The decision between the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) and the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" depends on your priorities and intended use. The MacBook Pro offers superior performance, a higher-quality display, better build quality, and longer battery life, making it suitable for intensive tasks like video editing, 3D design, and professional work environments. It's also equipped with Apple's latest chip and macOS, catering to those invested in the Apple ecosystem. In contrast, the IdeaPad is more budget-friendly, but comes with significant compromises including lower performance, a basic display, and lower build quality, making it adequate for basic tasks like web browsing, document editing, and casual use. The MacBook Pro is less portable due to its weight and size, so if portability is key, the lighter IdeaPad might be preferable despite its limitations. 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 (Late 2023)
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
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14"
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023).
Key differences
General Use
8.2/10
6.1/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
489.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
239.0 nits
17.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.3/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) offers a powerful CPU, more RAM, and a high-quality Mini LED screen, making it highly capable for general use and more demanding applications, along with excellent battery life and build quality, albeit at a higher price and slightly greater weight. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has a basic CPU, less RAM, and a lower-quality TN screen, which limits performance and viewing experience, but it is more affordable, lighter, and offers silent operation due to its fanless design.
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
5.5/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
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 (Late 2023) is only fair for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" is poor.
The MacBook Pro 14 with its higher refresh rate display and more powerful GPU is well-suited for 3D applications, although it's important to remember that not all popular games will run on its macOS. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has a basic GPU and lower refresh rate screen, making it less ideal for gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.1/10
5.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" is poor.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) with its powerful Apple M3 CPU, 8 GB of RAM, advanced GPU, and high-quality Mini LED screen is well-suited for engineering and design tasks. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has a less capable Intel Celeron CPU, only 4 GB of RAM, basic integrated GPU, and a lower-quality TN screen, making it less appropriate for such demanding work.
Content Creation
8.4/10
6.2/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
8.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" is only fair.
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
8.2/10
6.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" is only fair.
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
5.3/10
14.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
489.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
239.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 offers a high-resolution display with bright and vibrant colors, making it ideal for general use where clarity and color quality are essential. For engineering and design, this MacBook's ability to accurately represent a wide range of colors through extensive color gamuts is crucial for precision work. However, for 3D applications, which often benefit from higher refresh rates to render smooth motion, the MacBook Pro falls short compared to displays optimized for this purpose.
Battery
17.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 17 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has 9 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.
Build Quality
10.0/10
6.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,499
$165
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has a price of $1,499 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" costs $165.
"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 IdeaPad 1 14 is a simple machine, but it’s well-designed and has nearly everything you’d expect from a no-nonsense laptop that allows you to check emails and get schoolwork or other light tasks done with relative ease. A "true" 128GB SSD (as opposed to an eMMC drive) and a roomy 14-inch full HD display are arguably the star attractions, with the comfortable keyboard and reasonably modern styling playing important backup roles."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) or the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14"
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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