The Apple MacBook Pro is considerably more expensive than the Dell Inspiron but offers significant improvements in processing power with its M1 Pro chip, making it more suitable for intensive tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering software. Its display boasts higher brightness, better color accuracy, and a higher refresh rate, enhancing visual work and fast motion content. Conversely, the Dell Inspiron is more affordable, offers a touchscreen, and has a serviceable performance for general use and less demanding tasks. If you prioritize performance and superior display quality over cost and touch capability, the MacBook Pro would be the preferable choice. 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 14 (2021)
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 14 7425
The Dell Inspiron 14 7425 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021).
Key differences
General Use
8.4/10
7.5/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
479.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
260.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.3/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for general use, while the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) excels in general use due to its powerful Apple M1 Pro processor, high RAM capacity, superior screen quality with Mini LED technology, lighter weight aiding portability, and longer battery life, being praised for its keyboard, speaker quality, and heat management as well.
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
6.2/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and Dell Inspiron 14 7425 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is somewhat better.
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
8.2/10
6.9/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is better suited for engineering and design due to its more powerful Apple M1 Pro processor, higher RAM and GPU capabilities, and its superior Mini LED screen for enhanced color accuracy and brightness. In contrast, while the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 has a capable AMD processor and Vega 8 GPU that are good for these tasks, it falls short with a standard IPS screen and less impressive color coverage, which might be critical for design work.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.3/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for content creation, while the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 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
8.3/10
7.3/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for software development, while the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 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
9.2/10
6.2/10
14.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
260.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
When choosing a laptop, the Apple MacBook Pro 14's screen excels in general use owing to its high resolution and brightness, providing crisp and vibrant visuals. For engineering and design, its excellent coverage of color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB ensures accurate color representation, essential for precision work. However, due to its standard refresh rate, it's less suited for 3D work which often requires faster screen updates; in contrast, the Dell Inspiron 14's screen, with fair resolution and brightness, is adequate for general tasks and offers basic color accuracy for professional work but falls short in gaming and 3D applications where a higher refresh rate is key to a smooth experience.
Battery
13.5 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 14 7425 has 7.5 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.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,905
$800
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has a price of $1,905 and the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 costs $800.
"In the Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023, the M2 Pro is slowed down. From the improved 5nm process, the new M2 Pro is a very solid upgrade. Graphics performance has increased by about 25% in tandem with a clear improvement in efficiency. The processor has also seen a performance leap of up to 20%, but this is accompanied by an increase in consumption of up to 25%. Fundamentally, Apple its maintaining its advantage over AMD and Intel, particularly in optimized applications where the results are very good in view of the comparatively low power consumption."
"Overall, this Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 offers a lot to like, especially at its oft-discounted price of $800. It’s a sturdy laptop with strong performance, a convertible touchscreen, loud speakers, and a convenient fingerprint reader. But the trade-offs you’ll make in pursuit of that lower price—most notably the dim display and stiff trackpad—might just keep you from outright loving it."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) or the Dell Inspiron 14 7425
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 Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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
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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
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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.