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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Build Quality
    3. Hinge
    4. Portability
    5. Serviceability
    6. In The Box
  5. Display
    1. Screen Specs
    2. Refresh Rate
    3. Contrast
    4. Brightness
    5. Reflections
    6. Black Uniformity
    7. Horizontal Viewing Angle
    8. Vertical Viewing Angle
    9. Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
    10. Color Gamut
    11. Flicker
  6. Interface
    1. Keyboard
    2. Touchpad
    3. Speakers
    4. Webcam & Microphone
  7. Connectivity
    1. Ports
    2. Wireless Communication
  8. Configuration
    1. CPU
    2. GPU
    3. RAM
    4. Storage
  9. Performance
    1. Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
    2. Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
    3. Blender (3D Rendering)
    4. Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
    5. Storage Drive Performance
    6. Battery
    7. Borderlands 3
    8. Civilization VI
    9. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
    10. Counter-Strike 2
    11. Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
    12. Thermals And Noise
    13. Performance Over Time
  10. Additional Features And Software
    1. Software
    2. Extra Features
  11. Comments

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) vs MSI Katana A15 AI (2024)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023)
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024)

Tested using Methodology v0.8.2

Updated Nov 19, 2024 04:18 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8.2

Updated Nov 20, 2024 03:19 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Picture
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Picture

Variants

  • TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (FA617NS-DS71-CA) (Black - 165Hz/Ryzen 7 7735HS/Radeon RX 7600S/16GB/1TB)
  • TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (FA617NS-A16.R77600) (Black - 165Hz/Ryzen 7 7735HS/Radeon RX7600S/16GB/512GB)
  • TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (FA617NT-A16.R77700) (Black - 165Hz/Ryzen 7 7735HS/Radeon RX7700S/16GB/512GB)
  • Katana A15 AI (B8VF-448US) (Black - FHD/144Hz/Ryzen 7 8845HS/RTX 4060/32GB/1TB)
  • Katana A15 AI (B8VF-406CA) (Black - FHD/144Hz/Ryzen 9 8945HS/RTX 4060/32GB/1TB)
  • Katana A15 AI (B8VG-423US) (Black - FHD/144Hz/Ryzen 9 8945HS/RTX 4070/16GB/1TB)
  • Katana A15 AI (B8VG-430US) (Black - QHD/165Hz/Ryzen 7 8845HS/RTX 4070/16GB/1TB)
  • Katana A15 AI (B8VG-450US) (Black - QHD/165Hz/Ryzen 9 8945HS/RTX 4070/32GB/1TB)

Our Verdict

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023)

MSI Katana A15 AI (2024)

The MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) and the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) are both excellent budget gaming laptops. The MSI is a better option if you're only looking for the best performance, as its Zen 4 AMD CPUs and NVIDIA 40-series GPUs are faster; however, the ASUS has a faster 240Hz display option, which will give you better responsiveness and smoother motion than the displays available on the MSI. In terms of the overall user experience, the ASUS is much better; it has a sturdier build, a larger touchpad, a wider port selection, and significantly longer battery life in light uses.

0

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

School 

7.6
6.2

Battery 
 

9.1
3.7

Build Quality 
 

8.5
7.0

Portability 
 

6.1
5.5

Full Comparison

Design

Style 
 

Style Photo  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Style Photo
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Style Photo

Form Factor 
 

Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)

Show text

Build Quality 
 

8.5
7.0

Build Quality Photo  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Build Quality Photo
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Build Quality Photo

Show text

Hinge 
 

9.1
5.8

Hinge Photo  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Hinge Photo
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Hinge Photo

Range 
 

135°
180°

Stability 
 

Good
Decent

One Finger Lift 
 

Yes
No

Show text

Portability 
 

6.1
5.5

Dimensions Photo  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Dimensions Photo
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Dimensions Photo

Size 
 

16"
15.6"

Thickness 
 

1.1" (2.9 cm)
1.4" (3.5 cm)

Width 
 

14.0" (35.6 cm)
14.1" (35.9 cm)

Depth 
 

10.1" (25.6 cm)
10.4" (26.4 cm)

Volume 
 

161.3 in³ (2,642.9 cm³)
202.4 in³ (3,317.2 cm³)

Weight 
 

4.8 lbs (2.2 kg)
5.1 lbs (2.3 kg)

Charger Size 
 

19.3 in³ (316.1 cm³)
17.8 in³ (292.2 cm³)

