The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) offers significantly better performance, display quality, and build than the Gateway 11.6". With its high storage capacity and RAM, the MacBook Pro excels in general use and is highly suitable for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks, but it comes at an upper midrange price and has moderate portability. On the other hand, the Gateway is a budget-friendly option with adequate performance for basic tasks and slightly better portability due to its lower weight and smaller size, but it has limited storage and RAM, which restricts its use to simpler, general applications. 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 Gateway 11.6"
Excellent portability
Key differences
General Use
8.4/10
5.6/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
479.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
200.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.1/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for general use, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) offers a superior computing experience with a powerful CPU, a high amount of RAM, and an excellent quality, high-resolution Mini LED screen, which are crucial for general use, along with a long battery life and robust build quality.
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
5.4/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is only fair for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 is good for 3D because it has a powerful Apple M1 Pro GPU and a high refresh rate screen, essential for smooth graphics and motion in 3D tasks and some games. However, the Gateway 11.6" has a significantly less capable Intel UHD Graphics GPU and a lower screen refresh rate, hindering gaming and 3D performance, plus many popular games do not run on its Windows 10S operating system.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
5.4/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is superior for engineering and design due to its powerful M1 Pro chip with a high-performance CPU and GPU, ample RAM, and a high-quality screen, which are essential for demanding tasks and detailed visual work. In contrast, the Gateway 11.6" has a much weaker CPU and GPU, less RAM, and lower screen quality, detracting significantly from its ability to handle engineering and design software.
Content Creation
8.4/10
5.7/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for content creation, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
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
5.7/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for software development, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
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
5.7/10
14.2in
SIZE
11.6in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
200.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Gateway 11.6" for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
When choosing a laptop for general use, the Apple MacBook Pro 14 excels with its high-resolution Retina display that offers vivid colors and excellent brightness, ensuring crisp visuals and easy readability in different lighting conditions. For engineering and design tasks, its screen covers a wide range of color gamuts, accurately representing colors for precision work. However, for 3D applications where movement is key, the MacBook Pro's screen might not be ideal due to a standard refresh rate, unlike gaming-oriented laptops with higher refresh rates that provide smoother motion. The Gateway 11.6", on the other hand, falls short in all these areas due to its lower resolution, brightness, and limited color range, resulting in less satisfactory visuals for general use, design work, and gaming.
Battery
13.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The Gateway 11.6" 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
Excellent
14.2in
SIZE
11.6in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
2.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Gateway 11.6" has excellent portability, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
5.1/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the Gateway 11.6" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,905
$89
$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 Gateway 11.6" costs $89.
"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."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) or the Gateway 11.6"
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 Gateway
Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.
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
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Laptops Expert
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