The Apple MacBook Pro 14 comes with a higher price but offers stronger build quality, better speaker and webcam quality, as well as higher brightness and color accuracy, which is beneficial for creative professionals. It's also more portable, has a longer estimated battery life and operates quieter. Its Mini LED screen is more suitable for tasks with fast motion, and it has more USB-C ports. On the other hand, the Lenovo LOQ 16 has a larger screen, better performance in engineering applications due to its AMD Ryzen processor and Nvidia graphics, and it supports hardware ray tracing and DLSS for gaming. The LOQ 16 is more affordable but is heavier and has shorter battery life. If portability and screen quality are your priority, and you don't mind the higher price, go with the MacBook Pro. However, if you need a laptop for intensive gaming or engineering tasks and want to save money, the Lenovo LOQ 16 would be the better option. 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 LOQ 16
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
8.4/10
7.6/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
479.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
329.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.3/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for general use, while the Lenovo LOQ 16 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is favored for general use due to its high-quality Mini LED screen, more efficient Apple M1 Pro processor that contributes to longer battery life, and lighter weight for greater portability, despite being a slightly older model. On the other hand, the Lenovo LOQ 16, while still good for general use, has a less impressive IPS screen and a shorter battery life, but offers a dedicated Nvidia GPU that may be better for certain graphic-intensive applications.
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
7.5/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.0/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo LOQ 16 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is suited for 3D applications thanks to its high-performance Apple M1 Pro GPU and a display with a high refresh rate; however, its MacOS limits compatibility with many popular games. On the other hand, the Lenovo LOQ 16, with its Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and even higher refresh rate, excels for gaming and is well-matched for 3D tasks, running on Windows 11 which has broad game support.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.6/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
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 Lenovo LOQ 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
9.1/10
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 Lenovo LOQ 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
7.2/10
14.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
329.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Lenovo LOQ 16 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, superior brightness, and wide color gamuts, offering detailed and vibrant visuals crucial for detailed design work. However, its refresh rate isn't as high, which is less suitable for 3D applications that benefit from smoother motion. Conversely, the Lenovo LOQ 16 provides a good balance of resolution and brightness for general tasks and appropriate color representation for engineering, but its screen, like the MacBook's, doesn't prioritize high refresh rates, making it less optimal for gaming and 3D work.
Battery
13.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo LOQ 16 has 6 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
Fair
14.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has very good portability, while the Lenovo LOQ 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo LOQ 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
$1,000
$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 LOQ 16 costs $1,000.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) to be very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo LOQ 16 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a powerful Apple M1 Pro CPU and high-quality Mini LED screen, making it excellent for tasks demanding color accuracy and processing power, such as engineering and design. In comparison, the Lenovo LOQ 16 offers a high-performing AMD CPU coupled with an Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU suited for engineering applications, especially those benefiting from dedicated graphics hardware, with a satisfactory IPS screen for accurate color reproduction, but not as superior as the MacBook's.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and the Lenovo LOQ 16 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."
"Gaming laptops with an RTX 4060 are available starting from about 1,000 Euros (~$1,060), even in 16-inch format. For the supposedly affordable Lenovo LOQ 16 (1,500 Euros, ~$1,591), the manufacturer particularly saves in the equipment and materials compared to the more expensive Legion series. In addition, the LOQ is slightly heavier and more bulky. What remains is anything but a laptop full of difficult compromises. Instead, this is a more than solid gaming laptop that focusses on the 3D performance.Q is slightly heavier and more bulky."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) or the Lenovo LOQ 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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