Choose the Apple MacBook Pro if you favor long battery life, a higher-quality display, and better build quality, which comes with a higher price. It's well-suited for general use and performance-intensive tasks like engineering or video editing, but could be less convenient to carry around. Alternatively, the ASUS ROG Strix G15, while less expensive and having more storage, offers solid performance for gaming with hardware ray tracing and a higher refresh rate screen, but it has a shorter battery life and lower screen resolution. The MacBook Pro is generally more suitable for professional use, while the Strix G15 leans towards gaming. 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 engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS ROG Strix G15
The ASUS ROG Strix G15 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021).
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
7.7/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
284.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.1/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the ASUS ROG Strix G15 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in virtually all areas important for general use, including a high-quality CPU, ample RAM, an excellent Retina XDR display, and exceptional battery life, in a relatively lightweight design that enhances its portability. In contrast, the ASUS ROG Strix G15 offers more storage and a solid CPU, but has a less impressive display, lower-quality speakers, and a shorter battery life, while still maintaining good portability and decent performance for general tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
7.6/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.8/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS ROG Strix G15 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is favored for engineering and design due to its robust CPU, ample RAM, and high-quality GPU, coupled with exceptional screen quality, whereas the ASUS ROG Strix G15, despite its strong CPU and GPU, falls slightly behind in screen quality and is bulkier, which affects portability. Both laptops offer good keyboard and speaker quality, but the MacBook Pro tends towards quieter operation, which can be a deciding factor for work environments that demand silence.
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 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
7.2/10
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 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
7.1/10
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
284.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS ROG Strix G15 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The MacBook Pro 16's superior resolution, bright display, and wide color gamut support offer a crystal-clear and color-accurate viewing experience, making it excellent for general use and engineering tasks where detail and color fidelity are critical. Its lower refresh rate, however, makes it less suited for 3D applications which benefit from smoother motion. The ASUS ROG Strix G15, while offering good overall quality for day-to-day tasks and sufficient color coverage for engineering and design, falls short for gaming and 3D use due to its comparably lower refresh rate, where higher rates are preferred to reduce motion blur and enhance responsiveness.
Battery
17.5 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS ROG Strix G15 has 5.5 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
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS ROG Strix G15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,949
$1,249
$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 costs $1,249.
The ASUS ROG Strix G15 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) are both good for gaming and AI.
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.
Portability
Good
Good
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and ASUS ROG Strix G15 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 (2021) and the ASUS ROG Strix G15 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 ASUS ROG Strix G15 is a successful high-performance 15-inch laptop. The Asus ROG Strix impresses with an elaborate design and fast hardware. The latter can unleash its potential well in the large 15-inch case and achieve a decent performance boost compared to the previous generation. Especially the stunning 300 Hz display as well as the RTX 3070 and its generous TDP give gamers their money's worth. Asus didn't neglect seemingly small details, either, such as the keyboard and the maintenance options. The ROG Strix G15 offers a lot of pure performance and excellent workmanship in a 15-inch format, but connectivity leaves something to be desired."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the ASUS ROG Strix G15
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
102,795
Recommendations made
22,273
Consumer hours saved
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.