The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) offers a strong balance of performance and portability, suitable for general use and especially for creative professionals who prioritize display quality, with high brightness and color accuracy. Its battery life outshines the Microsoft Surface Laptop, but it is better suited to MacOS-centric users. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has the edge in high-performance tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering uses, due to a dedicated Nvidia RTX graphic card. It also provides more storage and memory, and includes a touchscreen with a flexible hinge, making it more versatile for presentations or artistic work. However, it is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable. 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 speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
7.7/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is only fair.
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.
Screen Quality
9.2/10
7.9/10
14.2in
SIZE
14.4in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 for general use, AI, and engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14's display boasts high resolution and exceptional brightness, coupled with a wide color gamut that brings out vivid and accurate colors critical for engineering and design work. However, its refresh rate isn't high enough for the smooth rendering needed in 3D applications, making it less suitable for that purpose. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 offers a similarly strong performance in resolution and brightness for general use and features a color accuracy that benefits engineering and design tasks, yet it also falls short in refresh rate, making it less ideal for gaming and 3D work where fluid motion is key.
Battery
13.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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
Good
14.2in
SIZE
14.4in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has very good portability, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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
$3,300
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has a price of $1,905 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $3,300.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 are both very good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) excels in general use due to its high-quality Mini LED screen, efficient M1 Pro processor, and long battery life, all packaged in a lightweight and portable frame. In comparison, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 also performs well for general use, with a higher RAM capacity, a versatile touch IPS display that can switch to tablet mode, and powerful CPU and GPU options suitable for more demanding tasks, albeit with a heavier build and shorter battery life.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
8.7/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is tailored for engineering and design work thanks to its powerful Apple M1 Pro chip, ample RAM, and high-quality Mini LED screen, emphasizing accurate color representation and contrast. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 offers a high-performance Intel CPU and Nvidia RTX GPU combo, a large amount of RAM, and a high-resolution touchscreen display, making it well-suited for engineering applications that benefit from GPU acceleration and a flexible form factor.
Content Creation
8.4/10
8.4/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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."
"The new Surface Laptop Studio with its foldable display is supposed to replace the old Surface Book and the overall impression is good after our review. The build quality and the materials are top-notch, the performance utilization of the two components is solid and the device does not show any major flaws in terms of display or speakers, either. The folding mechanism leaves a sold impression as well, but it remains to be seen how it will hold up over the years. The so-called presentation mode is also not ideal since it covers the whole keyboard."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
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 Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
103,095
Recommendations made
22,338
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
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.
Craig Russell
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.