Given your situation, if budget is a key concern, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) may lean in your favor due to its lower price point. The MacBook will offer great performance for general use, professional media editing, and software development. However, if you require a laptop for gaming or graphics-intensive tasks, the Razer Blade 15, with its dedicated graphics hardware, will surpass the Macbook in terms of raw graphical performance, making it a better fit. It may also be more suitable for certain types of engineering applications or 3D modeling. On the other hand, the MacBook Pro might provide a more seamless experience for users invested in the Apple ecosystem, with better battery life and an operating system optimized for its hardware. The Razer Blade 15, while more expensive, is also designed with portability in mind, although it might still be heavier and have a shorter battery life compared to the MacBook Pro. Consider which of these aspects align most with your needs: software ecosystem and battery life with the MacBook, versus gaming and graphics performance with the Razer Blade. 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 Razer Blade 15
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
8.0/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.0/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Razer Blade 15 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is only fair.
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
8.5/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Razer Blade 15 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
The Razer Blade 15 outperforms the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) for engineering and design due to its more recent and higher-performance CPU and more powerful GPU, which better facilitate demanding tasks and contribute to its "very good" designation. While both have high-quality IPS displays and 16 GB of RAM, the MacBook is praised for its longer battery life and superior screen brightness, which along with highly rated speakers and keyboard, might make it a strong contender for those prioritizing a mix of performance and multimedia experience.
Screen Quality
7.8/10
8.2/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
477.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
271.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Razer Blade 15 for software development, while the Razer Blade 15 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The MacBook Pro 16 is praised for its high-resolution display and exceptional brightness, which is beneficial for daily tasks and clarity, while its wide color gamut caters to precision in engineering and design. The Razer Blade 15 offers similar benefits for general use and design with a quality display that boasts good color accuracy and fidelity. However, for tasks like 3D rendering and gaming that demand fast screen refresh rates for smoother visuals, both the MacBook Pro and Razer Blade 15 may fall short as they prioritize resolution and color over refresh speeds.
Battery
12.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 15 has 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 Razer Blade 15 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$540
$2,500
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a price of $540 and the Razer Blade 15 costs $2,500.
The Razer Blade 15 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 is appreciated for general use because of its high-quality screen, long battery life, and sufficient CPU and RAM for everyday tasks, coupled with good portability, whereas the Razer Blade 15, with a strong CPU and GPU, is also suitable for general use offering a high-quality screen and ample storage, but with less battery life and a focus on features that cater to gaming. Both laptops provide the necessary performance and screen quality for most tasks, but the MacBook Pro 16 edges ahead in battery life and portability, while the Razer Blade 15 excels in gaming capability.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.0/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 15 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
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Razer Blade 15 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
15.6in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Razer Blade 15 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 Razer Blade 15 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 2022 Blade 15 offers roughly 15 to 25 percent faster graphics performance and 20 percent faster CPU performance over last year's Core i7-11800H and RTX 3080 model. Thankfully, the system doesn't need to run noticeably louder or warmer to achieve faster results, but both power consumption and battery life take a hit. The higher consumption in particular appears to be a trend amongst many 12th gen Core laptops including the Schenker Uniwill Technology GM7AG8P or MSI Vector GP66 when compared to their previous generation counterparts. We're also glad to not see below-average CPU performance which was the case for the 10th gen Core i7-10875H model."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) or the Razer Blade 15
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 Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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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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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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.
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