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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is more expensive and offers a Mini LED display with higher resolution, making it better for tasks that require superior visual quality, like photo or video editing. If you prioritize display quality and battery life, and your budget allows, the MacBook might be more suitable. For cost efficiency, portability, and multitasking, the LG Ultra may be the better choice. 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 LG Ultra 13
- Excellent portability
Key differences
General Use
8.2
7.2
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
489.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
17.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.3/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the LG Ultra 13 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is well-suited for general use because of its powerful Apple M3 processor, vibrant Mini LED display with high color accuracy, and long battery life, though it's heavier which affects portability. The LG Ultra 13, on the other hand, offers good performance with an AMD Ryzen 7 processor, a reasonable IPS screen for everyday tasks, and is lighter making it more portable, but it has a shorter battery life compared to the MacBook Pro.
Gaming and AI
6.7
6.1
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) and LG Ultra 13 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
8.1
6.6
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.7/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the LG Ultra 13 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 is better suited for engineering and design due to its powerful Apple M3 CPU, integrated 10-core GPU, and high-resolution Mini LED screen, which supports a wide color space and has a remarkable contrast ratio, facilitating detailed and color-accurate work.
Content Creation
8.4
7.2
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.7/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for content creation, while the LG Ultra 13 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
8.2
7.2
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the LG Ultra 13 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
6.9
14.2in
SIZE
13.3in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
489.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the LG Ultra 13 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14, with its high-resolution display and exceptional brightness, offers a visually stunning experience for general use, while its wide color gamut support makes it ideal for precision tasks in engineering and design. However, its standard refresh rate limits its suitability for 3D applications, where a higher refresh rate is crucial for smooth visuals. The LG Ultra 13, with its decent resolution and brightness, provides an adequate display for everyday tasks and satisfactory performance for engineering and design, but like the MacBook, it falls short for gaming and 3D due to its lack of a high refresh rate panel.
Battery
17.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 17 hours of battery life. The LG Ultra 13 has 10 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
13.3in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
2.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The LG Ultra 13 has excellent portability, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0
7.4
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the LG Ultra 13 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,499
$529
$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 LG Ultra 13 costs $529.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) and the LG Ultra 13 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) | LG Ultra 13 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,499 | $529 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | November 1, 2023 | January 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.3'' x 8.7'' x 0.61'' | 12.1'' x 8.1'' x 0.6'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.4 lbs | 2.16 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.31" | 12.08" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.71" | 8.14" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Apple M3 | AMD Ryzen 7 4700U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 17 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 69.6 Wh | 51 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14.2" | 13.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | Mini LED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3024 x 1964 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 489 nits | 300 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 10/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.6/10 | 9.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8.8/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 3 | N/A | |
Shopping
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | January 2023
"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."
LG Ultra 13
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Dig into reviews and images
CNET
Joshua Goldman | April 2017
"The 13.3-inch LG Gram is a fine fit if you need to travel as light as possible for as long as possible without spending a fortune to do it. It might not be particularly sturdy or have an eye-catching design and its webcam is less than ideal, but with its sharp touch display, comfortable backlit keyboard, responsive touchpad and a fingerprint reader for extra security, the Gram makes a respectible everyday laptop for business or school work."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) or the LG Ultra 13
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 LG
LG is a South Korean conglomerate company. While LG is mainly known for various products outside of technology, LG also develops laptops. Within the laptop industry, they are known for their thin-and-light Gram series, as well as their value-oriented Ultra series. LG laptops offer very thin and light laptops with phenomenal battery life, and are often on sale.
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