The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) offers high performance for intensive tasks like 3D rendering or machine learning, with better screen colors and a mini LED display. It has a longer battery life, more ports, and is more compact but is significantly more expensive. The Dell Inspiron 16 5620 is more affordable and offers a larger screen size, but its performance in demanding applications, as well as screen quality and battery life, are inferior to the MacBook Pro. The Inspiron is also heavier, which impacts portability. If budget is not a concern and you require high performance and a superior display, the MacBook Pro is the better choice; otherwise, for casual use and basic tasks without stretching your wallet, the Inspiron is a viable alternative. 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 (2023)
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
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 Dell Inspiron 16 5620
The Dell Inspiron 16 5620 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023).
Key differences
General Use
8.5/10
7.7/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
489.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
265.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for general use, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 excels in general use due to its high-performance CPU, more powerful integrated graphics, superior display with higher brightness and resolution, and longer battery life, all packed in a lighter and thinner form factor, which enhances its portability. The Dell Inspiron 16 5620 offers good general use capabilities, with a decent processor and ample RAM, and while its screen and battery life are satisfactory, it cannot match the MacBook Pro's more advanced display technology and portability, despite having good build quality and being relatively quiet in operation.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
6.2/10
5.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) excels in 3D applications due to its powerful GPU and high screen refresh rate, which are very important for such tasks, despite many popular games not running on Macs due to macOS compatibility issues. The Dell Inspiron 16 5620 offers fair performance for gaming and 3D, due to its reasonable GPU, but the lower screen refresh rate compared to the MacBook Pro limits its potential for the smoothest gaming experience.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
7.0/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
5.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 stands out with its powerful M2 Pro CPU, larger capacity GPU, superior Mini LED screen quality with high coverage of color spaces, making it very good for tasks demanding high processing power and color accuracy in engineering and design. In comparison, the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 has a standard Intel CPU and integrated graphics, along with good IPS display quality, making it suitable for engineering and design, but with less processing power and color fidelity.
Content Creation
8.5/10
7.6/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for content creation, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 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
8.4/10
7.5/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for software development, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 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
6.2/10
14.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
489.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
265.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) boasts superior screen quality for general use and engineering due to its high-resolution display that offers bright and vivid image quality, while also covering a wide range of color gamuts which are crucial for precise engineering and design work. The Dell Inspiron 16 5620 provides acceptable screen quality with decent resolution and brightness, making it suitable for general use, but it may not satisfy professionals who need more accurate color representation for engineering and design. For 3D applications, which require high refresh rates, both laptops may fall short as they prioritize resolution and color accuracy over the smoother motion provided by higher refresh rates.
Battery
13.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 16 5620 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 (2023) has very good portability, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,700
$500
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) has a price of $1,700 and the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 costs $500.
"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."
"If the world is exciting enough right now, you can do far worse than a solid performer that you know will get the job done. Our review model is as powerful as you'd want an office machine to be unless you're performing specialist tasks and the price point is pretty attractive (unless work will let you have a MacBook Air instead)."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) or the Dell Inspiron 16 5620
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 Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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
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Recommendations made
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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
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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.