If you need longer battery life and a quiet, fanless machine for general use, go for the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020), which also has a higher-resolution display. However, the Razer Book 13 offers a touchscreen and is slightly lighter, making it more portable and suitable for those who prefer Windows. The Razer Book 13 may also deliver better performance for 3D and machine learning tasks due to its specific hardware, but the MacBook Pro excels in build quality and heat management. Choose the MacBook Pro for a premium MacOS experience or the Razer if Windows and a need for more intense computational tasks are your priority. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020)
Best in class overall build quality
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Razer Book 13
Excellent portability
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.6/10
7.3/10
13.3in
SIZE
13.4in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
491.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
507.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has a better screen than the Razer Book 13 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the Apple MacBook Pro 13 with its higher resolution and brightness offers a sharper and more vivid display than the Razer Book 13, which is appreciated in day-to-day tasks from browsing to watching videos. In engineering and design, the MacBook Pro's coverage of color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB ensures more accurate color representation, crucial for professional photo and video editing, while the Razer Book 13 provides good but less extensive color accuracy. However, both fall short for 3D applications as neither have high refresh rates, with the Razer Book possibly edging out slightly due to its respective panel type and resolution being somewhat more conducive to these uses.
Battery
20.0 Hours
14.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has 20 hours of battery life. The Razer Book 13 has 14 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.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has best in class build quality, while the Razer Book 13 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,249
$1,389
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has a price of $1,249 and the Razer Book 13 costs $1,389.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and Razer Book 13 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) with its high-quality retina display, efficient Apple M1 CPU, and 20-hour battery life offers great performance and longevity for general use, along with a silent, fanless design improving portability and comfort. Meanwhile, the Razer Book 13's superior RAM, higher storage capacity, and robust Intel i7 processor with a touchscreen IPS display make it equally compelling for general use, ensuring smooth multitasking and interactive experiences, though with a shorter battery life. Both laptops boast excellent build and keyboard quality, contributing to their overall value for a variety of tasks.
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
6.2/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and Razer Book 13 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020), with its integrated Apple M1 GPU and MacOS, offers limited gaming performance as many popular games do not support MacOS, and its GPU, while capable for some 3D tasks, is not optimized for gaming. On the other hand, the Razer Book 13 runs Windows 10 Home and comes with an Intel Iris Xe GPU, which provides fair performance for gaming and 3D applications, but still lags behind dedicated gaming GPUs, especially in terms of graphical fidelity and higher refresh rates needed for a more fluid gaming experience.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
7.1/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and Razer Book 13 are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) with the Apple M1 chip offers a balance of CPU and GPU power suitable for engineering and design, complemented by a high-quality, color-accurate screen and silent, fanless operation for a distraction-free environment.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.6/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and Razer Book 13 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
7.5/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and Razer Book 13 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.
Portability
Very Good
Excellent
13.3in
SIZE
13.4in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Razer Book 13 to have excellent portability, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and the Razer Book 13 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 Razer Book is like an XPS 13, but faster. The Book 13 combines the design philosophy and performance of a Blade Stealth with the 16:10 display of a Dell XPS 13 for an impressive piece of hardware. Office users who want something more stylish than the typical Dell, HP or Lenovo will certainly find themselves drawn to this Razer subnotebook. If your priorities are to have the best-looking and fastest 13-inch laptop in the office over auxiliary features, however, then the Book 13 proudly fulfills that niche."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) or the Razer Book 13
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 Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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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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
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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