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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Razer Blade 14 offers a more premium experience with better portability, a more powerful CPU, and longer battery life, making it well-suited for on-the-go usage and demanding tasks. The MSI Katana 15, however, comes at a lower price and better graphics performance, which is ideal for gaming or engineering software. Both have similar storage and memory, but the Razer Blade 14's higher-quality build and display may justify its higher cost if you value a sharper screen and sturdier construction. If budget is the main concern and gaming performance is a priority, the MSI Katana 15 is a strong contender. 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 Razer Blade 14.
Advantages of the Razer Blade 14
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Good battery life
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.5
8.1
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
258.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
328.0 nits
4.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.5 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
The Razer Blade 14 is very good for general use, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The Razer Blade 14 outperforms the MSI Katana 15 in general use due to its more powerful AMD Ryzen CPU and superior screen quality with a higher resolution and broader color coverage, which contribute to a better viewing experience. Additionally, the Blade 14 boasts a longer battery life and a higher portability score, due to its lighter build and smaller size, compared to the heavier and thicker Katana 15, which may affect ease of use on the go.
Engineering and Design
7.7
8.4
6.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Razer Blade 14 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The Razer Blade 14's superior AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX processor and RTX 3070 Ti GPU outperform the MSI Katana 15's Intel i5-12450H and RTX 4060, particularly beneficial for compute-intensive tasks like engineering and design, while also offering better screen quality with a higher resolution and color accuracy.
Content Creation
7.4
8.1
6.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 14 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
7.9
6.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Razer Blade 14 and MSI Katana 15 are both good for software development, though the Razer Blade 14 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
8.0
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
258.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
328.0 nits
The Razer Blade 14 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 Razer Blade 14 offers superior screen resolution and brightness, making it better for activities like browsing, watching videos, and document work, while the MSI Katana 15 provides an adequate display that may not be as sharp or vibrant. For engineering and design tasks that require precise color work, the Razer Blade 14's screen delivers a wider color range, accommodating more of the DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB spectrums, allowing for more accurate color grading and rendering compared to the MSI. However, for 3D and gaming experiences where fast motion is common, neither laptop excels due to lower refresh rates, meaning they won't be as smooth for fast-paced action, although the resolution and panel quality moderately benefit these activities.
Battery
4.0 Hours
9.5 Hours
The MSI Katana 15 has 4 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 14 has 9.5 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.
Portability
Fair
Very Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
4.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.9 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Razer Blade 14 has very good portability, while the MSI Katana 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2
8.5
The Razer Blade 14 has very good build quality, while the MSI Katana 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$949
$1,965
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The MSI Katana 15 has a price of $949 and the Razer Blade 14 costs $1,965.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
7.6
7.9
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Razer Blade 14 and MSI Katana 15 are both good for gaming and AI.
The MSI Katana 15 is equipped with a powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and offers a solid refresh rate of 144Hz, ensuring smooth gameplay and 3D rendering, while the Razer Blade 14 comes with the Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and an even higher refresh rate of 165Hz, which is beneficial for even smoother visuals in gaming and 3D applications. The Razer Blade 14 also has a higher screen resolution which enhances screen quality, and its CPU is considered more powerful, which can positively impact performance in CPU-intensive tasks.
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How the MSI Katana 15 and the Razer Blade 14 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| MSI Katana 15 | Razer Blade 14 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$949 | $1,965 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2023 | February 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.98'' | 12.6'' x 8.7'' x 0.66'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.96 lbs | 3.92 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.13" | 12.59" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.2" | 8.66" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-12450H | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4 Hours | 9.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 53.5 Wh | 62 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 258 nits | 328 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.9/10 | 8.2/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
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 Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
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."
Razer Blade 14
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | May 2022
"After making a huge splash with the original 2021 model, it's expected that the 2022 refresh would be more of a minor update to an already impressive machine. It adds a higher resolution webcam (720p to 1080p), faster CPU (Ryzen 9 5900HX to Ryzen 9 6900HX), faster GPU (RTX 3070/3080 to 3070/3080 Ti), faster RAM (DDR4-3200 to DDR5-4800), faster M.2 SSD support (PCIe3 x4 to PCIe4 x4), newer WLAN module (Killer AX1690i to Qualcomm WCN685x), and a MUX switch for the new integrated Radeon 680M GPU. It's indubitably an upgrade especially in terms of single-thread processor performance."
Get a great deal on the MSI Katana 15 or the Razer Blade 14
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 Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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Why trust us
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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