Charger Weight 
 

1.5 lbs (0.7 kg)
1.7 lbs (0.8 kg)

Serviceability 
 

8.4
8.1

Internals Photo  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Internals Photo
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Internals Photo

Ease Of Access 
 

7.5
7.0

RAM Slots 
 

2
2

Storage Slots 
 

2
2

Replaceable Battery 
 

Yes
Yes

Replaceable Wireless Adapter 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) In The Box Photo
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) In The Box Photo

Show text

Display

Screen Specs 
 

Display Photo  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Display Photo
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Display Photo

Resolution 
 

1920 x 1200
1920 x 1080

Aspect Ratio 
 

16:10
16:9

Pixel Density 
 

142 PPI
141 PPI

Panel Type 
 

IPS
IPS

Touch Screen 
 

No
No

Screen-To-Body Ratio 
 

88%
73%

Show text

Refresh Rate 
 

9.1
8.9

Motion Blur  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Motion Blur
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Motion Blur

Refresh Rate 
 

165 Hz
144 Hz

Variable Refresh Rate 
 

FreeSync
FreeSync

Show text

Contrast 
 

7.5
7.8

Contrast Photo  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Contrast Photo
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Contrast Photo

Native Contrast 
 

1,430 : 1
1,599 : 1

Show text

Brightness 
 

6.4
6.4

Maximum Brightness 
 

258 cd/m²
250 cd/m²

Minimum Brightness 
 

23 cd/m²
12 cd/m²

Show text

Reflections 
 

7.7
8.2

Reflections Photo Off  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Reflections Photo Off
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Reflections Photo Off

Reflections Photo Max  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Reflections Photo Max
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Reflections Photo Max

Screen Finish 
 

Matte
Matte

Total Reflections 
 

4.49%
3.71%

Indirect Reflections 
 

3.1%
3.2%

Calculated Direct Reflections 
 

1.39%
0.51%

Show text

Black Uniformity 
 

5.3
6.4

Black Uniformity Photo  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Black Uniformity Photo
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Black Uniformity Photo

Uniformity (Std. Dev.) 
 

2.426%
1.724%

Show text

Horizontal Viewing Angle 
 

6.4
6.5

Horizontal Viewing Angle Video  

Horizontal Chroma Picture  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Horizontal Chroma Picture
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Horizontal Chroma Picture

Color Washout From Left 
 

25°
23°

Color Washout From Right 
 

23°
22°

Horizontal Hue Picture  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Horizontal Hue Picture
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Horizontal Hue Picture

Color Shift From Left 
 

38°
48°

Color Shift From Right 
 

32°
52°

Horizontal Lightness Picture  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Horizontal Lightness Picture
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Horizontal Lightness Picture

Brightness Loss From Left 
 

28°
25°

Brightness Loss From Right 
 

26°
25°

Black Level Raise From Left 
 

60°
60°

Black Level Raise From Right 
 

60°
60°

Gamma Shift From Left 
 

26°
21°

Gamma Shift From Right 
 

23°
22°

Show text

Vertical Viewing Angle 
 

6.4
6.4

Vertical Viewing Angle Video  

Vertical Chroma Picture  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Vertical Chroma Picture
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Vertical Chroma Picture

Color Washout From Below 
 

25°
24°

Color Washout From Above 
 

24°
24°

Vertical Hue Picture  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Vertical Hue Picture
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Vertical Hue Picture

Color Shift From Below 
 

37°
38°

Color Shift From Above 
 

29°
41°

Vertical Lightness Picture  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Vertical Lightness Picture
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Vertical Lightness Picture

Brightness Loss From Below 
 

27°
25°

Brightness Loss From Above 
 

25°
24°

Black Level Raise From Below 
 

45°
45°

Black Level Raise From Above 
 

45°
45°

Gamma Shift From Below 
 

28°
23°

Gamma Shift From Above 
 

25°
24°

Show text

Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy 
 

9.7
6.2

White Balance Screencap  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) White Balance Screencap
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) White Balance Screencap

Gamma Curve Screencap  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Gamma Curve Screencap
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Gamma Curve Screencap

Color Screencap  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Color Screencap
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Color Screencap

