If you prioritize portability and a higher resolution touchscreen display, the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s is a more compact and lightweight option and comes with better battery life, making it suited for on-the-go use and general business tasks. However, if you require stronger performance for gaming or 3D applications, the MSI Cyborg 15 offers a dedicated graphics card, albeit being bulkier and with less battery life. The ThinkBook 13s generally costs a bit less, provides superior color accuracy for creative work, and is equipped with more RAM for multitasking, whereas the Cyborg 15 compensates with a higher refresh rate screen beneficial for gaming. 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 MSI Cyborg 15
Good for gaming and AI
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Excellent portability
Very good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.2/10
6.4/10
6.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.3/10
The MSI Cyborg 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s is only fair.
The MSI Cyborg 15, equipped with a Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a high screen refresh rate of 144Hz, offers a more immersive gaming and 3D experience. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s, which comes with an integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics and a lower refresh rate of 60Hz, provides a more modest performance for gaming and 3D tasks.
Screen Quality
6.8/10
7.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
13.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
234.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
336.0 nits
The MSI Cyborg 15 has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s stands out with a higher resolution and brighter display, making it easier on the eyes during tasks like browsing or video streaming, whereas the MSI Cyborg 15 offers a fair screen that may be less crisp and vivid. When it comes to engineering and design, the ThinkBook's superior color accuracy, covering a wider range of color gamuts, ensures that detailed work in applications like CAD or photo editing is more true to life. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to their lower refresh rates, which can limit the smoothness of fast-paced visuals and render less fluid motion during gameplay or high-action scenes.
Portability
Good
Excellent
15.6in
SIZE
13.3in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
2.9 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s has excellent portability, while the MSI Cyborg 15 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.7/10
7.6/10
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s has good build quality, while the MSI Cyborg 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,100
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The MSI Cyborg 15 has a price of $1,100 and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s costs $1,000.
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s and MSI Cyborg 15 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.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
7.5/10
8.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
6.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s and MSI Cyborg 15 are both good for engineering and design.
The MSI Cyborg 15 offers a higher graphical capability with a dedicated Nvidia RTX GPU which is desirable for engineering and design tasks requiring intensive graphics processing, but the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s boasts a higher RAM and a better screen quality with higher resolution and color coverage that may appeal for design precision and multitasking needs. While the Cyborg is bulkier, which may affect portability, the ThinkBook 13s provides better portability due to its lighter weight and compact size; however, it compensates with integrated graphics which may not be as powerful for highly demanding graphical tasks.
Content Creation
7.5/10
7.8/10
8.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s and MSI Cyborg 15 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
7.2/10
7.7/10
8.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s and MSI Cyborg 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.
Battery
7.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The MSI Cyborg 15 has 7.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s has 8 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the MSI Cyborg 15 and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s compare to other laptops
"The focus of the MSI Cyborg 15 lies on a compromise of performance, mobility, and power consumption. Due to the reduced performance settings, the CPU and GPU perform below their capabilities. Nonetheless, their computing power is still sufficient for FHD gaming at high to maximum settings even then. The power consumption, which is low for a gaming laptop, can be translated into a good battery life. Realistic values of 7 to 8 h are still possible, despite the relatively small battery capacity of 53.5 Wh. Unfortunately the USB-C port doesn't offer any support for Power Delivery, which would be a sensible feature in the case of the Cyborg."
"The best thing about the ThinkBook 13S is that it’s a good deal. Business buyers looking for ThinkPad-level performance and software without ThinkPad pricing will probably find the ThinkBook a solid option. While nothing about it is really spectacular, it’s certainly unusual to see the ThinkBook’s screen resolution at a sub-$1,000 price, and its performance will be more than adequate for most office tasks. The generous port selection, 16:10 aspect ratio, physical webcam shutter, and clear audio are certainly icing on the cake."
Get a great deal on the MSI Cyborg 15 or the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s
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.
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.
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
124,695
Recommendations made
27,018
Consumer hours saved
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.