LG

LG is a South Korean conglomerate company. While LG is mainly known for various products outside of technology, LG also develops laptops. Within the laptop industry, they are known for their thin-and-light Gram series, as well as their value-oriented Ultra series. LG laptops offer very thin and light laptops with phenomenal battery life, 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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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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About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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