If price is a major concern and everyday tasks are your primary use, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro may suit your needs while saving you money. However, if you engage in more intensive tasks like video editing or professional work requiring higher performance and a robust ecosystem, the MacBook Pro 16 may be worth the extra investment despite its higher cost. The MacBook Pro typically offers better build quality, a higher-resolution display, longer battery life, and potentially better resale value. The tradeoff is less portability and a higher initial price compared to the IdeaPad, which still delivers solid performance for general use and can handle lighter creative workloads. 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)
Very good for content creation
Best in class overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019).
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.8/10
7.8/10
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
477.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
409.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16's highly-resolved display and bright panel offer vivid images and clarity that benefit general use and complex engineering tasks, while its wide color gamut suits professional design work, but a standard refresh rate limits its suitability for 3D applications which demand smoother visuals. The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro delivers resolution and brightness sufficient for everyday tasks and supports casual design work with a decent color range, but its modest refresh rate falls short for gaming and 3D modeling where fluid motion and quick screen responses are crucial. Both laptops prioritize screen characteristics that cater to productivity and visual accuracy over the swift display movement required in high-refresh-rate scenarios.
Battery
12.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 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.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$540
$1,162
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a price of $540 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro costs $1,162.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is well-suited for general use because it features powerful CPU and GPU, ample RAM, a high-resolution screen with excellent color accuracy, and a long battery life, also benefiting from best-in-class keyboard and speaker quality; however, it is less portable and has high operating noise.
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
6.5/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
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
7.5/10
7.2/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) with an Intel processor and AMD Radeon Pro GPU, high-resolution IPS display, and significant color accuracy is highly suitable for engineering and design due to its performance in CPU-intensive tasks and exceptional screen quality. The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro also stands out for similar uses with its AMD Ryzen CPU and Nvidia RTX GPU, offering ample performance and a high refresh rate screen, though it may fall slightly behind in color accuracy compared to the MacBook Pro.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.5/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) to be very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 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
7.9/10
7.4/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 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
4.3 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 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."
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro turns out a successful all-rounder that, aside from 3D applications, always strikes a good or very good figure. This begins with the elegant metal case that isn't particularly light but fairly robust, giving a high-quality impression. The input devices are also better than those of many competitors. Both the keyboard and the touchpad are attractive and comfortable. In addition, the performance of the Ryzen 5 6600HS is easily able to keep up with the Intel competitors."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) or the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro
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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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.