MSI Katana A15 AI laptop review: RTX 4070 gamer hurt by cost-saving measures

The Katana A15 AI has the same set of shortcomings as the recently reviewed Acer Nitro V 16 ANV16. Its display just doesn't cut it considering the price, which is quite substantial. While a few more affordable RTX 4070 laptops like the Lenovo LOQ 15ARP9, Asus TUF Gaming F15 FX507ZI4-LP031 and the HP Victus 16-s0177ng offer 100% sRGB coverage (according to the respective spec sheets at least), the MSI laptop falls short at under 70%, making the image displayed rather pale and lackluster.

MSI should have put more effort into other areas as well, such as the cheap-looking, rickety case, the meager battery capacity and runtimes, small touchpad, and mediocre speakers. There is no USB 4 here and the unconventional keyboard layout may take some getting used to.

The Katana A15 stands out from the crowd in only a few positive ways, with its two RAM and two M.2 slots being particularly commendable. Overall, it's hard to recommend this laptop for purchase due to the numerous issues we uncovered, especially considering the price (the test SKU starts at 1,500 euros). Several rival systems are noticeably faster. Some of them are cheaper, too.

In the US, the MSI Katana A15 AI is available from Amazon among other options.

In Germany where the testing took place, the Katana A15 AI is currently offered in two configurations. The B8VG-451 model that costs upwards of 1,100 euros comes with the Ryzen 7 8845HS, GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop and a 512 GB SSD while our test model, the B8VG-459, is priced at 1,500 euros and features the Ryzen 9 8945HS, GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop and a 1 TB SSD. Both SKUs are equipped with a matte 144 Hz Full-HD IPS display and 16 GB of DDR5-5600 RAM.

Buyers of budget gaming laptops often have to be content with poor quality cases. It's the same story with the Katana. The case doesn’t feel particularly high-quality, largely due to the extensive use of plastics. Its dark color also makes it highly prone to fingerprints, and its stability is mediocre. On the plus side, the laptop is relatively well-made and has a generous 180° max opening angle, which is always a welcome touch.

The MSI laptop's size and weight are on par with the competition. Tipping the scales at 2.3 kg, the system is ever-so-slightly lighter than its 2.4 to 2.5 kg rivals.

For those who can live without a card reader and last-gen USB ports, the Katana A15 AI offers a solid port selection. Its left-hand edge features a power-in port and two USB ports (one 3.0, the other one 2.0), while the right side is home to an audio jack, USB-A 3.0, USB-C 3.0 (with DisplayPort), HDMI 2.1, and an RJ45 Gigabit LAN port. Since some ports are positioned in the middle of the case's edge, cables may get in the way of the user's mouse-holding hand.

The built-in RZ616 Wi-Fi 6E module comes from MediaTek and delivers slightly below-average upload speeds combined with download speeds that are slightly above average.

As expected, the 720p webcam produces images that aren't very sharp, with color accuracy falling in the mid range. There is no privacy cover.

The notebook comes with several information booklets and a 200-watt charger (including the cable) weighing around 0.7 kg.

As one of the screws is covered by a 'factory seal' sticker and the device was a store unit, we refrained from opening the chassis. However, as long as maintenance and upgrades are performed professionally, the sticker should be OK to remove (at least in Germany).

Cardboard is the primary packaging material used, though MSI also employs plastic film for some components, such as the laptop, the charger (including its cable), and information booklets.

In Germany, the usual 2-year warranty applies.

The touchpad is relatively small for a 15-inch notebook, measuring 10.5 x 6.5 cm. While its surface appears smooth enough, its gliding properties leave room for improvement. The same goes for its precision, which is not exactly ideal. Additionally, the touchpad tends to rattle during use which doesn't really make for a high-quality impression. This is a reminder of the case's subpar build quality.

While the touchpad isn't great, the Katana A15's greatest weakness is its display, which, as noted earlier, has a very poor color space coverage of just 65% sRGB.

Both the RTX 4060 and the RTX 4070 come with 8 GB of VRAM which isn't a lot. This essentially makes the Katana A15 AI a mid-range gaming laptop. However, the Ryzen chips used should have enough power for demanding applications for years to come. Additionally, RAM and storage can be upgraded or replaced if needed.

The Ryzen 9 8945HS in the Katana A15 AI delivers performance that is neither particularly impressive nor disappointing. Its results are comparable to the Ryzen 7 7840HS in the HP Omen 16, while the Ryzen 7 7745HX in the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16 is approximately 10% faster across all tests. The 8945HS features eight CPU cores capable of processing up to 16 threads simultaneously via SMT. With integrated graphics switching, simple tasks such as office work, video playback, and Web browsing are handled by the processor's integrated Radeon 780M, conserving energy. The MUX switch allows one to deactivate the integrated GPU and rely solely on the Nvidia graphics card.

System performance is consistently good, with the Katana performing similarly to its competitors in PCMark 10. RAM data transfer speeds are impressive for 5,600 MT/s modules.