Choosing the Apple MacBook Pro 14 would offer a higher quality display, better build quality, and potentially better performance for general use and lightweight engineering tasks with great battery life, but at a higher cost. The Lenovo Slim 7, while more affordable, features a touchscreen and dedicated graphics suitable for tasks involving 3D modeling or gaming. As the Lenovo is heavier, its portability is less compared to the MacBook Pro, which also boasts a larger ecosystem for professional creative software due to its operating system. Consider the MacBook Pro for peak productivity in macOS and the Lenovo if you prioritize a touchscreen, gaming, or value. 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 Lenovo Slim 7 16
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 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
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
489.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for general use, while the Lenovo Slim 7 16 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) excels in general use due to its high-quality Mini LED screen, capable M2 Pro CPU, and excellent battery life, along with outstanding keyboard and speaker quality which contribute to a better user experience. The Lenovo Slim 7 16's strengths lie in its good screen size and resolution, decent processor, and solid general performance, with its portability and battery life being less impressive when compared to the MacBook Pro; however, it does offer good value in other aspects like keyboard and speaker quality.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
7.5/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
5.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Slim 7 16 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) stands out for engineering and design with its high-performance Apple M2 Pro CPU and integrated GPU, which along with its exceptional Mini LED screen quality, delivers superior visualization and processing capabilities, essential for demanding engineering software and creative tasks. On the other hand, the Lenovo Slim 7 16, equipped with an AMD Ryzen CPU and a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU, provides good performance and graphics handling capabilities, but with its IPS screen, it falls short of the MacBook's superior display performance, although it does offer a larger screen and the benefit of touch input, making it a more versatile choice for interactively working on designs.
Content Creation
8.5/10
7.6/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo Slim 7 16 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
7.6/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for software development, while the Lenovo Slim 7 16 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
8.3/10
14.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
489.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Lenovo Slim 7 16 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro's display excels in screen quality because of its high resolution and brightness, along with a wide color gamut that ensures vivid and accurate colors for professionals in engineering and design. However, its typical refresh rate makes it less suitable for 3D applications, where smoother motion is crucial. Lenovo Slim 7's screen is very capable for both general use and professional design tasks due to its good resolution and color coverage, but like the MacBook Pro, the lower refresh rate is a drawback for gaming and 3D work which benefit from faster screen updates.
Battery
13.5 Hours
9.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Slim 7 16 has 9.5 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
16.0in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) has very good portability, while the Lenovo Slim 7 16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo Slim 7 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,700
$1,440
$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 Lenovo Slim 7 16 costs $1,440.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) to be good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Slim 7 16 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) excels in 3D tasks with its strong integrated Apple GPU and a high refresh rate Mini LED screen, providing smooth visuals and vibrant colors, but it runs MacOS which has limited gaming compatibility compared to Windows. Conversely, the Lenovo Slim 7 16 offers a dedicated Nvidia GPU and a higher screen refresh rate suitable for gaming, with the Windows OS supporting a wider range of games, although the screen quality and GPU may be less ideal for more demanding 3D work.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) and the Lenovo Slim 7 16 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."
"At $1,011, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Pro is a real bargain among full-sized laptops, with a handsome 16-inch, 16:10 aspect ratio touch screen, a speedy CPU, a comfortable keyboard, ample memory, and a roomy solid-state drive. It's not a blazing gaming rig or mobile workstation, but it doesn't pretend to be. Its biggest negative is that it may be hard to find—during our review, it sold out and was marked "Temporarily Unavailable" on Lenovo's site."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) or the Lenovo Slim 7 16
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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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.
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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.