The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) offers a larger and higher-quality display, substantially better battery life, and remarkably higher performance, making it well-suited for intensive tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering. It also features a more color-accurate screen and higher build quality but at the cost of being less portable and more expensive. On the other hand, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is more affordable, lighter, and thus easier to carry around, with decent performance for general use and some engineering tasks. However, it falls short on display quality, battery life, and high-performance capabilities compared to the MacBook Pro. 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 Dell Inspiron 14 5420
Very good portability
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
7.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
279.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for general use due to its superior screen quality, more powerful CPU and GPU, and longer battery life compared to the Dell Inspiron 14 5420; however, this comes with a tradeoff in portability as the MacBook is heavier. Whereas the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 still performs well for general use with a more modest CPU and GPU, it's lighter and thus more portable, but has a shorter battery life and lesser screen quality.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
6.4/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) offers a powerful GPU and high-quality screen that are beneficial for 3D applications and tasks, although its operating system limits the range of available games. Conversely, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 may have a less dominant GPU and screen refresh rate, impacting gaming and 3D performance, but is compatible with a wider variety of popular games thanks to its Windows platform.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
7.1/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is considered very good for engineering and design due to its powerful Apple M1 Pro chip with more CPU and GPU cores, larger battery, and superior Mini LED screen quality, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is viewed as good with a capable Intel i7 processor, dedicated Nvidia graphics, and an IPS display, but it sacrifices some screen quality and power for greater portability and a lower price.
Content Creation
8.8/10
7.5/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
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 Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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
7.4/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for software development, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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
6.5/10
16.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
279.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The MacBook Pro 16's display offers high resolution and brightness, making it suitable for general use with clear and vibrant visuals, while its wide color gamut ensures accurate color representation for engineering and design tasks. The Dell Inspiron 14's screen, while decent for everyday tasks, may not match the MacBook's clarity or color precision due to its lower resolution and brightness. However, both laptops, with standard refresh rates and panel types, are not ideal for 3D applications, where higher refresh rates are key for smooth motion rendering.
Battery
17.5 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has 10 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
3.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,949
$971
$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 Dell Inspiron 14 5420 costs $971.
"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."
"If laptops were food, then the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is arguably a Big Mac. There are cheaper and more expensive options, but this arguably represents the baseline of quality and value in the world of mobile computing… something that’s underlined by the attractive $1,279 price tag."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the Dell Inspiron 14 5420
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 Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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