Microsoft Surface Laptop 5vsMSI Katana 15

We compare these two popular phones to help you decide which one fits your needs and budget better.

Microsoft
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
Surface Laptop 5

Quick Stats

The Surface Laptop 5 offers solid performance for everyday tasks, balancing battery life with productivity capabilities.
The laptop's all-aluminum case provides a premium feel, but lacks customization options for a more personalized build.
The most important takeaway is that the Surface Laptop 5 has a stunning, crisp 13.5-inch display with extra vertical space.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 features a 12th gen Intel Core i7 processor, impressive.
MSI
MSI Katana 15
Katana 15

Quick Stats

With tweaks, the MSI Katana 15's performance can reach smooth ultra settings, exceeding 100 FPS expectations easily.
The MSI Katana 15's impressive build quality is a major plus, earning a 7.5 out of 10 score overall.
The display of the MSI Katana 15 is decent but lacks sharpness and impressive picture quality overall.
The MSI Katana 15 features a powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU and 16GB of RAM.
Key Differences

No significant specification differences found between these devices.

Rank
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
Winner
#422
MSI Katana 15
#424
Scores by Category
Rankings
Connectivity
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
#571
MSI Katana 15
#115
Winner
Display
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
#285
Winner
MSI Katana 15
#753
Performance
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
#575
MSI Katana 15
#65
Winner
Build
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
#335
Winner
MSI Katana 15
#782
Features
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
#592
Winner
MSI Katana 15
#798

Note: Lower rank number indicates a better position in category.

Specifications Comparison
Specification
Microsoft Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
MSI MSI Katana 15
up to 32GB
up to 64GB
up to 1000GB SSD
up to 16000GB SSD
Intel Core i7-1260P
Intel Core i9-13900H
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (96EU)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 (Laptop, 105W)
1x 2230 M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4 
1x 2280 M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 + 1x M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 See photo

Note: Highlighted specifications show differences between the two devices.

Pros and Cons

Microsoft Surface Laptop 5

Strengths

It has an all-aluminum case, which reminds me a little bit of the MacBook.
The laptop itself is very small and lightweight, coming in right under three pounds.
This is really perfect for on-the-go productivity, so say you're an office worker going off to a meeting or maybe you're a student going to work on a class project.
The screen looks fantastic. You can't detect any of the pixels.
The laptop has a touch screen, and I frequently find myself reaching to the screen to move around.
You have two microphones, so you would expect them to be pretty good.
It includes integrated speakers, and at least when I played some videos it sounded like it had some good volume and the quality was decent for speakers in a laptop.
Windows 11 is a pretty decent and solid operating system.

Weaknesses

The processor can probably not take care of playing triple A titles with high frame rates or doing heavy video editing or maybe even fluid simulations.
It uses an Intel Iris Xe graphics card, which handles things like productivity software, web browsing, or watching videos well, but may not be the best for heavy gaming or video editing.
The memory and storage space options may be limited for those who want more.
You can't get a better resolution webcam on this laptop, especially with working from home in mind.
The keyboard felt good to type on, but there's no mention of any specific features it has over other keyboards.
It depends on what type of user you are - office worker or student may find it suitable, but gamers and creators may not.
The price ranges between $900 up to $2,160 depending on how you customize the machine, which might be a bit steep for some users.
There's no mention of any specific features that make this laptop stand out from others in its class.

MSI Katana 15

Strengths

I think it's decent gaming laptops fall into a category for me that I personally don't need too much
It can play the games I throw at it and it also leaves room for overclocking when performance is required
The overall build is nice and it doesn't scream 'I'm a gamer' but it does whisper it more than other laptops do
I think for the price that I purchased this at 1200 I'm getting your product that's equal in value
It has a nice build quality of 7.5 out of 10
The temperatures also stayed relatively low during a longer playing session
After tweaking some settings, updating all the drivers, and overclocking the RTX 4060 with MSI Afterburner, the laptop runs great

Weaknesses

I was underwhelmed by how low the frame rate was for some of these titles with a 4060 I was expecting at least 100 frames in all of these titles
The screen is the weakest link on the katana it feels dull and flat as sometimes it makes me wonder if my game is on Lower settings but no it was just tied to the resolution
I did not like having to tweak some settings, update drivers, and overclock the GPU to get acceptable performance
The laptop runs great now the games are running on ultra settings with above 100 FPS but this is after making changes
My biggest gripe with this laptop is the screen like I mentioned I think it's for me using screens with a higher resolution
I'm getting your product that's equal in value but at a higher price point than what I was expecting to pay
The 1080p screen feels dull and flat as sometimes it makes me wonder if my game is on Lower settings
Read Full Reviews

Microsoft Surface Laptop 5

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is a premium laptop designed for on-the-go productivity. Its sleek all-aluminum case and compact size make it ideal for office workers and students who need to stay productive while mobile. With its powerful 12th generation Intel Core i5 or i7 EVO processor, this laptop handles productivity software, web browsing, and light gaming with ease. But is it the right choice for you?

MSI Katana 15

The MSI Katana 15 offers impressive power in a compact package, but is its value as a gaming laptop worth the price? With an Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, this device is designed to bridge the gap between console and PC gaming on-the-go. But does it deliver on performance and build quality, or are compromises made in the screen resolution? This review aims to answer these questions and provide a comprehensive assessment of the Katana 15's strengths and weaknesses.

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Read our detailed reviews to understand which device is better for your specific needs and budget.

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