Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019)
Very good for content creation
Best in class overall build quality
Very good battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
7.4/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.7/10
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
7.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has an AMD Radeon Pro 5300M graphics card and a screen refresh rate of 60Hz, which provides fair performance for 3D applications but is less optimized for high-frame-rate gaming. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is equipped with an Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics card and a 120Hz refresh rate, offering a smoother and more responsive gaming experience, plus better 3D rendering capability, and unlike the MacBook, it supports a wide range of popular games on its Windows operating system.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.1/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
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 Pro 5i for general use, engineering and design, and content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro has an excellent display with high resolution, brightness, and panel quality that make it excellent for general use and engineering, where color accuracy is crucial. Despite these strengths, its refresh rate isn't high enough to be ideal for 3D applications that benefit from smoother motion. The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i also offers a high-quality screen with sufficient resolution and brightness for general tasks and standard color coverage for basic engineering; however, similar to the MacBook Pro, it falls short for gaming and 3D due to its refresh rate not being optimal for high-speed content.
Battery
12.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has 6 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 Pro 5i has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$540
$860
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a price of $540 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i costs $860.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) excels in screen quality with a higher pixel density and brightness, and offers excellent battery life, making it ideal for general use where visual experience and all-day usage are key. The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i, while comparable in CPU and RAM, provides a balance of performance with its newer processor and gaming-grade GPU, but trades off some screen quality and battery life, making it a versatile option for general use that may require more graphically intensive tasks.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.7/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
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 Pro 5i 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
7.7/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
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 Pro 5i 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
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i 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 Pro 5i 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."
"Lenovo’s IdeaPad Pro 5i represents an impressive opening salvo for Meteor Lake in the ultraportable space against familiar foes from AMD and Apple. Not only does the Core Ultra 5 125H processor provide good performance across the board, but battery life remains a strong point against the Acer Swift Edge 16 with its AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor. It can’t quite match the endurance of the 15-inch MacBook Pro, but the gap is shrinking."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) or the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i
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.
By the numbers
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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.