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InnoReviews

Alienware 18 Area-51 vs MSI Katana 15

WINNER
Alienware 18 Area-51
63.6Inno Score
VS
MSI Katana 15

MSI

MSI Katana 15

$1,099

36.1Inno Score
64.4Performance40.5
64.1Display33.6
94.7Battery29
23.6Portability39.4
9 spec wins — Alienware 18 Area-511 spec wins — MSI Katana 15

InnoReviews verdict

Alienware 18 Area-51 wins this laptop face-off, 63.6 to 36.1, pulling ahead mainly in battery (+66) and display (+30). MSI Katana 15 still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.

Which would you pick?

Key differences

Reasons to pick the Alienware 18 Area-51

  • Stronger performance score: 64 vs 41
  • Stronger display score: 64 vs 34
  • Stronger battery score: 95 vs 29
  • 108% higher Refresh rate: 300 Hz vs 144 Hz
  • 100% higher Peak brightness: 500 nits vs 250 nits

Reasons to pick the MSI Katana 15

  • Stronger portability score: 39 vs 24
  • 45% lower weight: 2.25 kg vs 4.12 kg
  • Lower launch price: $1,099 vs $3,400

Display

Display comparison: Alienware 18 Area-51 versus MSI Katana 15
SpecAlienware 18 Area-51MSI Katana 15
Screen size18 ″+15%15.6 ″
Panel typeIPS LCDIPS
Resolution2560x16001920x1080
Refresh rate300 Hz+108%144 Hz
Peak brightness500 nits+100%250 nits

Performance

Performance comparison: Alienware 18 Area-51 versus MSI Katana 15
SpecAlienware 18 Area-51MSI Katana 15
ProcessorIntel Core Ultra 9 275HXIntel Core i7-13620H
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop (RTX 5060, RTX 5070, RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5090 optional)NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop
RAM32 GB+100%16 GB
RAM typeDDR5-6400 (SODIMM)DDR5-4800 (2x SO-DIMM)
Storage1,024 GB1,024 GB
Storage typeM.2 NVMe SSD (PCIe 4.0/5.0)PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD

Benchmarks

Benchmarks comparison: Alienware 18 Area-51 versus MSI Katana 15
SpecAlienware 18 Area-51MSI Katana 15
Geekbench 6 (single)3,057+26%Top 20%2,430Bottom 25%
Geekbench 6 (multi)19,869+74%Top 14%11,400Bottom 22%

Battery

Battery comparison: Alienware 18 Area-51 versus MSI Katana 15
SpecAlienware 18 Area-51MSI Katana 15
Capacity96 Wh+79%54 Wh
Web browsing endurance—5 h
Charging360 W+100%180 W

Design

Design comparison: Alienware 18 Area-51 versus MSI Katana 15
SpecAlienware 18 Area-51MSI Katana 15
Weight4.12 kg2.25 kg+45%
Thickness24.3 mm+2%24.9 mm
MaterialAnodized aluminumPlastic

Connectivity

Connectivity comparison: Alienware 18 Area-51 versus MSI Katana 15
SpecAlienware 18 Area-51MSI Katana 15
Ports2x Thunderbolt 5 (DisplayPort 2.1, Power Delivery; Thunderbolt 4 on RTX 5070 and below), 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI 2.1, 5Gbps RJ-45, SD card reader, 3.5mm audio jack1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (DP), 2x USB-A 3.2, HDMI 2.1, RJ-45, 3.5mm
Wi-FiWi-Fi 7Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth5.45.3
Webcam1080p + IR camera (4K option)720p
BiometricsIR face (Windows Hello)None

Software

Software comparison: Alienware 18 Area-51 versus MSI Katana 15
SpecAlienware 18 Area-51MSI Katana 15
Operating systemWindows 11 HomeWindows 11

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