When choosing between the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and the ASUS ROG Flow X16, consider your primary uses. The MacBook Pro offers a combination of good performance with a focus on creative tasks and a high-resolution display, making it suitable for professionals who prefer macOS and work with media content. It's also lighter, which aids in portability. The ASUS ROG Flow X16, on the other hand, has superior gaming capabilities with a high-refresh display and a dedicated gaming-grade graphics card. It's a 2-in-1 convertible that adds tablet functionality but is slightly heavier. Your decision should align with whether you prioritize gaming and versatility over a MacOS environment and whether the price difference is justifiable for your specific needs. 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 16 (Late 2019)
Best in class overall build quality
Very good battery life
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS ROG Flow X16
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
7.6/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.2/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) with its AMD Radeon Pro GPU is less ideal for 3D work and gaming compared to the ASUS ROG Flow X16, which has a more capable Nvidia RTX GPU and a higher screen refresh rate suitable for smoother gameplay, and this is despite the benefit of higher battery life in the MacBook Pro.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.3/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is equipped with a robust Intel i7 processor and AMD Radeon Pro GPU, which, along with its high-resolution IPS screen, makes it suitable for engineering and design tasks, but its modest refresh rate may limit the smoothness in very demanding visual applications.
Screen Quality
7.8/10
8.5/10
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
477.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
502.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Pro 16 for general use, and gaming and AI.
The MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019), with its high-resolution Retina display, offers excellent detail and brightness, providing a clear and vibrant screen ideal for everyday activities and professional design work, while its wide color gamut covers the spectrum necessary for precise engineering projects. The ASUS ROG Flow X16, featuring a similar high-resolution display with superb color representation, matches the MacBook’s capabilities for general computing and creative tasks, ensuring accurate color work in design and engineering. However, both laptops fall short for 3D applications, as their screens do not prioritize high refresh rates, which are critical for smooth and responsive visuals in fast-paced 3D environments.
Battery
12.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 hours of battery life. The ASUS ROG Flow X16 has 5.5 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
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS ROG Flow X16 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$540
$1,300
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a price of $540 and the ASUS ROG Flow X16 costs $1,300.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS ROG Flow X16 to be very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.0/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) 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
7.9/10
7.7/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and ASUS ROG Flow X16 are both 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.
Portability
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and ASUS ROG Flow X16 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and the ASUS ROG Flow X16 compare to other laptops
"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."
"Above all else, the Asus ROG Flow X16 is one thing - versatile! It is a thin, mobile work device, it's a 2-in-1, tablet, a powerful workstation and even a gaming PC. But something even more surprising: It does all of these things really well without making any big blunders. It's anything but a lazy compromise. Because, despite its compact dimensions and 2-in-1 functionality, the hardware isn't throttled and boasts, at least in turbo mode, above-average performance."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) or the ASUS ROG Flow X16
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 ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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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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
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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.