If you want a laptop for intensive gaming or engineering tasks that require a high-performance graphics card, and you are okay with a heavier and bulkier system, the Acer Nitro 17 may suit you better; it costs less but does not match the portability and battery life of the Apple MacBook Pro 16. The MacBook Pro 16, with its higher price, offers better portability, build quality, speaker and webcam quality, and longer battery life. It excels in general use, has a higher-quality display, and is better suited for tasks that benefit from its high-resolution screen. However, its gaming capabilities are limited compared to the Acer, despite strong performance in other areas. 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 17
The Acer Nitro 17 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023).
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023)
Excellent for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Excellent 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
7.8/10
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
280.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
487.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
17.5 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for general use, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.
The Acer Nitro 17 offers a solid CPU and ample RAM for everyday tasks, but the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) exceeds in these areas with a more powerful processor and similar RAM, alongside superior screen quality which enhances general use. The MacBook Pro's greater portability due to lower weight and a significantly longer battery life also makes it more convenient for daily carry and use away from power sources compared to the heavier and shorter-lived battery of the Acer.
Engineering and Design
7.9/10
8.8/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) surpasses the Acer Nitro 17 in CPU and GPU performance with its Apple M2 Pro chip, providing higher efficiency and graphics capabilities, necessary for complex engineering applications and high-quality design work.
Content Creation
7.8/10
9.1/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for content creation, while the Acer Nitro 17 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
7.4/10
8.9/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for software development, while the Acer Nitro 17 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
7.4/10
9.3/10
17.3in
SIZE
16.2in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
280.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
487.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Acer Nitro 17 for general use, AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
When evaluating laptops for general use, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 excels due to its high-resolution display that offers vibrant colors and exceptional brightness, making documents, websites, and media content look sharp and vivid. For engineering and design work, where color accuracy is crucial, the MacBook Pro's screen covers a wide range of color gamuts, ensuring that designers see true-to-life colors. However, both laptops fall short for 3D gaming because they lack high refresh rates, which are essential for smooth motion and gameplay, making them less ideal for fast-paced gaming scenarios.
Battery
8.0 Hours
17.5 Hours
The Acer Nitro 17 has 8 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
Poor
Good
17.3in
SIZE
16.2in
6.8 lbs
WEIGHT
4.7 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 17 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
10.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Acer Nitro 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$970
$2,423
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Acer Nitro 17 has a price of $970 and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) costs $2,423.
The Acer Nitro 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) are both good for gaming and AI.
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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Nitro 17 and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) compare to other laptops
"The Acer Nitro 17 isn't an exceptional gaming laptop; it's kind of chunky even among 17.3-inch notebooks, with a lackluster keyboard, and it doesn't outperform comparably priced machines. But there's a lot to like about it, including a good array of ports, a screen that's sharp and bright for work and play alike, and battery life that soundly beats the competition. All this comes at an affordable price. If size and weight aren't big concerns, you'll find the Nitro 17 a dependable big-screen gaming rig. If you crave higher quality, consider a slight step down or up in screen size with the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 or Alienware m18 respectively."
"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 17 or the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023)
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.
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.
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