For heavy tasks like gaming or intensive software, the MSI Katana 15, with its larger display and more robust graphical capabilities, will handle these better, but it's bulkier and could have shorter battery life. The MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo is more suited for on-the-go use with its lightweight design and longer battery life, making it ideal for business and everyday tasks; however, it may not perform as well with demanding applications. Choose the Katana 15 for power and performance, or the Prestige 13 AI Evo for mobility and battery efficiency. 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 Katana 15
Good for gaming and AI
Advantages of the MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good portability
Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.5/10
8.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
258.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
415.0 nits
4.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
6.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.5/10
The MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo is very good for general use, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The MSI Katana 15, designed with a more powerful CPU and larger screen, excels in heavier tasks and visual clarity but sacrifices portability and battery life; in contrast, the MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo, with its emphasis on a lightweight design, long-lasting battery, and compact form, is more suitable for those prioritizing on-the-go use without needing the extra processing power for demanding applications. While both offer sufficient RAM and acceptable levels of storage, keyboard, and speaker quality, the Prestige might run quieter and cooler, enhancing the overall experience for general tasks.
Gaming and AI
7.6/10
6.8/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Katana 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo is only fair.
The MSI Katana 15 is equipped with a more powerful GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, which are crucial for smooth gaming and effective 3D rendering, whereas the MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo, while offering adequate performance with a decent CPU and screen quality, falls short for demanding gaming and 3D tasks due to its less capable GPU and lower refresh rate.
Content Creation
7.4/10
8.1/10
6.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo is very good for content creation, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
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
7.0/10
7.9/10
6.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo and MSI Katana 15 are both good for software development, though the MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
6.8/10
8.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
13.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
258.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
415.0 nits
The MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo has a better screen than the MSI Katana 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The MSI Katana 15's screen may not provide the color accuracy and wide color gamut needed for high-level engineering and design tasks, while its lower refresh rate limits gaming and 3D performance. On the other hand, the MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo offers excellent color accuracy and a broad color gamut, making it ideal for professional design work, yet it still lacks the high refresh rate desired for fluid gaming and 3D rendering. Despite this, both laptops have high resolution and brightness, which benefits general use with clear, vivid display quality, though they might not fulfill the demands of users with specialized requirements in gaming and precision color work.
Battery
4.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The MSI Katana 15 has 4 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo 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.
Portability
Fair
Very Good
15.6in
SIZE
13.0in
4.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.5 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo has very good portability, while the MSI Katana 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$949
$1,280
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The MSI Katana 15 has a price of $949 and the MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo costs $1,280.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo to be very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The MSI Katana 15, with its dedicated graphics card and high-quality screen, delivers the power needed for engineering tasks and visually intensive design work, but it's bulkier and might be noisier under load. In contrast, the MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo, while offering great portability with a comfortable keyboard and quieter operation, might not match the Katana's raw performance due to more modest graphics capabilities.
Build Quality
7.2/10
7.4/10
The MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo and MSI Katana 15 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
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How the MSI Katana 15 and the MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo compare to other laptops
"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 MSI Katana 15 or the MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo
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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