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The MSI Katana 15 is one of the new value-oriented gaming laptops that the firm is releasing, and it has a starting price of only $999; however, our step-up test unit costs $1,599. The design of the device is nothing to get excited about, and the only decoration it has is some basic RGB lighting. The screen has a refresh rate of 144 hertz, however despite its impressive performance, it’s not very attractive.
When it comes to gaming performance, this laptop has an advantage over competitors like the Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 7 and the HP Omen 16 because of the powerful components that are housed within it. The actual worth of this laptop is found in its internal hardware. The Katana 15 is an intriguing choice to consider if you’re seeking to acquire hardware from the most recent generation at a price that’s lower than the flagship machines we’ve seen up to this point, and because of this, we wholeheartedly suggest it.
MSI Katana 15 Specifictions
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Display | 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display |
| Processor | 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 RAM |
| Storage | 512GB PCIe SSD |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 |
| Battery Life | Up to 7 hours |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 |
MSI Katana 15: Design
The Katana 15 feels like a spaceship on your lap, and while it’s not as flashy as other gaming laptops, it does a good job of featuring minimalist design touches to give it some much-needed personality. The lid features a black engraved version of MSI’s iconic shield logo surrounded by two vertical lines that run at a slight angle from the center.
At each corner of the lid is a small engraving that makes it look like a freshly plated piece of steel etched into a helmet, while a small arrow with a quote above it at the bottom reads “Engineered and Designed by Micro-Star International” in a jagged, futuristic font. Lifting the lid reveals a full keypad with numeric keypad, with fun details like the semi-transparent dotted arrow with a logo in the center of each arrow key, indicating its alternate uses. You can buy this laptop from its official website
MSI Katana 15: Display
Looking at the specs of the Katana 15 in contrast to its price, we honestly wondered if MSI had created a masterpiece, but after some time with the laptop’s matte screen, it’s abundantly clear that this is the section where the company cut costs. Not only are the screen brightness and color depth of this laptop poor, but it’s almost entirely behind its competitors.
We watched the trailer for Ruby Gillman’s Teenage Kraken and was stunned to see how washed out the Katana 15’s screen looks. From the very beginning, when a series of jellyfish swim through the sea, it looks as if a gray filter is ever-present in every frame.
MSI Katana 15: Audio Quality
There were some worries about the Katana 15’s bottom-firing speakers, but those worries were mostly put to rest when songs and games were played on the system. The music comes through with enough punch and bass to make an effect, and the vocals are mostly clear, but the sound is sometimes weak and quiet.
We launched Elden Ring and was surprised by how well the Katana 15 did. As we started to walk up the stairs of the Altus Highway, the sound of nearby ballistas hitting the ground, the crackling of leaves, and the soothing sound of a violin perfectly summed up the mood of this exciting world.
Keyboard and Trackpad
The company also made the strange choice not to move the cursor arrow keys, which are stuck between the main keyboard and the number pad, but to make them smaller. We found that this choice didn’t help me avoid hitting the wrong keys by mistake, and it also made it harder to use the right keys when we did find them. The lights on the RGB keyboard might have been better if it could be changed per key, but it only has four lighting zones.
MSI Katana 15: Heat
Even when it’s not being used to play games, the Katana 15 gets a little warm, so you should keep it as far away from your important organs as possible. In our tests that didn’t involve gaming, we played a 1080p movie for 15 minutes, and the bottom got as hot as 103 degrees Fahrenheit. This is much hotter than our comfortable limit of 95 degrees, and while the touchpad stayed cool at 77 degrees, the G/H key reached 98.5 degrees.
MSI Katana 15: Battery Life
Let’s move on to the battery. In MSI Katana 15, you get a 53.5 WATT/HR battery. The battery only lasts about 1.5 hours when used for basic tasks like day-to-day chores, with the screen brightness set to 50% and the keyboard backlight turned off. This isn’t good. But since it’s a gaming machine and has a good-sized battery, the backup is fine.
Final Words
Overall, the MSI Katana 15 is a very amazing laptop. It works very well, is well made, and has good ways to connect to other devices. The laptop has an Intel Core i7 13620H processor with 10 cores and 16 threads, RTX 4050 with 6GB VRAM and 105W TGP, 16GB DDR5 RAM with a clock speed of 5200MHz, and a 1TB GEN.4 SSD. This makes it a great choice for gamers and workers who need powerful processing power.
The MSI Katana 15 is also well made and designed. It has a lot of small features and is built to last. The RGB lights on the keyboard makes it look nice, and the 13th generation and MSI Cooler Boost 5 technologies make the thermals very good. The trackpad is small, though, and some of the ports aren’t up to 2023 standards.
MSI Katana 15 review: The good and The bad
The Good
- Serious value
- Fast and stable performance
The Bad
- Dismal display
FAQS
Performance is limited away from a charger, so gamers won’t want to take advantage of this device’s decent portability. But if you’re thinking of buying it as an all-rounder, battery life is an issue even when performing productivity tasks. You’ll get between four and six hours, depending on the workload.
The Katana’s fans aren’t silent, but they don’t get in the way, and there aren’t any hot spots where you’d usually put your fingers.