Choosing the MacBook Pro (Late 2019) gives you a good balance of price and performance, being much less expensive for everyday tasks. However, its graphics and processing capabilities might not match the higher-end Surface Laptop Studio 2, which is more suitable for intensive tasks like 3D work, machine learning, and gaming due to its more powerful Nvidia graphics card. The Surface also offers a flexible hinge design for tablet use and a higher refresh rate screen, which could benefit creative professionals and enthusiasts. It has a considerably larger storage capacity and a higher memory capacity as well. On the other hand, the MacBook Pro offers a higher resolution display and a traditional laptop form factor with MacOS, which might be preferable for users comfortable within the Apple ecosystem or those who prioritize productivity software optimized for MacOS. Consider battery life too, as the MacBook Pro may provide longer usage per charge compared to the Surface. The tradeoff here is between the MacBook Pro's better price and Mac ecosystem against the Surface's versatility and capacity for demanding applications. 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 speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Key differences
General Use
7.8/10
8.3/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
477.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is praised for its superior keyboard quality and better heat management, making it suitable for extended periods of use; its screen also offers expansive color coverage, contributing to its good rating for general use. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 provides significantly more storage and RAM, which can handle more intensive multitasking, and its higher resolution touchscreen with a unique hinge may appeal to those valuing versatility in use cases, despite it having a shorter battery life and being less portable.
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
7.7/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
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 2 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is fair for 3D largely because it has an AMD Radeon Pro 5300M GPU and a screen refresh rate of 60Hz, which are modest for 3D applications and gaming, and some popular games don't run on its MacOS. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is good for gaming and 3D with a stronger Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 120Hz, plus it runs Windows 11 Home, which supports a wider range of games.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.7/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 takes the lead in engineering and design use over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) due to its more robust hardware including a better CPU, significantly more RAM, and a more powerful GPU, which are very important for demanding tasks, as well as a higher resolution screen with touch capability. While the MacBook Pro offers strong performance with its own high-quality CPU and dedicated GPU, alongside a high-quality screen, the Surface Laptop's more recent and higher spec components provide a performance edge that can be crucial for engineering and design work.
Screen Quality
7.8/10
7.9/10
16.0in
SIZE
14.4in
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
477.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen for gaming and AI, content creation, and software development.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 both boast high-resolution displays with excellent color accuracy and brightness, making them suitable for general use where crisp and vibrant visuals are appreciated. For professionals in engineering and design, their wide color gamuts ensure precise color representation, which is essential for detailed work. However, their lower refresh rates aren't ideal for 3D work or gaming, where smoother motion provided by higher refresh rates can make a significant difference in visual fluidity and responsiveness.
Battery
12.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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 2 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$540
$3,300
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a price of $540 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $3,300.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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
8.2/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 to be very good for software development, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
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
14.4in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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 new Surface Laptop Studio with its foldable display is supposed to replace the old Surface Book and the overall impression is good after our review. The build quality and the materials are top-notch, the performance utilization of the two components is solid and the device does not show any major flaws in terms of display or speakers, either. The folding mechanism leaves a sold impression as well, but it remains to be seen how it will hold up over the years. The so-called presentation mode is also not ideal since it covers the whole keyboard."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
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.
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.