The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is a midrange laptop that excels in overall performance, making it suitable for tasks such as video editing, 3D rendering, and software development. It comes with a high-resolution Mini LED display with a high refresh rate that is great for color-sensitive work, but it is not a touchscreen. Also, it's relatively heavy and has a longer battery life.
On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is a lower mid-range laptop that's less expensive and more portable due to its lighter weight, making it a good choice for general use and day-to-day activities. It has a smaller IPS touchscreen with a standard refresh rate, which might be preferred for on-the-go use and direct interaction with the screen. However, it has a shorter battery life and is not as powerful, which could limit its effectiveness for intensive tasks.
Each laptop fits different needs—choose the MacBook Pro 14 for demanding workflows and the Surface Laptop Go 2 for lightweight, everyday use. 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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Excellent portability
Key differences
General Use
8.2/10
7.0/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
489.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
17.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 with its Apple M3 processor, high-quality Mini LED display, and longer battery life excels in performance and screen quality, making it well-suited for general use, but it is heavier and less portable. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 offers good portability due to its lighter weight and smaller size, but its Intel i5 processor, basic IPS screen, and shorter battery life mean it may not handle intensive tasks as well, rendering it fair for general use.
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
6.0/10
4.5/10
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 (Late 2023) and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 with its higher-powered integrated GPU in the Apple M3 chip and a Mini LED screen that boasts a high refresh rate, color accuracy, and contrast, makes it well-suited for 3D work and some gaming; however, its MacOS limits game availability. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 features an Intel Iris Xe GPU which is capable for lighter gaming and 3D tasks, but its lower refresh rate and less impressive screen specs don't cater as well to these activities, although it benefits from a wider selection of games due to running Windows.
Engineering and Design
8.1/10
6.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) outshines the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 in engineering and design because of its superior processor and GPU, more RAM, and higher-quality Mini LED screen which is great for color-sensitive work, although it is less portable and has a higher price. Alternatively, the Surface Laptop Go 2 offers better portability and is more affordable, but has a less powerful CPU and GPU, less RAM, and an IPS screen which may not be as sharp or color accurate for engineering tasks.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.1/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 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
8.2/10
7.0/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
8.0 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 (Late 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 screen with exceptional color accuracy, wide color gamuts, and great brightness, which is essential for clarity and detail in general use and engineering applications where color precision matters. However, its standard refresh rate isn't ideal for 3D applications that benefit from higher refresh rates for smoother motion. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 offers adequate screen resolution and color representation for general use and engineering tasks, but like the MacBook, it lacks the higher refresh rate needed for optimal gaming and 3D performance.
Battery
17.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 17 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
3.4 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 (Late 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 (Late 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
$1,499
$600
$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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 costs $600.
"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 (Late 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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