MSI Katana 15 (2023) Review

The MSI Katana 15 is one of the company's new value-oriented gaming laptops, starting at a low $999, though our step-up test unit comes to $1,599. The machine sports an unexciting design only slightly decorated by simple RGB lighting. While the screen smoothly displays games at a 144Hz refresh rate, it's not a looker. The real value of this laptop is in its internal hardware, with powerful components that give it an edge against rivals like the Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 7 or the HP Omen 16 when it comes to gaming performance. The Katana 15 is an exciting option if you're looking to get the latest-generation hardware for a lower price than the flagship machines we've seen so far, earning it an earnest recommendation.

One Hilt, So Many Edges

As I said, the MSI Katana 15 (model B13VGK-484US) isn't a visual standout, staying true to its budget trappings. The laptop is almost entirely covered in black plastic with a few carbon-fiber stylings around the edges. Some of the plastic is made to look like metal sheets, but it's not convincing. The whole thing is a bit of a chunk, weighing 4.96 pounds and measuring almost an inch thick (0.98 by 14.1 by 10.2 inches).

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Its width is typical of 15.6-inch laptops, but it's on the tall side because it has sizable bezels above and below the screen. The base feels fairly sturdy, and the four rubber feet on the bottom provide a solid grip on a desk or table, though the display hinge wiggles a bit.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

MSI made room for a shrunken numeric keypad next to the keyboard. Unfortunately, it had to move the mathematical operation keys from their usual places, requiring some readjusting to learn. The company also made the curious decision to not offset the cursor arrow keys, which are tucked tightly between the main keyboard and number pad, but instead shrink them. That design decision, I found, not only didn't help me avoid accidentally hitting the wrong keys but also made them that much harder to use when I did find them. The RGB keyboard backlighting might have helped if it was per-key customizable, but it uses a simpler four-zone lighting system.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

The Katana 15 has a considerable and confusing array of available configurations(Opens in a new window), mixing 12th and 13th Generation Intel Core processors and Nvidia GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs. CPU choices range from the Core i5-12450H to the Core i9-13900H, and graphics options span from the RTX 4050 to RTX 4070. Curiously, the lowest CPU option isn't paired with the lowest GPU option.

All configurations come with 16GB or 32GB of DDR5 memory running at 4,000MHz on 12th Gen systems and 5,200MHz on 13th Gen models. Almost all include a 1TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe solid-state drive, though one model gets only a 512GB drive. MSI identifies the different models with tricky codes; B13V indicates 13th Gen Intel and Nvidia GeForce RTX 40 series components, while B13U indicates 13th Gen Intel and GeForce RTX 30 or 20 series. The B12V designation refers to 12th Gen Intel and RTX 40 series, and B12U to 12th Gen Intel and RTX 30 or 20 series.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Every Katana 15 comes with the same mediocre display: a 15.6-inch screen that MSI calls “IPS-level,” meaning it offers viewing angles roughly on par with an IPS panel. Full HD (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) resolution on a panel this size is sufficient for clarity in fine details and presents the GPU with less of a challenge when gaming on the go. The display has a 144Hz refresh rate for smoother gameplay, though no variable-refresh-rate or sync technology is included. Overall, the display can be viewed as something of an afterthought; it's useful for getting work done and occasional gaming sessions, but gamers who want the best experience the hardware is capable of should prioritize using an external monitor at home.

With neither a fingerprint reader nor face recognition webcam, the MSI Katana 15 has no biometrics for Windows Hello; you'll be typing an old-fashioned password or PIN to unlock it or perhaps using a USB key. The webcam is a simple 720p unit, and while it presents a soft picture it's not too bad even in dim lighting.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

MSI does an okay job with port selection, putting one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port on each side of the laptop plus a retro USB 2.0 port on the left side. The right flank holds a USB-C port, but it's disappointingly not Thunderbolt-capable, merely another USB 3.2 Gen 1 option (though it does work with a DisplayPort monitor adapter as a video-out). You'll find an HDMI 2.1 port capable of 4K/120Hz or 8K/60Hz output, a Gigabit Ethernet jack, and a headset jack on the right side as well.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Knowing that the Katana 15 falls on the budget side among gaming laptops, it was a pleasant surprise to see a relatively premium Wi-Fi 6 adapter with 2×2 MIMO. Downloading game files for benchmarking was a snap over a Wi-Fi 6 connection to my fiber internet.

