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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
If price is a concern and you need a laptop that's more affordable, consider the MSI Katana 15, which is significantly less expensive. Keep in mind that while the Stealth 17 offers more power, it's also bulkier and heavier, making it less portable than the Katana 15. Additionally, with greater power comes shorter battery life, so consider your mobility needs and whether you'll frequently be near a power source. 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
- The MSI Katana 15 has no clear advantages over the MSI Stealth 17.
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 17
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.5
8.7
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
258.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
4.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for general use, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The MSI Stealth 17 surpasses the MSI Katana 15 in general use due to its higher-end CPU and increased RAM, which boost overall performance, and a superior screen offering better resolution and color accuracy, enhancing visual experiences. However, this comes with the tradeoff of the Stealth 17 being less portable due to larger size and weight, and despite having a longer battery life, it may still be cumbersome for frequent travel compared to the more compact Katana 15.
Gaming and AI
7.6
9.1
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
7.7
9.4
6.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The MSI Katana 15 is well-suited for engineering and design due to its solid processor, adequate RAM, and capable GPU; however, the MSI Stealth 17 stands out for its exceptional CPU, ample RAM, high-end GPU, and superior screen quality, thus offering significantly enhanced performance and visual clarity for more demanding engineering and design tasks. While both have good portability and keyboard quality, the Stealth 17 offers better overall build and speaker quality but is less portable and potentially noisier under heavy loads due to its more powerful hardware.
Content Creation
7.4
8.8
6.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 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
8.5
6.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for software development, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
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
8.6
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
258.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen than the MSI Katana 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the MSI Stealth 17 offers a vibrant display with higher resolution and brightness, providing clearer and more detailed visuals, whereas the MSI Katana 15 has a less impressive display that may not be as sharp or bright. For engineering and design tasks where accurate colors are crucial, the Stealth 17's superior color coverage across the DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB spectrums ensures that the output is more true to life. However, for gaming and 3D applications that rely heavily on fluid motion, neither laptop excels due to their inadequate refresh rates, even though their resolutions and panel types might be sufficient for other uses.
Battery
4.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The MSI Katana 15 has 4 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 17 has 5.5 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.
Build Quality
7.2
7.8
The MSI Stealth 17 and MSI Katana 15 both have good build quality, though the MSI Stealth 17 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$949
$3,899
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The MSI Katana 15 has a price of $949 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
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Key similarities
Portability
Fair
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
4.9 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Katana 15 and MSI Stealth 17 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the MSI Katana 15 and the MSI Stealth 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| MSI Katana 15 | MSI Stealth 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$949 | $3,899 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.98'' | 15.7'' x 11.2'' x 0.79'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.96 lbs | 6.17 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.13" | 15.65" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.2" | 11.16" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-12450H | Intel i9-13900H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 64 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4 Hours | 5.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 53.5 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 258 nits | 384 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.9/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
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."
MSI Stealth 17
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | April 2023
"The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is a laptop with a quiet RTX 4080 for almost every occasion. The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is equally capable of high-level media processing and playing current games. It remains pleasantly quiet, even if a few percentage points of power have had to be sacrificed in the process. But, it is not quite perfect: To some extent, the Stealth 17 is well thought out. It packs tons of graphics power and high-end components in a slim case. The laptop's cooling system can be set such that, noise-wise, it doesn't even reach low volume. However, small flaws cloud otherwise exceptionally positive impressions."
Get a great deal on the MSI Katana 15 or the MSI Stealth 17
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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