Considering your options, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 is a high-performance machine ideal for intensive tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering simulations, boasting a powerful processor, excellent display quality, and long battery life. It's also highly portable for its size but carries a heftier price tag and is heavier, making it less travel-friendly. On the other hand, the ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 offers an OLED display with vibrant colors and is lighter and more affordable, suitable for everyday use and light content creation. Its performance is adequate for general tasks but falls short for demanding applications and gaming, and it also has a shorter battery life. Choose the MacBook Pro if you need top-tier performance and can afford it, otherwise, the Vivobook is a cost-effective choice for regular use. 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 Pro 14
Very good portability
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
7.0/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
385.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is superior for general use compared to the ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 due to its more powerful CPU, greater RAM capacity, higher-quality screen, and longer battery life, as well as better performance in portability and overall build. Meanwhile, the ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 offers a fair general use experience with adequate CPU and RAM for lighter tasks, an OLED screen, and a respectable battery life, although it doesn't match the MacBook Pro's performance and premium features.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
6.1/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in 3D tasks because of its powerful GPU and high-quality Mini LED screen, but the platform's limitations mean many popular games won't run on macOS. Comparatively, the ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 offers fair performance for gaming and 3D with a decent GPU for its range and high refresh rate OLED screen, but it doesn't match the MacBook's GPU prowess and screen quality.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
7.0/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.0/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in engineering and design due to its superior CPU, higher amount of RAM, more powerful GPU, and exceptional screen quality, which are crucial for demanding software used in these fields. In contrast, while the ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 has a competent CPU and GPU for lighter engineering tasks, its lower RAM and screen quality make it better suited for less intensive design work, though it offers greater portability and is likely quieter in operation.
Content Creation
8.8/10
7.3/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.0/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 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
5.0/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 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
8.4/10
16.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
385.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a high-resolution display with brilliant brightness and a wide color gamut, providing sharp and vibrant visuals ideal for everyday tasks and professional design work, but it lacks a high refresh rate, making it less suitable for 3D applications. The ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 also offers a high-quality display with strong brightness and good resolution, suited for both general usage and detailed engineering tasks, but its refreshing capabilities may not be fast enough for smooth 3D experiences or gaming. For engineering and design programs, both laptops' displays cover a broad spectrum of colors, ensuring accuracy for creative professionals.
Battery
17.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 has 8 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 Pro 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
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,949
$548
$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 Pro 14 costs $548.
"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 Vivobook Pro 14 OLED is a Pantone Validated laptop that packs a lot of processing power. The Asus VivoBook Pro 14 OLED's highlight is its outstanding display: Featuring a 3K resolution in the 16:10 format and nearly a 100% coverage of the Display P3 color space, the display hardly leaves anything to be desired. The Asus laptop also shows impeccable rates in terms of general system performance. Combined with long battery life, low noise emissions, and relatively good speakers, the laptop can be recommended to users who can accept compromises in terms of connectivity."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the ASUS Vivobook Pro 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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