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Updated January 10, 2024·
If portability and battery life are priorities for you, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) with its longer battery life and slightly higher portability score is a strong option. On the other hand, if you're seeking superior performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, or more intensive gaming, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 with its dedicated Nvidia graphics card offers high performance in these areas, though at the cost of significantly shorter battery life. The MacBook excels in build quality and speaker sound, which could enhance your multimedia experience, but keep in mind the ASUS has a higher refresh rate display for smoother visuals in fast-paced tasks. The MacBook comes at a higher price, reflecting its premium design and features, while the ASUS provides a balance of price and high-level performance 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 (2021)
- Excellent for general use
- Very good for software development
- Best in class overall build quality
- Best in class battery life
- Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16
- Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
9.0
7.9
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
627.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021), with its M1 Pro processor and 32GB of RAM, delivers smooth performance for a range of tasks and its mini LED screen provides exceptional color and brightness, while its significant battery life and light weight enhance portability for general use. In contrast, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16, though it comes with a powerful Intel i9 processor and a high-refresh-rate IPS screen for responsive visual performance, compromises on battery life and is geared more towards users interested in gaming or demanding applications.
Gaming and AI
7.0
8.5
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is good.
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.
Content Creation
8.8
8.2
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 are both very good for content creation, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is somewhat better.
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
7.7
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for software development, while the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 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
9.0
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
627.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 with its high resolution and bright display offers exceptional clarity and detail for general use, and with its wide color gamut coverage, it provides accurate colors necessary for engineering and design tasks. However, its lower refresh rate may not be optimal for 3D work, where smoother motion representation is crucial. Conversely, the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 also offers a high-quality display with very good resolution and brightness for everyday tasks and sufficient color gamut for creative professionals, but for gaming and 3D modeling, the refresh rate might not be high enough to provide the most fluid visual experience.
Battery
17.5 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has 4.5 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
8.5
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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Key similarities
Engineering and Design
8.7
8.8
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in engineering and design due to its high-quality CPU, abundant RAM, powerful integrated GPU, and superior screen quality featuring high brightness and color accuracy, but its portability is just good and it might be noisier during heavy tasks compared to some competitors. In contrast, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 boasts an even more powerful CPU and dedicated GPU, a vast amount of storage, and a high refresh rate screen, though it trades off slightly on RAM capacity, also resulting in excellent performance for engineering and design uses, but like the MacBook, it offers just good portability and may have issues with operating noise.
Portability
Good
Good
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,949
$1,842
$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 Zephyrus M16 costs $1,842.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) | ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,949 | $1,842 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2021 | March 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.8'' x 0.66'' | 14'' x 9.7'' x 0.83'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.7 lbs | 4.63 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.01" | 13.98" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.77" | 9.69" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Apple M1 Pro (10C) | Intel i9-13900H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 17.5 Hours | 4.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 99.6 Wh | 90 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16.2" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | Mini LED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3456 x 2234 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 497 nits | 627 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 10/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.6/10 | 7.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8.8/10 | 6.3/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
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Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
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NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | February 2023
"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."
ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | March 2023
"The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is not yet as optimised as its predecessor. Compared to the previous gen, performance and efficiency have improved significantly. What's more, the wonderful, Mini-LED Nebula display is a contender for the main highlight and almost manages to put the CPU and GPU in the shade. We already found its predecessor to be a well-rounded and well-optimised gaming machine. Generally, but not unequivocally, that also applies to the new Asus M16. Similar to most of the current, new laptops, we are dealing with a double generational leap in terms of the CPU and GPU. However, this change doesn't always run smoothly."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16
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.
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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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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.
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