The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) delivers high performance for engineering tasks, 3D rendering, and machine learning, making it suitable for professionals and power users. However, it is significantly heavier on the pocket compared to the Dell Inspiron 16 5620. The MacBook Pro is known for its excellent battery life, superior build quality, and its high-resolution mini LED display, which is fantastic for color-critical work. On the other hand, the Dell Inspiron offers a budget-friendly alternative with decent performance for general use and a lightweight design for better portability. If your focus is on high-end tasks and screen quality, the MacBook Pro may justify the investment, while the Dell Inspiron is more aligned with budget-conscious users needing a laptop for everyday tasks and some light professional work. 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 16 5620
The Dell Inspiron 16 5620 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021).
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
7.7/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
265.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in general use due to its superior CPU, larger amount of RAM, higher quality mini LED screen, better portability with longer battery life, and top-notch keyboard and speaker quality. The Dell Inspiron 16 5620, while still good for general use, is compromised by a less powerful CPU, half as much RAM, lower screen quality, and shorter battery life, though it has silent operation and excellent heat management.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
6.2/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in 3D tasks due to its powerful GPU and high-quality screen, which are paramount for such applications, although its operating system limits the availability of popular games. The Dell Inspiron 16 5620, while offering a decent GPU and viable screen quality, lacks the higher screen refresh rate and top-tier GPU that would make it ideal for the latest gaming and 3D experiences.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
7.0/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is more suited for engineering and design owing to its superior CPU and GPU (Apple M1 Pro with more cores), more RAM for multitasking, and a Mini LED screen with a higher resolution and color accuracy which benefits detailed design work.
Content Creation
8.8/10
7.6/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
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 16 5620 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
7.5/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for software development, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 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
6.2/10
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
265.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in screen quality for general use and engineering with its high-resolution display and wide color gamut, offering sharp visuals and precise color reproduction that professionals need. However, its screen falls short for 3D applications due to a standard refresh rate, which can't match the smoothness required for such intensive graphics work. Contrastingly, the Dell Inspiron 16 5620, with fair screen quality, provides adequate resolution and brightness for everyday tasks and engineering, but it too lacks the high refresh rate necessary to deliver the best experience in gaming and 3D scenarios.
Battery
17.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 16 5620 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.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,949
$500
$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 Dell Inspiron 16 5620 costs $500.
"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 the world is exciting enough right now, you can do far worse than a solid performer that you know will get the job done. Our review model is as powerful as you'd want an office machine to be unless you're performing specialist tasks and the price point is pretty attractive (unless work will let you have a MacBook Air instead)."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the Dell Inspiron 16 5620
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
102,795
Recommendations made
22,273
Consumer hours saved
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.