The MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is noticeably less expensive and offers good battery life, portability, and satisfactory performance for general use. However, with less RAM and storage, it may struggle with more intensive tasks like 3D rendering or engineering software. The MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023), while more expensive, comes with a larger and better-quality screen, more RAM and storage, superior performance across general, engineering, and creative uses, but at the cost of being heavier, which affects portability. If budget is not an issue and you need top-notch performance for demanding applications, the MacBook Pro 16 is preferable, otherwise, the MacBook Pro 13 is a solid choice for everyday tasks and light creativity work. 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 (2022)
Very good portability
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023)
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Key differences
General Use
7.7/10
8.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
487.0 nits
20.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
17.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is good for general use due to its potent combination of an efficient CPU, sufficient RAM, a high-quality IPS screen, and excellent portability backed by a long battery life. However, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) steps up offering a superior CPU, more RAM, and even higher screen quality with a Mini LED display, alongside strong battery life, though it's less portable due to its larger size and weight.
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
7.5/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.2/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is better for 3D due to its more powerful graphics processor with higher core counts and a Mini LED screen that offers a higher refresh rate, both key for smooth and detailed 3D rendering. In contrast, the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) has a less capable GPU and a standard IPS screen with a lower refresh rate, resulting in fairer 3D performance.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.9/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
18.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is considered very good for engineering and design due to its more powerful CPU (Apple M3 Pro with more cores), larger RAM, and better GPU (also with more cores), as well as a superior Mini LED screen with higher resolution and refresh rate compared to the MacBook Pro 13 (2022). However, the MacBook Pro 13 (2022) provides greater portability due to its lighter weight and slightly longer battery life, and it also boasts a fanless design for silent operation, which can be a significant advantage in noise-sensitive environments.
Content Creation
7.9/10
8.9/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
8.0 GB
RAM
18.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for content creation, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) 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
7.8/10
8.9/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
18.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) 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
7.6/10
9.3/10
13.3in
SIZE
16.2in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
487.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Pro 13 for general use, AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the MacBook Pro 13's excellent resolution and panel type provide crisp and bright visuals, making it pleasant for everyday tasks; the MacBook Pro 16 offers an even higher resolution and brighter display, enhancing this experience further. In engineering and design, color accuracy is paramount for detailed work; both models cover a wide color gamut, with the MacBook Pro 16 likely offering a larger color range, suitable for professional-grade design work. However, for 3D applications that benefit from smoother motion, neither laptop excels due to lower refresh rates, which are more crucial in this context than in general computing or design tasks.
Battery
20.0 Hours
17.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has 20 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
Very Good
Good
13.3in
SIZE
16.2in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
4.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) has very good portability, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,219
$2,149
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) has a price of $1,219 and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) costs $2,149.
"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 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 Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) or the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023)
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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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.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Laptops Expert
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