For intensive tasks such as gaming or engineering, the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 with its latest Intel processor and Nvidia graphics is a strong option, but its weight and size reduce its portability. The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) offers a high-resolution display with better color accuracy along with a lighter and slimmer build, making it ideal for professionals needing a powerful, portable machine for design or video editing. However, the MacBook's older graphics means it's less suited for the latest games or 3D work. The Acer has a shorter battery life, so frequent travelers may prefer the MacBook's longer-lasting battery. Choose the Acer for raw power and gaming; choose the MacBook for portability and display quality. 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 Predator Helios Neo 16
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019)
Very good for content creation
Best in class overall build quality
Good portability
Very good battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.5/10
6.4/10
8.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is only fair.
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.
Engineering and Design
8.3/10
7.5/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.5/10
8.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16, with its high-refresh-rate screen and Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, excels in engineering tasks requiring real-time graphics rendering, but it's heavier and thus less portable than the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019), which offers a higher resolution display and superior speaker quality for detailed design work and audio playback, albeit with less raw GPU power.
Screen Quality
7.8/10
7.8/10
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
373.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
477.0 nits
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Pro 16 for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16's screen may not have a high enough refresh rate for smooth gameplay which is crucial for gaming and 3D applications, but its resolution and brightness are suitable for clear and vivid visuals in general use and engineering tasks that don't involve fast-moving graphics. The Apple MacBook Pro 16's display offers high resolution, superior brightness, and extensive color gamut coverage, making it great for detailed design work and everyday activities, but its lower refresh rate limits its effectiveness for 3D work where fluid motion is key. Both are less ideal for gaming and intense 3D modeling due to the lower refresh rates, which are critical for those applications to create seamless motion and eliminate screen tearing or stuttering.
Battery
5.0 Hours
12.0 Hours
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 has 5 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 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
16.0in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has good portability, while the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
10.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has best in class build quality, while the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$799
$496
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 has a price of $799 and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) costs $496.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 are both good for general use.
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 has a strong CPU and ample RAM which is great for general use, but it's less portable and has shorter battery life compared to the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019), which offers a high-resolution screen and longer battery life, making it well-suited for on-the-go use despite a slightly less powerful CPU. Both have good screen quality, but the MacBook's superior portability and battery life make it generally more versatile, whereas the Acer's strengths are best realized when it can be used near a power source and stationary.
Content Creation
7.7/10
8.0/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.5/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) to be very good for content creation, while the Acer Predator Helios Neo 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
7.5/10
7.9/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 are both good for software development.
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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) compare to other laptops
"The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 sacrifices portability and a truly budget price in the name of additional power. While remaining relatively budget-friendly, this gaming laptop packs serious processing chops, and Acer optimizes its internals to deliver respectable 1080p (or 1200p) gameplay from an RTX 4050. Its keyboard and chassis design won't win it any awards, but its display is a cut above for the price."
"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 Predator Helios Neo 16 or the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019)
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
126,795
Recommendations made
27,473
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.