If you prioritize a sleek design and a higher resolution display, along with a longer battery life, the MacBook Pro might be better for you. However, if you need more ports for connectivity and prefer a laptop that's generally more repairable and upgradeable, the ThinkPad Z16 would be more suitable. The MacBook Pro is known for its good performance in creative work like video editing, while the ThinkPad Z16, with its more robust build quality, might be better for business environments where durability is important. If budget is a concern, typically, MacBooks tend to be more expensive than ThinkPads, so the ThinkPad Z16 may offer comparable performance at a lower cost. Keep in mind that the operating system can also be a deciding factor; if you're tied into the Apple ecosystem or prefer macOS, go for the MacBook, but if you need or prefer Windows for certain applications, the ThinkPad Z16 is the choice to make. 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)
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021).
Key differences
Screen Quality
9.2/10
8.5/10
14.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
393.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 for general use, AI, and engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a vibrant, high-resolution display that shines for general tasks and excels in color accuracy, integral for engineering and design work due to its wide color gamuts. However, its standard refresh rate makes it less suitable for 3D applications where smoother visuals are crucial. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 also offers a high-quality display for everyday tasks and color-sensitive work, but like the MacBook, it is not optimized for 3D tasks or gaming due to a lower refresh rate.
Battery
13.5 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has 7 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
4.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has very good portability, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 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
$1,120
$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 ThinkPad Z16 costs $1,120.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) are both very good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a high-quality mini LED screen and excellent battery life combined with a powerful Apple M1 Pro processor and sufficient RAM for smooth multitasking, making it ideal for general use. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 offers an OLED screen with higher resolution, more RAM for more demanding tasks, and a robust CPU, but it is slightly heavier and has a shorter battery life, although still suitable for general use.
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
6.7/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
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
8.4/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is ideal for engineering and design due to its high-quality Mini LED screen, efficient Apple M1 Pro CPU and GPU, and MacOS operating system, making it suitable for professionals using specialized software for design work. In comparison, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 offers a larger and higher-resolution OLED screen, more RAM, and a powerful AMD CPU and GPU combination that supports demanding engineering applications on Windows 11 Pro, along with better keyboard quality and additional features like a touchscreen and facial recognition.
Content Creation
8.4/10
8.5/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) are both very good for content creation.
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
8.2/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 are both very good for software development.
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.
Give feedback
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 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."
"Lenovo’s ThinkPad Z16 tries has some success in its effort to tweak the ThinkPad formula. The laptop is attractive, yet still tame, and material quality is on par with the best Windows competition. I also like the smooth, responsive haptic touchpad and the wide range of modern connectivity. Yet the Z16 doesn’t fix ThinkPad’s typical weakness: value. Starting around $1,550, and more typically near $1,700, the Z16 finds itself facing alternatives that have better performance or an improved display for the same price, or less."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) or the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
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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Joe Golden, Ph.D
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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
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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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.