The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) offers superior display quality with higher brightness and refresh rate, making it more suitable for professionals needing accurate colors and smooth visuals for design or video editing. It also has better speakers, build quality, and a longer battery life, which can be ideal for continuous work without frequent charging. The Lenovo Flex 5 16, on the other hand, is less expensive and includes a touchscreen, making it versatile for tasks that may benefit from hands-on interaction. With its flexibility and lower price, it's more suited for general use and budget-conscious consumers looking for versatility without needing top-tier performance or the premium build of the MacBook Pro. 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
Very good portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo Flex 5 16
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021).
Key differences
General Use
8.4/10
7.6/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
479.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
11.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for general use, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) with its top-tier CPU and screen quality provides an exceptional general use experience, complemented by a high portability score and long battery life. In contrast, the Lenovo Flex 5 16 offers good general performance with a satisfactory screen, adequate battery life, and the versatility of a 2-in-1 design, although it has a slightly bulkier build and lower portability.
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
6.2/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
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 Lenovo Flex 5 16 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a higher refresh rate screen and a more powerful GPU, making it better for 3D tasks, but its MacOS may limit game compatibility compared to the Lenovo Flex 5 with Windows. While the Lenovo has a decent GPU for entry-level gaming and its screen supports touch, it offers a lower screen refresh rate which is not optimal for high-speed gaming that benefits from smoother visuals.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
7.2/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.6/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
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 Lenovo Flex 5 16 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
7.5/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for software development, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 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
7.3/10
14.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Lenovo Flex 5 16 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14's high-resolution display and exceptional brightness make it ideal for general use, providing crisp and vivid visuals, while its wide color gamuts deliver accurate colors essential for engineering and design tasks. However, its standard refresh rate limits its potential for 3D applications where smoother motion from higher refresh rates is preferred. On the other hand, the Lenovo Flex 5 16 provides a respectable screen for general activities and design work, but like the MacBook, it lacks the high refresh rate desired for the best 3D and gaming experiences.
Battery
13.5 Hours
11.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has 11.5 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
14.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has very good portability, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,905
$779
$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 Lenovo Flex 5 16 costs $779.
"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."
"The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 is a solidly equipped, 2-in-1 in the lower price segment. Performance is definitely sufficient for everyday tasks and in tests the battery proved itself to be very economical. That aside, there is a lot of standard fare on show and a search for real highlights ends in vain. The low color coverage and reflective display can be avoided by going for an optional 2.5K display but this also presumably results in poorer battery life. The cooling uses only one fan and leads to a raised temperature on one side of the device under load. Additionally, there is very loud fan noise, also under load or when gaming. On top of that, we also occasionally noticed electronic noises."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) or the Lenovo Flex 5 16
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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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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