The Apple MacBook Pro 16 offers top-tier performance, especially for engineering tasks, with its powerful M1 Pro chip and ample RAM, making it a robust choice for demanding applications. Its Mini LED display boasts exceptional color accuracy and brightness, ideal for creative professionals. However, it comes with a higher price tag and is less portable due to its size and weight.
In contrast, the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED presents a more budget-friendly option with a vibrant OLED screen that delivers stunning visuals, perfect for general use and entertainment. It's also more compact and lighter, enhancing portability. While it has a capable Intel Core Ultra processor and Arc GPU, it may not match the MacBook's performance in intensive tasks like 3D rendering or machine learning. Additionally, its battery life is shorter, and it has fewer high-speed ports.
Ultimately, if your priority is uncompromised performance and you're willing to invest in a larger, premium device, the MacBook Pro is the way to go. However, if you're looking for a more affordable and portable laptop with an impressive display for everyday tasks and casual gaming, the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED is a strong contender. 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
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
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 S 15 OLED
Very good portability
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
7.7/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1620
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
600.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
8.0/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED are both very good for engineering and design, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.8/10
8.0/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1620
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED 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
8.9/10
7.8/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1620
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 S 15 OLED 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
8.8/10
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1620
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
600.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
17.5 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED 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
Very Good
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.3 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED 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 S 15 OLED 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 Vivobook S 15 OLED costs $1,249.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) to be good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED is only fair.
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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED 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 Vivobook S 15 OLED excels as a capable work machine at an affordable price. It offers commendable performance, thanks to its 12th Gen Intel chip, delivers quality on-screen entertainment with its 15.6-inch OLED display, and can (kind of) get you through a full day of work. Oh, and its special Asus Antibacterial Guard is a nice touch for those who like a clean laptop."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED
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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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.