Avg. White Balance dE 
 

1.68
3.14

Avg. Gamma 
 

2.18
2.32

Avg. Color dE 
 

1.41
4.81

Avg. Color Temperature 
 

6,422 K
7,212 K

Show text

Color Gamut 
 

8.6
4.5

Gamut SDR  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Gamut SDR
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Gamut SDR

sRGB xy 
 

99.73%
69.37%

sRGB uv 
 

99.4%
57.46%

Adobe RGB xy 
 

77.13%
51.18%

Adobe RGB uv 
 

86.5%
50.47%

Gamut HDR  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Gamut HDR
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Gamut HDR

DCI P3 xy 
 

78.9%
50.8%

DCI P3 uv 
 

84.31%
46.64%

Rec. 2020 xy 
 

56.6%
36.53%

Rec. 2020 uv 
 

61.45%
34.22%

Show text

Flicker 
 

10
10

Flicker Graph  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Flicker Graph
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Flicker Graph

Flicker-Free 
 

Yes
Yes

Flicker Frequency 
 

No Flicker
No Flicker

Flicker Active Below 
 

0%
0%

Show text

Interface

Keyboard 
 

8.1
8.6

Keyboard Photo  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Keyboard Photo
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Keyboard Photo

Typing Quality 
 

8.0
8.5

Numpad 
 

Yes
Yes

Backlighting 
 

Adjustable
RGB Zones

Key Switch Actuation Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Operating Force 
 

62 gf
68 gf

Actuation Force 
 

35 gf
32 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

1.01 mm
1.03 mm

Total Travel 
 

1.34 mm
1.53 mm

Show text

Touchpad 
 

8.0
7.1

Touchpad Photo  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Touchpad Photo
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Touchpad Photo

Tracking Quality 
 

8.0
7.5

Size 
 

15.3 in² (98.9 cm²)
10.5 in² (68.1 cm²)

Material 
 

Plastic
Plastic

Dedicated Buttons 
 

No
No

Show text

Speakers 
 

7.6
4.8

Frequency Response Plot  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Max Volume 
 

73 dB SPL
72 dB SPL

Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

3.9 dB
10.7 dB

Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

-0.3
3.7

Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.) 
 

293 Hz
230 Hz

Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.) 
 

20 kHz
18 kHz

Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol. 
 

2.1 dB
1.9 dB

Show text

Webcam & Microphone 
 

5.3
4.8

Webcam Video Sample  

Video Quality 
 

5.0
4.5

Resolution 
 

720p
720p

Position 
 

Top Center
Top Center

Privacy Cover 
 

No
No

Face Unlock 
 

No
No

Show text

Connectivity

Ports 
 

8.0
7.5

Ports Photo  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Ports Photo
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Ports Photo

USB-A Ports 
 

2
3

USB-C Ports 
 

2
1

Thunderbolt 
 

No
No

USB-C Charging 
 

Yes
No

USB-C Display Out 
 

Yes
Yes

HDMI 
 

2.1
2.1

DisplayPort 
 

No
No

3.5mm Jack 
 

Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone

Card Reader 
 

No
No

Ethernet 
 

Yes
Yes

Proprietary Port 
 

No
No

Security Lock 
 

Yes
No

Show text

Wireless Communication 
 

Wi-Fi 
 

Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)

Bluetooth 
 

5.3
5.3

Show text

Configuration

CPU 
 

Brand 
 

AMD
AMD

Model 
 

Ryzen 7 7735HS
Ryzen 9 8945HS

Core Count 
 

8
8

Thread Count 
 

16
16

Show text

GPU 
 

Brand 
 

AMD
NVIDIA

Model 
 

Radeon RX 7600S
GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU

Dedicated/Integrated 
 

Dedicated
Dedicated

VRAM Size 
 

8 GB
8 GB

Show text

RAM 
 

Capacity 
 

16 GB
32 GB

Modules 
 

2
2

Type 
 

DDR5
DDR5

Speed 
 

4,800 MHz
5,600 MHz

Show text

Storage 
 

Advertised Capacity 
 

1,000 GB
1,000 GB

Usable Capacity 
 

928 GB
926 GB

Drive 1 
 

Western Digital PC SN560 SDDPNQE-1T00-1002
WD PC SN560 SDDPNQR-1T00-1032

Drive 1 Type  

SSD
SSD

Drive 2 
 

No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive

Drive 2 Type  

No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive

Show text

Performance

Geekbench 5 (Synthetics) 
 

9.5
9.9

Geekbench Image  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Geekbench Image
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Geekbench Image

CPU Single-Thread 
 

1,553 points
1,933 points

CPU Multi-Thread 
 

9,503 points
11,823 points

GPU Compute 
 

71,011 points
104,655 points

Show text

Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering) 
 

