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15" Laptop
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Katana 15
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What we think

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

If budget is a primary concern and you mainly use your laptop for tasks like web browsing, streaming, and document editing, the Maypug may suffice and save you money. The MSI Katana 15 generally offers higher performance, making it a better choice for gaming, 3D modeling, or video editing, but this comes at a higher cost. It also may have a better build quality and cooling system, which is important for intensive tasks. However, if you're often on the move, consider that high-performance laptops like the MSI can be bulkier and have shorter battery lives, making them less convenient for 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 Maypug 15" Laptop
  • Good portability
  • Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Katana 15
  • Good for general use
  • Good for engineering and design
  • Good for gaming and AI
  • Good for software development
  • Good for content creation
  • Good overall build quality
  • Good speakers
  • Good keyboard

Key differences

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General Use

5.8
15" Laptop
Katana 15
7.5
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
The MSI Katana 15 is good for general use, while the Maypug 15" Laptop is poor.

Gaming and AI

5.6
15" Laptop
Katana 15
7.6
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
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 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Maypug 15" Laptop is poor.

Engineering and Design

5.6
15" Laptop
Katana 15
7.7
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Katana 15 is good for engineering and design, while the Maypug 15" Laptop is poor.

Content Creation

5.9
15" Laptop
Katana 15
7.4
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Katana 15 is good for content creation, while the Maypug 15" Laptop is poor.

Software Development

5.9
15" Laptop
Katana 15
7.0
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Katana 15 is good for software development, while the Maypug 15" Laptop is poor.

Screen Quality

5.7
15" Laptop
Katana 15
6.8
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
The MSI Katana 15 has a better screen than the Maypug 15" Laptop for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.

Battery

7.0 Hours
15" Laptop
Katana 15
4.0 Hours
The Maypug 15" Laptop has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI Katana 15 has 4 hours of battery life.

Portability

Good
15" Laptop
Katana 15
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
3.6 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Maypug 15" Laptop has good portability, while the MSI Katana 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

5.1
15" Laptop
Katana 15
7.2
The MSI Katana 15 has good build quality, while the Maypug 15" Laptop has poor build quality.

Cost

$600
15" Laptop
Katana 15
$949
Product image
Product image

$200

$400

$600

$800

$1,000

$1,200

$1,400

The Maypug 15" Laptop has a price of $600 and the MSI Katana 15 costs $949.
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How the Maypug 15" Laptop and the MSI Katana 15 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Maypug 15" LaptopMSI Katana 15
Maypug 15" LaptopMSI Katana 15

GENERAL

Price
$600
$949
Release Date
January 1, 2023February 1, 2023
Overall Dimensions
14'' x 11.1'' x 0.78''14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.98''
Weight
3.6 lbs4.96 lbs
Width
13.97"14.13"
Depth
11.1"10.2"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel Celeron N5095Intel i5-12450H
RAM
8 GB16 GB
DDR Memory Version
45
RAM Slots
02
Storage
256 GB1024 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
7 Hours4 Hours
Battery Capacity
29.6 Wh53.5 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
15.6"15.6"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1366 x 7681920 x 1080
Refresh Rate
60Hz144Hz
Display Brightness
200 nits258 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
5.1/107.2/10
Portability Score
7.6/106.9/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoYes
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
7.5/107/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
6/107.5/10
Speaker Quality Score
4.8/107.5/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
NoNo
Backlit Keyboard
NoYes
Number Pad
YesYes

CONNECTIVITY

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

Shopping

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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 Maypug 15" Laptop or the MSI Katana 15

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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