I understand that you're considering the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, with cost being a significant factor. When choosing between these two, consider what you value more: the MacBook Pro generally offers robust performance for professional video editing, music production, and software development tasks. It's also known for its high-quality display and sound. On the other hand, the Surface Laptop Studio is more flexible with its convertible design, touchscreen, and pen support, making it better suited for drawing, design work, and note-taking. If the versatility of a 2-in-1 device with touchscreen capabilities is more important for your workflow and you don't mind the higher cost, the Surface Laptop Studio may be the better option. However, if you prioritise a larger display, superior audio, and potentially better performance for traditional computing tasks, all at a lower price point, the MacBook Pro could be the more sensible choice. Keep in mind that the MacBook Pro runs macOS, while the Surface operates on Windows, so any software exclusivities or preferences could also influence your decision. 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
Very good battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.4/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
7.3/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio are both good for software development, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is somewhat better.
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
7.8/10
8.0/10
16.0in
SIZE
14.4in
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
477.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio for software development, and content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has a better screen for gaming and AI.
For general use, the Apple MacBook Pro and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio offer crisp visuals and vibrant colors thanks to their high-resolution displays and bright panels, creating an enjoyable viewing experience for everyday tasks. Both excel in engineering and design due to their wide color gamuts, rendering accurate and consistent colors essential for professional creative work. However, for activities like 3D gaming, both laptops fall short as their screens have lower refresh rates, which means they don't display fast-moving visuals as smoothly as specialized gaming laptops with high-refresh-rate screens.
Battery
12.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has best in class build quality, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$540
$1,700
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a price of $540 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio costs $1,700.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) excels in general use with its impressive screen quality, superior speaker quality, and robust battery life, making it a solid choice for multimedia tasks and long work sessions, albeit with less portability. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio offers a high-quality touch screen with a flexible hinge and better portability thanks to its smaller size, along with capable heat management, but has a shorter battery life which could necessitate more frequent charging.
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
6.6/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) with its AMD graphics is less suited for popular games which typically aren't available on macOS; however, it's fair for 3D tasks owing to its decent GPU but limited by a standard screen refresh rate. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, with a higher refresh rate and Nvidia RTX graphics, offers more fluid visuals and is better equipped for gaming and 3D applications, yet it's also constrained by the types of tasks that demand top-tier GPU performance.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
7.3/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2019) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio are both well-equipped for engineering and design, with the MacBook sporting an Intel i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, a 16-inch IPS screen, and an AMD Radeon Pro GPU perfect for resource-intensive applications, while the Surface Laptop features an updated Intel i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, a smaller yet high-resolution 14.4-inch touch-enabled IPS display, and a more powerful Nvidia RTX GPU for demanding graphical tasks. Despite the MacBook's larger screen and battery, the Surface offers more modern GPU performance and the advantage of a touchscreen, which can be significant in creative work and design, yet both compromise on portability due to their size and weight.
Portability
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
14.4in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) 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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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."
"There’s no doubt that the Surface Laptop Studio is groundbreaking. We’ve come to expect such things from the Surface lineup, so it’s always nice to see a product that exceeds our expectations. The pull-forward laptop-screen concept has been tried before, but never in a device that’s so stylish and packed with innovative features like a haptic touchpad and robust digital stylus support."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
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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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.
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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.