Choosing between the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and the ASUS Vivobook Go 14 depends on your needs and budget. The MacBook Pro, being at an upper midrange price, offers a high-performance M1 Pro chip, more storage and RAM, and a superior display with better color accuracy and brightness. It is also equipped with a larger battery providing longer battery life, and it is excellent for engineering tasks, 3D/machine learning, and general use. On the downside, it is less portable due to its larger size and heavier weight. The ASUS Vivobook Go 14, on the other hand, comes at a budget price with modest performance suitable for general use, but with limited capabilities for intensive tasks. It has a lighter, more portable design with decent battery life, yet its screen, speakers, and build quality are not as high-end as the MacBook Pro’s. If cost is a concern and your tasks are light, the ASUS might be suitable, but if you engage in more demanding tasks and demand higher quality, the MacBook Pro is the stronger option. 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
Good for gaming and AI
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 Vivobook Go 14
Very good portability
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
6.2/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
250.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 14 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 is distinguished by its more powerful CPU, greater RAM, and superior Mini LED screen for sharper and more vivid visuals, making it excellent for varied tasks, bolstered by longer battery life, though it's heavier and less portable than the ASUS Vivobook Go 14, which, while lighter for portability, makes compromises with less RAM, a less powerful CPU, and an IPS screen that doesn't match the MacBook's quality, classifying it as fair for general use.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
5.7/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 14 is poor.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is equipped with a potent dedicated GPU and a high screen refresh rate, making it well-suited for 3D tasks and some gaming despite the limitation that many games don't run on macOS; on the other hand, the ASUS Vivobook Go 14 has a weaker GPU and a lower screen refresh rate, which significantly hampers its performance for gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
5.9/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.1/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 14 is poor.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in engineering and design due to its powerful Apple M1 Pro processor, a robust 32GB of RAM, an advanced GPU, and a superior Mini LED screen that supports a wide color gamut and high brightness. In contrast, the ASUS Vivobook Go 14 falls short for such tasks with a less powerful AMD Ryzen CPU, only 8GB of RAM, a basic GPU, and an IPS screen with lower color accuracy and brightness.
Content Creation
8.8/10
6.5/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.1/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 14 is only fair.
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
6.4/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.1/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 14 is only fair.
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
6.2/10
16.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
250.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook Go 14 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has an advanced display with high resolution and brightness, plus wide color gamut coverage, which ensures crisp and vivid visuals essential for general use and professional engineering or design work. While the ASUS Vivobook Go 14 offers a decent display for everyday tasks and non-specialized work, its screen doesn't quite match the MacBook's in terms of color accuracy and brightness, which are crucial for engineering and design. For 3D applications, the MacBook Pro's screen is less suitable due to a standard refresh rate, whereas gaming and 3D would benefit from the higher refresh rates typically found on specialized gaming laptops, which neither the MacBook Pro nor the Vivobook Go provide.
Battery
17.5 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS Vivobook Go 14 has 7 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
Very Good
16.2in
SIZE
14.0in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS Vivobook Go 14 has very good portability, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 14 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,949
$450
$0
$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 Vivobook Go 14 costs $450.
"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 lack of a backlit keyboard in this price segment shouldn't sway the buyer the other way. However, it still comes down to user preference. The Vivobook Go 14 is a decent laptop in an extremely competitive price segment. A few omissions are a part of the balancing to reach the price segment. The Asus Vivobook Go 14 is a rare find when it comes to the price to performance ratio."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the ASUS Vivobook Go 14
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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