Using the MSI Katana 15 (2023): The Hands-On Experience

Given the cheap build of the laptop, I didn't have high expectations for the keyboard, but MSI surprised me here: The keys have little wiggle to them, provide decent travel, and are delightfully snappy. While the keyboard layout isn't ideal, I've used worse, and readily managed 95 to 105 words per minute with 95% to 99% accuracy in Monkeytype(Opens in a new window). If anything held me back from breaking 100wpm, it's the laptop's thickness. Text editing is more tedious because of the small arrow keys and lack of dedicated Home and End keys, though at least the backlighting effectively lights the entire character of each key.

The touchpad was a tad disappointing given how pleasant the keyboard is. It's small even by thin-and-light (let alone full-size) laptop standards. It does stay out of the way, so I didn't run into any palm-rejection issues, but it's not a pleasure to use. Gamers will be happier with an external mouse.

On the plus side, the Katana 15 proved relatively comfortable to use. Even though the surface of the laptop measured as hot as 121 degrees F in the area forward of the keyboard when running at full tilt, the WASD keys and palm area remained cool to the touch. The cooling is even sufficient to pass 3DMark's Time Spy stress test, which runs that graphics benchmark 20 times in a row and fails systems that can't maintain 97% frame-rate stability. The Katana scored 99.3% stability.

Again, however, the screen is not impressive. While it's sharp enough for everyday use and easy to see in typical conditions, it's not bright enough for outdoor use. (The all-black chassis design would soak up the sun and get hot, anyway.) The display is also not nearly colorful enough for precision creative work and leaves something to be desired when watching videos or movies.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

MSI puts a pair of 2-watt speakers under the front corners, a common location that isn't always the best for clarity compared with top-mounted speakers. The Katana's speakers actually work pretty well, producing a modestly bassy sound that's plenty loud and clear for most uses.

I give huge props to MSI for its pre-installed software—because you'll find next to none. The buckets of bloatware that too many budget and gaming laptops are loaded with is largely absent. MSI Center is included, but it's a vital app for controlling the laptop's performance profiles and switching GPU modes. You'll also find a Nahimic app for managing special audio features; while some laptops' audio apps are unnecessary, this one is key to getting the best sound, as disabling the app sucks the life right out of the speakers.

Testing the MSI Katana 15 (2023): Midrange Meets New Hardware

The MSI Katana 15 B13V hits a sweet spot in the gaming market; it's not the cheapest gaming rig around, but it is definitely on the value side for a laptop with powerful 13th Gen Intel and Nvidia RTX 40 series silicon. Even at $1,599 as tested, it's considerably more affordable than whopper models like the MSI Titan GT77 and the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18. Instead, the Katana competes more naturally with Lenovo's Legion 5i Gen 7, which runs on last-gen hardware, or the newer Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 running on the same-gen hardware but with higher-end components at a higher price. 

With such a low price, the Katana also competes with some budget rivals like the HP Omen 16 and Dell G16. However, as those two models are slightly older now, you'll find discounts that give them a slight price edge to offset their lower-power hardware.

Productivity Tests

To judge a laptop's ability to handle everyday tasks, we use UL's PCMark 10 to simulate office and content-creation workflows and measure overall performance for office-centric tasks such as word processing, spreadsheeting, web browsing, and videoconferencing. We also analyze the performance of the boot drive using PCMark 10's Full System Drive test.

Three CPU-focused benchmarks rate a PC's suitability for processor-intensive workloads. Maxon's Cinebench R23 uses that company's Cinema 4D engine to render a complex scene, while Geekbench 5.4 Pro by Primate Labs simulates popular apps ranging from PDF rendering and speech recognition to machine learning. Finally, we use the open-source video transcoder HandBrake 1.4 to convert a 12-minute video clip from 4K to 1080p resolution (lower times are better).

Any score above 4,000 points in PCMark 10's productivity benchmark indicates a machine that will easily handle everyday office apps like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. Given the robust components of these gaming rigs, it's no surprise to see that they nearly doubled that score. The MSI did an excellent job, trailing only the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 8, which has a considerably more powerful CPU and GPU pairing. It's equally impressive to see the Katana do well in the storage test, as this is an area that's easy for budget systems to skimp on.

Our HandBrake, Cinebench, and Geekbench tests highlight one shortcoming of the MSI Katana 15's choice of CPU. While the Core i7-13620H is certainly capable, its six Performance cores and four Efficient cores didn't quite keep up with the 14 cores of the Legion 5i's and Dell's Core i7-12700H or the 24 cores of the Legion Pro 7i's Core i9-13900HX. The Katana did manage to outpace the HP and its eight-core AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, however.

