15-inch laptops occupy that sweet spot in the laptop world: they’re not as compact as 14-inch laptops, but they’re not as bulky as 16-inch machines, either. Still, consumers tend to gravitate toward the other two sizes, which is a shame because 15-inch laptops deliver a very balanced experience in my opinion.
I was given the low-end configuration for testing. I know this because, according to a company representative, there are two versions of the laptop, one of which has a Full HD (1920 x 1080), 144Hz display that supports just 45% of the NTSC color gamut. As a result, colors were super dull. It made games like “Spyro Reignited Trilogy”, a title known for its pastel array, look washed out. The saving grace is that 144Hz is a solid refresh rate. It ensured Spyro’s animations ran smoothly.
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I also had a great experience playing Hollow Knight: Silksong. The 144Hz refresh rate let me see enemy attacks as they rolled in. And if you’ve paid attention to recent complaints, having a good frame rate is a must because Silksong doesn’t pull any punches.
As much fun as I had, I couldn’t get over the dull display. I was able to get my combos out in style in King of Fighters 15, but the sheer lack of color really dampened the experience.
Inside the MSI Katana 15 is the company’s Cooler Boost 5, which keeps internal temperatures low and expels heat through the vents located on the left, rear, and bottom sides. If you peek through the bottom vent, you can even see the copper pipes. Cooler Boost 5 does a great job keeping the laptop’s surface cool even when internal temperatures reach 120 degrees Celsius. However, this does mean the fans are really loud — loud enough to roll over the game’s audio.
normally retails for $1,200; however, at the time of this writing, it’s currently on sale at Walmart for $999. The retailer is also providing three free offer deals with purchase, including a free four-month subscription to Apple Music.
At $1,000, I can wholeheartedly recommend this laptop, despite the issues I had with it. It excels at being a well-performing, midrange gaming machine that makes some trade-offs for its approachable price, but performance is right where it should be.
