When choosing between the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) and the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i, here are some considerations. The MacBook Pro offers great battery life, excellent brightness, high color accuracy, and is lighter, making it more suitable for travel and long working hours away from a power outlet, especially with its strong performance in general use. On the other hand, the Slim Pro 9i boasts a touchscreen, significantly higher RAM and storage, making it better equipped for tasks such as 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering software, despite its lower battery life. Each laptop exhibits strong build quality, and both are aimed at professional use, with the Slim Pro 9i having an edge in graphic-intensive applications due to its dedicated graphics card. Choose the MacBook Pro for MacOS ecosystem and longevity, and the Slim Pro 9i for more demanding computing tasks and a Windows-based platform. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023)
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 Pro 9i
Good for gaming and AI
Best in class overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
7.6/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14, with its own high-performance GPU and a 120Hz refresh rate, is well-suited for 3D work under MacOS, despite many games not being compatible with the platform. On the other hand, the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i boasts a more gaming-focused Nvidia GPU and a higher 165Hz refresh rate, alongside a powerful Intel CPU, making it an exceptional choice for both gaming and 3D applications in Windows.
Engineering and Design
8.1/10
8.9/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) are both very good for engineering and design, though the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is somewhat better.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i surpasses the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) in engineering and design tasks primarily due to its higher RAM capacity, more powerful processor, and dedicated Nvidia GPU, which are essential for intensive applications and multitasking. Additionally, the Lenovo’s screen offers better resolution and supports touch, providing an advantage in detail-oriented design work, while both exhibit high-quality displays; however, the MacBook might offer better portability and a quieter operating experience given its lighter weight and operating noise management.
Screen Quality
9.2/10
9.6/10
14.2in
SIZE
14.5in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
489.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
618.0 nits
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Pro 14 for general use, and gaming and AI.
For general use, the Apple MacBook Pro 14 and Lenovo Slim Pro 9i offer excellent screen quality because of their high resolution and brightness, paired with superior panel types that deliver sharp images and vibrant colors. In engineering and design, both laptops provide wide color gamuts, ensuring accurate and consistent colors which are crucial for detailed work. However, for 3D applications and gaming, their screens fall short as they do not prioritize high refresh rates, which are necessary to provide smoother motion and better responsiveness.
Battery
17.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 17 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has 6 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
14.5in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has very good portability, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,649
$1,500
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has a price of $1,649 and the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i costs $1,500.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) are both very good for general use.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i excels for general use primarily due to its superior RAM and high-end Intel processor coupled with a dedicated graphics unit, which ensure smooth multitasking and performance-heavy applications, along with an excellent touchscreen display and generous storage capacity. In comparison, the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) offers a solid battery life and portability factor, with a very high-quality screen and well-managed operating noise and heat, but it may fall short in performance due to less RAM and its emphasis on integrating all core computing elements within the Apple ecosystem.
Content Creation
8.4/10
8.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) 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.
Software Development
8.2/10
8.3/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) are both very good for software development.
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.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) and the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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 Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is an impressive laptop with a brilliant Mini-LED display, a powerful 100-watt version of Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics, and excellent connectivity. Having run the Cinebench benchmark again, we were impressed with the CPU performance. That makes the Slim Pro 9i is an easy recommendation, especially for those who care about GPU and CPU performance. It’s also a fantastic choice if you frequently view HDR movies and games on your laptop."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) or the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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