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Surface Laptop 5 13"
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Katana 15
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Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13"
  • Good overall display quality
  • Excellent portability
  • Good battery life
  • Very good speakers
Advantages of the MSI Katana 15
  • Good for gaming and AI

Key differences

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Gaming and AI

6.1
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Katana 15
7.6
3.7/10
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
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Katana 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is only fair.

Engineering and Design

7.1
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Katana 15
7.7
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Katana 15 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" are both good for engineering and design, though the MSI Katana 15 is somewhat better.

Screen Quality

7.2
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Katana 15
6.8
13.5in
SIZE
15.6in
2256 x 1504
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
400.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has a better screen than the MSI Katana 15 for general use, and engineering and design, while the MSI Katana 15 has a better screen for gaming and AI.

Battery

7.5 Hours
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Katana 15
4.0 Hours
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has 7.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Katana 15 has 4 hours of battery life.

Portability

Excellent
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Katana 15
Fair
13.5in
SIZE
15.6in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has excellent portability, while the MSI Katana 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

7.8
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Katana 15
7.2
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" and MSI Katana 15 both have good build quality, though the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has somewhat better build quality.

Cost

$1,200
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Katana 15
$949
Product image
Product image

$400

$600

$800

$1,000

$1,200

$1,400

$1,600

$1,800

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has a price of $1,200 and the MSI Katana 15 costs $949.
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Key similarities

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General Use

7.4
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Katana 15
7.5
2256 x 1504
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
400.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
7.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
9.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
The MSI Katana 15 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" are both good for general use.

Content Creation

7.4
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Katana 15
7.4
6.9/10
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 Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" are both good for content creation.

Software Development

7.2
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Katana 15
7.0
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2256 x 1504
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" and MSI Katana 15 are both good for software development.

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How the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" and the MSI Katana 15 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13"MSI Katana 15
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13"MSI Katana 15

GENERAL

Price
$1,200
$949
Release Date
October 1, 2022February 1, 2023
Overall Dimensions
12.1'' x 8.8'' x 0.57''14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.98''
Weight
2.86 lbs4.96 lbs
Width
12.1"14.13"
Depth
8.8"10.2"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i7-1255UIntel i5-12450H
RAM
16 GB16 GB
DDR Memory Version
55
RAM Slots
02
Storage
512 GB1024 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
7.5 Hours4 Hours
Battery Capacity
47.4 Wh53.5 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
13.5"15.6"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
2256 x 15041920 x 1080
Refresh Rate
60Hz144Hz
Display Brightness
400 nits258 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
7.8/107.2/10
Portability Score
9/106.9/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoYes
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
7.5/107/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
7/107.5/10
Speaker Quality Score
8.8/107.5/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
NoNo
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
NoYes

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
13
USB-C ports
11
USB-C Charging
YesNo
Display Outputs
12
Thunderbolt Version
4N/A

Shopping

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Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13"

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Dig into reviews and images

CNET

Lori Grunin | October 2022
"The Surface Laptop 5 remains afloat as a solid machine. It's just not one that stands out in any particular way. Just like the last one. The biggest upgrade were some new components, but they perform in the same range as other laptops with them, and frequently at the bottom of that range. I suspect Microsoft's settings are very conservative to help keep cooling and battery life within reason in the older chassis design."

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 Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" or the MSI Katana 15

About Microsoft

Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.

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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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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