The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) commands an upper midrange price and is typically pricier. It excels with a better battery life, higher portability, a mini LED display which is more vibrant, and a quieter fan. Ideal for general use and creative professional work because of its better build quality and display. The ASUS ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition is generally less expensive, and while it is heavier and has lesser battery life, it offers competitive performance for gaming and engineering tasks. Its display refresh rate is higher, which is excellent for fast-moving visuals in gaming, but with a tradeoff in resolution and battery efficiency. 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 (2021)
Excellent for general use
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Good portability
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition
The ASUS ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021).
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
7.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
283.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the ASUS ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in general use thanks to its superior CPU and RAM, high screen quality, and excellent portability and battery life, while still maintaining a robust build, great heat management, and low operating noise. On the other hand, the ASUS ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition delivers strong performance, particularly in CPU and gaming suitability, but it is heavier, which impacts portability, and has a shorter battery life, although it still offers high-quality input devices and screen.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
7.8/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
300Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.2/10
The ASUS ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) are both good for gaming and AI, though the ASUS ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition is somewhat better.
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
8.7/10
8.0/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.8/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and ASUS ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition are both very good for engineering and design, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in engineering and design with a powerful Apple M1 Pro chip, abundant RAM, and high-quality Mini LED display, which is matched by excellent speaker and keyboard quality while maintaining good portability.
Content Creation
8.8/10
7.7/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.8/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for content creation, while the ASUS ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition 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
8.9/10
7.3/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.8/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for software development, while the ASUS ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition 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.
Screen Quality
9.4/10
7.9/10
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
300Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
283.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels with a high-resolution display and bright panel, providing clarity and ease of viewing, while the ASUS ROG Strix has a decent screen but doesn't match the MacBook's display quality. In terms of engineering and design, the MacBook Pro offers superior color accuracy with wide color gamuts, essential for precision work, whereas the ASUS ROG Strix, despite good performance, falls short in color representation. When it comes to 3D work or gaming, the ASUS's higher refresh rate provides a smoother visual experience, which the MacBook Pro lacks, making it less ideal for those specific needs despite its high resolution and quality panel type.
Battery
17.5 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition has 9 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.
Portability
Good
Fair
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has good portability, while the ASUS ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,949
$1,500
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has a price of $1,949 and the ASUS ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition costs $1,500.
"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 Asus ROG Strix G15, as the first in a line of "AMD Advantage"-branded notebooks, is a statement that yes, you can get a premium AMD gaming notebook. Maybe you can't have it all, but you can get pretty close. The ROG Strix G15's combination of the AMD Ryzen 5900HX and Radeon RX 6800M, as well as other technologies that take advantage of them, make a potent, thin gaming machine. Powerful Dolby Atmos speakers and long battery life when you aren't gaming are nice bonuses."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the ASUS ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition
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 ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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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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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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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Laptops Expert
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