Considering the tradeoffs between the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and the MSI Summit E16 Flip, your choice should reflect your priority between MacOS and Windows 11 Pro, performance, battery life, and special features. The MacBook offers notably longer battery life and a higher quality display with Mini LED technology, which could greatly benefit creative professionals or those who prioritize a superior screen. On the other hand, the MSI has a 2-in-1 design making it versatile as both a laptop and a tablet, along with a dedicated graphics card that is better for gaming or 3D work. The MacBook tends to be more expensive, which is a significant factor if budget is a concern; however, it also includes an optimized ecosystem with MacOS that appeals to many users for its smooth integration with other Apple products. In summary, if you value battery life, display quality, and MacOS, consider the MacBook Pro, but if you prefer versatility, Windows compatibility, and dedicated graphics, the MSI Summit might 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 MSI Summit E16 Flip
The MSI Summit E16 Flip has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021).
Key differences
General Use
8.4/10
7.9/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
479.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
294.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for general use, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 excels in general use with its high-performance M1 Pro processor, vibrant Mini LED screen, and long-lasting battery, all encased in a lightweight and sleek design, making it highly portable. In comparison, the MSI Summit E16 Flip provides ample storage and a solid CPU, but its weight and larger form factor slightly reduce portability, even though it offers a versatile 2-in-1 design and a touchscreen for different use cases.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.9/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
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 MSI Summit E16 Flip 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
7.6/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for software development, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip 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
8.0/10
14.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
294.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the MSI Summit E16 Flip for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14's display excels in general use and engineering design due to its high resolution, impressive brightness, and wide color gamuts, providing clear, vivid, and accurate colors necessary for detail-oriented work. Meanwhile, the MSI Summit E16 Flip offers a very good screen with high resolution and brightness, along with respectable color accuracy, making it suitable for general and design tasks. However, both laptops lack high refresh rates, which makes them less ideal for 3D applications and gaming where smoother motion and faster screen updates are crucial.
Battery
13.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Summit E16 Flip 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
16.0in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has very good portability, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip has good 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 MSI Summit E16 Flip has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,905
$1,413
$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 MSI Summit E16 Flip costs $1,413.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and MSI Summit E16 Flip are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is equipped with an Apple M1 Pro GPU that delivers solid 3D performance and a screen refresh rate of 120 Hz suitable for smooth 3D rendering, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip's Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU offers better gaming performance and hardware ray tracing, paired with a faster 165 Hz refresh rate screen, which is ideal for action-packed gaming scenarios. However, it's important to note the MacBook Pro might limit game choices as many titles aren't compatible with macOS, whereas the MSI Summit, running Windows, has a broader gaming library.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
7.7/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) to be very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has an Apple M1 Pro CPU and GPU combination which delivers tremendous performance for most engineering and design software, coupled with a high-quality Mini LED screen that accurately represents colors and fine details, which is essential for design work.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and the MSI Summit E16 Flip 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 MSI Summit E16 Flip is a 2-in-1 laptop with pen, 16:10 display, and RTX 3050 Ti. The Summit E16 Flip is a 2-in-1 laptop from the business segment that primarily targets creative users. MSI combines a 16-inch touchscreen in the 16:10 format with a powerful midrange GPU. While the 2-in-1 laptop from MSI isn't meant for everybody, it should definitely attract some followers. The touchscreen display (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) covers the DCI-P3 color space. This is accompanied by stable viewing angles, a good color reproduction, short response times, and a good contrast level."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) or the MSI Summit E16 Flip
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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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