9.7
9.9

Cinebench R23 Photo  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Cinebench R23 Photo
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Cinebench R23 Photo

Single-Thread 
 

1,525 points
1,747 points

Multi-Thread 
 

13,314 points
16,162 points

Show text

Blender (3D Rendering) 
 

8.5
9.3

Blender Image  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Blender Image
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Blender Image

CPU Render Time 
 

3.1 min
2.6 min

GPU Render Time 
 

N/A
0.4 min

GPU Render Time (Optix) 
 

N/A
10 s

Show text

Basemark GPU (Game Scene) 
 

9.5
9.6

Basemark Image  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Basemark Image
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Basemark Image

Overall Score 
 

99,513
109,009

Show text

Storage Drive Performance 
 

9.2
9.4

Storage Performance Image  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Storage Performance Image
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Storage Performance Image

Sequential Write Speed 
 

1,564.1 MB/s
1,138.2 MB/s

Sequential Read Speed 
 

3,550.5 MB/s
3,976.4 MB/s

Random Write Speed 
 

73.2 MB/s
101.5 MB/s

Random Read Speed 
 

45.4 MB/s
62.3 MB/s

Battery 
 

9.1
3.7

Capacity 
 

90 Wh
54 Wh

Battery Life (Web Browsing) 
 

12.9 hrs
4.0 hrs

Battery Life (Video Playback) 
 

9.2 hrs
3.8 hrs

Battery Life (Gaming) 
 

1.3 hrs
1.1 hrs

Charge Time 
 

1.8 hrs
3.3 hrs

Show text

Borderlands 3 
 

8.4
7.7

Borderlands 3 Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

113 fps
96 fps

1% Low 
 

72 fps
60 fps

0.1% Low 
 

49 fps
31 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

5 ms
6 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

12 ms
21 ms

Avg. FPS On Very Low 
 

174 fps
204 fps

Show text

Civilization VI 
 

8.9
8.4

Civilization VI Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

156 fps
168 fps

1% Low 
 

111 fps
94 fps

0.1% Low 
 

106 fps
48 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

3 ms
5 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

3 ms
15 ms

Avg. FPS On Minimum 
 

276 fps
258 fps

Avg. Turn Time 
 

6.65 s
6.63 s

Show text

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 
 

CS:GO graph  

Avg. FPS 
 

1% Low 
 

0.1% Low 
 

1% Low Delta 
 

0.1% Low Delta 
 

Avg. FPS On Low 
 

Counter-Strike 2 
 

9.2
8.5

CS2 Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

187fps
230fps

1% Low 
 

102fps
69fps

0.1% Low 
 

75fps
52fps

1% Low Delta 
 

4 ms
10 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

8 ms
15 ms

Avg. FPS On Low 
 

225fps
349fps

Show text

Shadow Of The Tomb Raider 
 

7.2
9.1

SOTTR Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

104 fps
135 fps

1% Low 
 

49 fps
100 fps

0.1% Low 
 

26 fps
78 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

11 ms
3 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

29 ms
5 ms

Avg. FPS On Lowest 
 

193 fps
178 fps

Show text

Thermals And Noise 
 

5.9
6.8

Keyboard Temps Picture  

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) Keyboard Temps Picture
MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) Keyboard Temps Picture

Keyboard Temp While Idle 
 

39 °C (102 °F)
32 °C (90 °F)

Keyboard Temp Under Load 
 

54 °C (128 °F)
49 °C (119 °F)

Fan Noise While Idle 
 

25.0 dBA
25.0 dBA

Fan Noise Under Load 
 

49.0 dBA
47.5 dBA

Power & Fan Control App 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Performance Over Time 
 

10
10

Performance Over Time Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

CPU Temp (Cinebench) 
 

84 °C
67 °C

CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench) 
 

0% loss
0% loss

GPU Temp (Heaven) 
 

55 °C
67 °C

GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven) 
 

0% loss
0% loss
Additional Features And Software

Software 
 

Operating System 
 

Windows 11
Windows 11

Additional Software 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Extra Features 
 

RGB Illumination 
 

No
Yes

Touch Pen 
 

No
No

Secondary Display 
 

No
No

Biometrics 
 

No
No

Show text

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023)

MSI Katana A15 AI (2024)

Comments

  1. Comparison

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) vs MSI Katana A15 AI (2024): Main Discussion

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