The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) offers excellent build and speaker quality, a high-resolution mini-LED screen suitable for creative work, and impressive battery life. Its Apple M1 Pro chip provides smooth performance for general tasks and some engineering applications but is not as tailored for intensive gaming or 3D/machine learning tasks. Its portability is reasonable, with a fairly lightweight design.
The Razer Blade 15, on the other hand, has a more powerful Intel CPU and Nvidia RTX GPU, making it better suited for gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning. Its larger and faster-refreshing IPS screen also has a traditional 16:9 aspect ratio which is standard for gaming and multimedia. The tradeoff comes in the form of shorter battery life and a slightly heavier build, affecting portability.
In conclusion, if your work involves graphics-intensive tasks or gaming, and you can manage with less battery life, the Razer Blade 15 would be more appropriate. If you prioritize screen quality for media creation, battery life, and a Mac ecosystem, the MacBook Pro 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 software development
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 Razer Blade 15
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
8.0/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.0/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Razer Blade 15 is very 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.
Software Development
8.3/10
7.7/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for software development, while the Razer Blade 15 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
8.2/10
14.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
271.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Razer Blade 15 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The MacBook Pro 14's display excels for general use and engineering due to its high resolution, brightness, and wide color gamut, offering crisp visuals and accurate colors necessary for design work. The Razer Blade 15, while also providing a very good display with high resolution and broad color coverage, falls slightly short in overall screen refinement compared to the MacBook, making it a close second for general and engineering use. However, for 3D applications, both laptops don't meet the mark due to lower refresh rates, which are crucial for smoother visuals in fast-paced 3D environments.
Battery
13.5 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 15 has 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
15.6in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has very good portability, while the Razer Blade 15 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 Razer Blade 15 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
$2,500
$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 Razer Blade 15 costs $2,500.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) to be very good for general use, while the Razer Blade 15 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) excels in general use due to its stunning Mini LED screen quality, high battery life, and superior portability, emphasized by its relatively lighter weight and compact size compared to the Razer Blade 15. Although the Razer Blade 15 offers more storage and a powerful dedicated GPU for tasks like gaming, it falls slightly behind in battery life and portability, which are crucial for general use scenarios.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
8.5/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Razer Blade 15 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) excels in engineering and design with its Apple M1 Pro chip providing a strong CPU and GPU while also offering a high-quality Mini LED screen; however, it may be less appealing for users preferring the versatility of Windows and gaming-centric hardware. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 15 is favored for its powerful Intel processor and Nvidia RTX GPU, which are ideal for engineering software and 3D design work, and also has a high-refresh IPS display, but is slightly heavier and may have shorter battery life compared to the MacBook Pro.
Content Creation
8.4/10
8.0/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and Razer Blade 15 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and the Razer Blade 15 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 2022 Blade 15 offers roughly 15 to 25 percent faster graphics performance and 20 percent faster CPU performance over last year's Core i7-11800H and RTX 3080 model. Thankfully, the system doesn't need to run noticeably louder or warmer to achieve faster results, but both power consumption and battery life take a hit. The higher consumption in particular appears to be a trend amongst many 12th gen Core laptops including the Schenker Uniwill Technology GM7AG8P or MSI Vector GP66 when compared to their previous generation counterparts. We're also glad to not see below-average CPU performance which was the case for the 10th gen Core i7-10875H model."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) or the Razer Blade 15
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 Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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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