Graphics and Gaming Tests

To get a measure of each system's graphical performance, we test Windows PCs with a pair of DirectX 12 gaming simulations from UL's 3DMark: Night Raid (low-intensity) and Time Spy (more demanding). We also run two cross-platform GPU benchmarks from GFXBench 5 that stress both low-level routines like texturing and high-level, game-like image rendering. The 1440p Aztec Ruins and 1080p Car Chase tests, rendered offscreen to accommodate different display resolutions, exercise graphics and compute shaders using the OpenGL programming interface and hardware tessellation, respectively. The more frames per second (fps), the better. We follow up these synthetic tests with a suite of real-world games to see how the systems stack up.

The MSI Katana 15 showed the ferocity of its new components in these tests, handily beating three of its rivals in both 3DMark and GFXBench. That CPU shortcoming that showed up in earlier benchmarks is erased when the powerful GeForce RTX 4070 GPU comes into the picture. Only the Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 came out ahead thanks to its superior CPU/GPU combination. 

We found the MSI held up well in our 1080p gaming tests, too. While the Lenovo Pro 7i was the champion, the Katana cleared the 100fps threshold in every game en route to the silver medal. Its performance difference simply makes the HP Omen 16 and Dell G16 look more dated than they actually are. The Legion 5i earned credit for keeping the race fairly close, especially in Assassin's Creed Valhalla whose big open world rewards a powerful CPU in spite of an older GPU.

The Katana 15 has a secret weapon, however, in DLSS 3 Frame Generation. I tested the feature running Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p with Ultra settings with and without DLSS and Frame Generation. It managed a playable 41fps without DLSS active. Even if the Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 7 could perform similarly there—which I didn't test—it would surely lag behind the staggering 111fps the MSI managed with DLSS 3 enabled.

Battery and Display Tests

To see how long a laptop can run away from a power outlet, we conduct a battery rundown test playing a locally stored 720p video file (the open-source Blender movie Tears of Steel) with display brightness set to 50% and audio volume at 100%. We make sure the battery is fully charged before the test, with Wi-Fi and keyboard backlighting turned off. 

We also use a Datacolor SpyderX Elite monitor calibration sensor and its Windows software to measure a laptop screen's color saturation—what percentage of the sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3 color gamuts or palettes the display can show—and its 50% and 100% brightness in nits (candelas per square meter).

The MSI Katana 15 B13V gives you a lot for your money, but a high-quality display and energy efficiency are not part of the package. This gaming laptop had the lowest battery life of the bunch and produced the worst visuals by far.

To be sure, the Katana isn't terrible, lasting for five and a half hours in our battery rundown thanks to its ability to disable the discrete GPU and use more efficient integrated graphics. (When I forced the use of the GeForce graphics, the MSI lasted for less than two hours. Annoyingly, switching between discrete and integrated graphics modes requires a reboot, so going from a desk setup to portable productivity isn't seamless.) The other laptops managed slightly better runtimes, though the Lenovo Legion 5i's impressive result wasn't apples to apples because its screen at 50% brightness was noticeably dim.

The Katana 15 loses more points for color quality. None of these laptops has a breathtaking, creative-workstation-quality display, but they're mostly at least decent, with nearly full coverage of the sRGB color space and more than 70% of the DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB palettes. The MSI covered a paltry 64% of sRGB and only 48% of the other two color spaces on our tests, and its screen was also much dimmer than the rest, maxing out at only 235 nits. It definitely feels as if you're meant to use the laptop's LCD only for on-the-go productivity and stick with an external monitor when enjoying the amazing gaming that the GeForce RTX 4070 offers.

Verdict: An Excellent PC Gaming Deal With Some Necessary Additions

If you're a strict utilitarian when it comes to gaming hardware, you can go right ahead and buy the MSI Katana 15. This gaming rig has substantial power and a fine price to match. Even if its design leaves a lot to be desired, it's not flimsy or frail or starved for cooling. Finding a similarly configured Lenovo Legion will likely provide a better all-around experience, but it's hard to ignore the price/performance ratio MSI brings to the table here (especially with a lower-end configuration selling for $999 at Micro Center(Opens in a new window)). For that, we highly recommend the 2023 MSI Katana 15…if you can see past the screen shortcomings.