For general use, the Apple MacBook Pro 13 with its Apple M1 chip offers excellent performance and battery life, which makes it suitable for everyday tasks and entertainment. Its fanless design ensures silent operation, and the MacOS ecosystem is known for user-friendliness and reliability especially if you already use other Apple products. On the other hand, the MSI Summit E16 Flip steps ahead with a larger screen, a touch display with a higher refresh rate, more storage and RAM, and a dedicated Nvidia graphics card, enhancing its capabilities for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks. It's also a fit for gaming, thanks to its hardware ray tracing and higher performance graphics. However, the MSI is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less ideal for frequent travel. Choose the MacBook for superior battery life and if you want a silent, lightweight laptop, and go for the MSI if you need higher performance for specialized tasks and gaming, along with a larger touch-enabled display. 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 Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020)
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Summit E16 Flip
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.6/10
8.0/10
13.3in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
491.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
294.0 nits
The MSI Summit E16 Flip has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Pro 13 for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) boasts a high-resolution, bright Retina display with P3 color gamut, offering sharp visuals and vivid colors that benefit general use and appeal to engineering and design professionals requiring accurate colors, but its standard refresh rate limits its appeal for 3D applications where smoother, faster refresh rates are essential. Meanwhile, the MSI Summit E16 Flip also presents a high-resolution, bright screen with strong color coverage that satisfies the demands of general usage and detailed design work, but for gaming and 3D tasks, its subpar refresh rate hampers the experience as these activities often require higher refresh rates for fluid motion. Both laptops deliver exceptional screen quality for general computing and professional design, yet fall short in providing the high refresh rate preferred for 3D rendering and immersive gaming.
Battery
20.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has 20 hours of battery life. The MSI Summit E16 Flip has 8 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
Very Good
Good
13.3in
SIZE
16.0in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has very good portability, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,249
$1,413
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has a price of $1,249 and the MSI Summit E16 Flip costs $1,413.
The MSI Summit E16 Flip and Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is well-suited for general use due to its efficient Apple M1 processor and high RAM for multitasking, with a high-quality screen and long battery life adding to its portability, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip also caters to general use with a robust Intel processor and double the RAM, complemented by a larger, high-quality touchscreen for versatility despite having a heavier build and shorter battery life. Both laptops offer ample storage for typical applications, excellent keyboards, and high speaker quality, but the Apple tends to run cooler and quieter, which may appeal to those sensitive to operating noise and heat.
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
6.8/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Summit E16 Flip and Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) are both only fair 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.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
7.7/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Summit E16 Flip and Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) with its Apple M1 processor and integrated GPU is well-suited for engineering and design, with high screen quality and efficient performance for demanding tasks, within a lightweight and silent platform; however, it has less memory and storage compared to the MSI Summit E16 Flip.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.9/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Summit E16 Flip and Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) are both good for content creation.
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
7.8/10
7.6/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and MSI Summit E16 Flip 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and the MSI Summit E16 Flip compare to other laptops
"The MacBook Pro 13 is still a very good subnotebook. The 2022 MacBook Pro 13 might look like recycling at first, because the device is completely identical to the old model expect for the new M2 SoC. We have to admit that we were surprised to see another iteration of the MBP 13 as well. The laptop is obviously familiar, but this does not change the fact that it is still a very good subnotebook. You get an excellent chassis with good stability, a very good display, good input devices and the new M2 chip is very powerful and efficient."
"The MSI Summit E16 Flip is a 2-in-1 laptop with pen, 16:10 display, and RTX 3050 Ti. The Summit E16 Flip is a 2-in-1 laptop from the business segment that primarily targets creative users. MSI combines a 16-inch touchscreen in the 16:10 format with a powerful midrange GPU. While the 2-in-1 laptop from MSI isn't meant for everybody, it should definitely attract some followers. The touchscreen display (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) covers the DCI-P3 color space. This is accompanied by stable viewing angles, a good color reproduction, short response times, and a good contrast level."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) or the MSI Summit E16 Flip
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.
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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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