The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) offers longer battery life and has a Mini LED screen with high brightness and wide color coverage, which is excellent for creative professionals working with visuals. It's also suited for engineering tasks with its Apple M1 Pro processor but is costlier. The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" is a less expensive option that still offers competitive performance with an AMD Ryzen processor and is touchscreen-enabled, desirable for users who prefer interaction with the screen, and it has a comfortable keyboard and webcam. However, the screen quality and battery life do not match the MacBook Pro, and it is not designed for intensive gaming. Consider the MacBook Pro if you require superior screen quality and performance for creative or engineering tasks, while the Dragonfly Pro offers good value for general use with touchscreen flexibility. 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 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 keyboard
Advantages of the HP Dragonfly Pro 14"
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021).
Key differences
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
7.6/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.7/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) outshines the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" in engineering and design due to its more powerful Apple M1 Pro CPU and GPU, higher screen resolution with Mini LED technology which offers better color accuracy and brightness, and a higher refresh rate for smoother visuals. While the HP Dragonfly Pro maintains commendable portability and solid performance with its AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and AMD Radeon GPU, it falls behind in screen quality with a lower resolution IPS display and has a slightly lower battery life.
Screen Quality
9.2/10
7.1/10
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
405.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 excels in screen quality for general use and engineering due to its high-resolution display, exceptional brightness, and wide color gamut, ensuring sharp, vibrant images and precise color rendering essential for detailed work. The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" also offers a quality display with good resolution and brightness, making it suitable for everyday tasks and engineering applications where accurate color representation matters. However, both laptops lack high refresh rate screens, which makes them less optimal for 3D work where smoother visuals are crucial for an immersive experience.
Battery
13.5 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has 10 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 14 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,905
$1,400
$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 HP Dragonfly Pro 14" costs $1,400.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and HP Dragonfly Pro 14" are both very good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) excels in general use thanks to its powerful CPU and GPU, ample RAM, high-quality Mini LED screen, and long battery life, which makes it easy to carry and use for extended periods without charging. The HP Dragonfly Pro 14", with a similar CPU performance and RAM, also offers a quality screen and good battery life, along with a lightweight design and additional features like touchscreen and quality keyboard, making it equally adept for everyday tasks.
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
6.5/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
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 HP Dragonfly Pro 14" are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) excels in 3D applications because it features a more powerful GPU and a higher screen refresh rate than the HP Dragonfly Pro 14", which is beneficial for smooth visuals in 3D rendering and animation. However, the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" runs Windows and supports a wider range of games, including those that don't run on Macs, despite its lower refresh rate and GPU performance.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.9/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.7/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) to be very good for content creation, while the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" 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
7.8/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) to be very good for software development, while the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" 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.
Portability
Very Good
Very Good
14.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and HP Dragonfly Pro 14" both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" compare to other laptops
"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."
"I’d say that the HP Dragonfly Pro checks off most of the boxes for this freelancer. It feels nice to use, is zippy and responsive, has great speakers, and even has a relatively sane price. Although it’s an unorthodox choice to pick AMD for this kind of machine, it’s clear that when Ryzen is given a chance to shine, it can kick a lot of butt."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) or the HP Dragonfly Pro 14"
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 HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
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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