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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize a high-resolution screen, longer battery life, and a sleeker, more portable design suitable for professional environments, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) stands out. Its MacOS is also optimized for creators and professionals in media and design. On the other hand, if you are inclined towards gaming or require a laptop with a high refresh rate screen and dedicated graphics power at a lower price point, the Acer Nitro 16 is a better fit. Do note, the Nitro's gaming-centric features make it bulkier and it has a shorter battery life, which could be a downside if mobility is important for you. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Nitro 16
- Very good for gaming and AI
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
- Excellent for general use
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Excellent overall display quality
- Best in class overall build quality
- Good portability
- Best in class battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.8
9.0
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
494.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
497.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
17.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the Acer Nitro 16 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) boasts a more powerful CPU and double the RAM of the Acer Nitro 16, contributing to its higher performance in general use, alongside an exceptional Mini LED screen with higher resolution and color accuracy, and a substantially longer battery life, making it very suitable for users requiring high performance and long usage on the go. Conversely, the Acer Nitro 16, while still offering a solid CPU, ample RAM, and a high-quality IPS display for general use, falls short in portability due to its heavier build and shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
8.0
7.0
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is good.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Content Creation
7.8
8.8
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for content creation, while the Acer Nitro 16 is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.7
8.9
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for software development, while the Acer Nitro 16 is good.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
8.3
9.4
16.0in
SIZE
16.2in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
494.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
497.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Acer Nitro 16 for general use, AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Nitro 16 offers a high-resolution and bright display that's excellent for everyday tasks and viewing fine details in engineering applications, with color accuracy that suits most design work; however, its slower refresh rate can be a drawback in fast-paced 3D games. The Apple MacBook Pro 16 excels with exceptional color accuracy across wide color gamuts and a stunning resolution, making it ideal for professional engineering and design work, but like the Acer, it lacks a high refresh rate, limiting its appeal for 3D gaming experiences. In both cases, the trade-off for top-tier screen performance in professional environments is a less optimal gaming experience due to the focus on color and resolution over refresh rate.
Battery
9.0 Hours
17.5 Hours
The Acer Nitro 16 has 9 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Fair
Good
16.0in
SIZE
16.2in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.7 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
10.0
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the Acer Nitro 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,050
$1,949
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Acer Nitro 16 has a price of $1,050 and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) costs $1,949.
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Key similarities
Engineering and Design
8.2
8.7
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.5/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and Acer Nitro 16 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Acer Nitro 16 is equipped with a high-performance AMD Ryzen CPU and Nvidia RTX GPU, along with a screen offering a fast refresh rate, making it well-suited for engineering tasks that require both processing power and graphics performance.
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How the Acer Nitro 16 and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 16 | Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,050 | $1,949 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 11'' x 1.1'' | 14'' x 9.8'' x 0.66'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 4.7 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.18" | 14.01" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 9.77" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | Apple M1 Pro (10C) | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 17.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 99.6 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 16.2" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | Mini LED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 3456 x 2234 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 494 nits | 497 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 10/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 10/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Acer Nitro 16
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | June 2023
"Video editing, rendering and, of course, gaming represent the Nitro 16's core competencies with a Ryzen 7 7735HS and GeForce RTX 4070 providing the necessary power. Both chips run at consistently high clock speeds. A fast PCIe 4 SSD (1 TB) provides the required storage space and ensures short loading times. With the Nitro 16 AN16-41, Acer has a well-specced, mid-range gaming laptop in its portfolio."
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
See more
Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | February 2023
"The Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023: M2 Max challenges GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The new MacBook Pro 16 2023 with the M2 Max SoC is the most powerful laptop Apple has on sale right now. While we do not get the expected performance and efficiency improvements from completely new 3 nm chips, which we expected ahead of the launch, the 2023 model is still a solid update. The CPU of the M2 Max can be up to 20 % faster than the old model and we also see an advantage of 25-30 % for the GPU with 38 cores. However, both components also consume more power, so the efficiency did not change that much under maximum load."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 16 or the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
About Acer
Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.
About Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
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Why trust us
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
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109,995
Recommendations made
23,833
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
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CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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