The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) offers higher performance, better screen quality, and longer battery life, suited for intensive tasks like engineering, 3D rendering, or video editing. It has a mini LED display with high brightness and color accuracy but is heavier and more expensive. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is more affordable, lighter, and has a touchscreen, making it suitable for general use, travel, or students. It falls short in performance and screen quality compared to the MacBook Pro and has a reduced battery life, but it is more portable due to its lighter weight. 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
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Excellent portability
Key differences
General Use
8.5/10
7.0/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
489.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) outshines the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 in general use primarily due to its superior CPU and graphics performance, more RAM, and higher-quality Mini LED display, all of which contribute to a better multitasking and media experience; its portability and battery life are good, although it is heavier than the Go 2. The Surface Laptop Go 2, while more portable owing to its lighter weight, offers fair performance for general use with a capable CPU and satisfactory display, but it falls behind with less RAM and a lower battery capacity, making it less suitable for demanding tasks.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
6.0/10
5.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) outperforms the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 in 3D applications due to its higher-end GPU and superior screen refresh rate, making it better suited for tasks demanding rich graphical rendering and smoother visuals. However, the MacBook's compatibility with games is limited by the macOS platform, which doesn't support many popular games; on the other hand, the Surface Laptop Go 2 runs on Windows, offering broader game compatibility despite its lower-performance GPU and slower screen refresh rate.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
6.5/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
5.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.5/10
7.1/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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
7.0/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for software development, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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
6.9/10
14.2in
SIZE
12.4in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
489.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 offers a high-resolution display with excellent brightness and color accuracy, making it a top choice for tasks that require visual precision like engineering and design, but its refresh rate is lower, which is less ideal for 3D applications. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, while offering decent resolution and brightness, falls short on color coverage, meaning it's good for daily tasks and casual engineering use but may not satisfy professionals in design fields. Both devices may not be best suited for 3D applications or gaming, where a higher refresh rate is crucial for smooth visuals.
Battery
13.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 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
Excellent
14.2in
SIZE
12.4in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has excellent portability, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) has very 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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,700
$565
$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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 costs $565.
"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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 review is a compact companion with old hardware. The Surface Laptop Go 2 shows some weaknesses. Microsoft didn't really develop the second generation of the Surface Laptop Go 2 any further but has only equipped it with a slightly more powerful Core i5 processor. However, the performance still remains at a fairly low level overall, but for many users, it definitely should still be sufficient for everyday tasks."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 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.
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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
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