Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019)

Apple MacBook Pro 16

Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019)

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BEST RATING
Build Quality:
5.0
GENERAL USE: Good7.8/10
GAMING/AI: Fair6.4/10
ENG/DESIGN: Good7.5/10
SOFTWARE DEV: Good7.9/10
CONTENT CREATION: Very Good8.0/10
PORTABILITY: Good7.7/10
BATTERY: Very Good8.8/10
OVERALL SCREEN QUALITY: Very Good8.1/10
OVERALL PERFORMANCE: Fair6.8/10
SIZE: 16"








Evaluation

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Pros
  • High-resolution screen
  • Strong build quality
  • Good heat management
  • Long battery life
  • Backlit keyboard with fingerprint reader
Cons
  • No touchscreen
  • Heavier than some laptops
  • Limited upgradeability
  • Not ideal for fast motion use

Ratings by Category

Build Quality:
5.0
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, chassis rigidity, and overall reliability. Our assessment of build quality includes many details that are difficult to quantify. Our laptop experts use their best judgment to produce the final score.
Keyboard Quality:
4.9
The Keyboard Quality score is based on the PerfectRec experts’ assessment of tactile feedback, typing comfort, keyboard reliability and typing noise.
Battery Life:
4.7
PerfectRec’s Battery Life rating is based on hours of battery life in typical usage scenarios.
Operating Noise:
4.6
PerfectRec’s Operating Noise Score is based on fan noise measurements. Laptops with a fanless design, such as Macbooks, receive the maximum score.
General Use Screen Quality:
4.5
The general use screen score is based on the screen technology, contrast ratio, resolution, brightness, color gamut and color accuracy. This score does not take into account specialized display features for specific use cases, such as high refresh rate for gaming.
Software Development:
4.4
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software development. In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Content Creation:
4.4
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, and video editing work. In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
General Use:
4.3
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) offers solid general-use performance thanks to its capable CPU and abundant RAM, facilitating smooth multitasking and efficient handling of everyday tasks. The high-resolution IPS screen delivers excellent image quality, while the laptop's very good battery life and a portability score considered 'Good' make it practical for use on the go.
Portability:
4.3
PerfectRec’s portability rating takes into account the volume and thickness of the laptop as well as its weight.
Engineering & Design:
4.2
The MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) excels in engineering and design due to its powerful Intel i7 processor, dedicated AMD Radeon Pro GPU, and substantial RAM, which together can handle complex tasks and software used in these fields. Furthermore, its high-quality IPS screen with a high pixel density, bright display, and wide color coverage ensures precise visual work, while its build quality and quiet operating noise add comfort during long work sessions, albeit with a tradeoff in portability due to its weight.
Gaming & AI:
3.5
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019)'s performance in 3D tasks is limited by its AMD Radeon Pro 5300M graphics card, which, although capable, does not match the power of the highest-end GPUs dedicated for gaming or professional 3D work. Furthermore, the screen's refresh rate is standard at 60Hz, which is fine for general use but may not be as smooth for high-end gaming or detailed 3D work which can benefit from higher refresh rates.

Full Specs

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GENERAL

Price
$503
Release Date
October 1, 2019
Overall Dimensions
14.1'' x 9.7'' x 0.64''
Weight
4.3 lbs
Width
14.09"
Depth
9.68"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i7-9750H
RAM
16 GB
DDR Memory Version
4
RAM Slots
0
Storage
512 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
12 Hours
Battery Capacity
100 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
16"
Display Technology
IPS
Resolution
3072 x 1920
Refresh Rate
60Hz
Display Brightness
477 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
PerfectRec logo
10/10
Portability Score
PerfectRec logo
7.7/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
No
Premium Business Laptop
Yes
Fan Noise Score
PerfectRec logo
8.8/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
PerfectRec logo
9.5/10
Speaker Quality Score
PerfectRec logo
10/10
Webcam
720P
Fingerprint Reader
Yes
Backlit Keyboard
Yes
Number Pad
No

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
0
USB-C ports
4
USB-C Charging
Yes
Display Outputs
4
Thunderbolt Version
3

Shopping

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Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019)

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Andreas Osthoff | February 2023
"The Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023: M2 Max challenges GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The new MacBook Pro 16 2023 with the M2 Max SoC is the most powerful laptop Apple has on sale right now. While we do not get the expected performance and efficiency improvements from completely new 3 nm chips, which we expected ahead of the launch, the 2023 model is still a solid update. The CPU of the M2 Max can be up to 20 % faster than the old model and we also see an advantage of 25-30 % for the GPU with 38 cores. However, both components also consume more power, so the efficiency did not change that much under maximum load."

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Why trust us

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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.

By the numbers

380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
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Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
125,295
Recommendations made
27,148
Consumer hours saved

About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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