If excellent screen resolution and color accuracy are crucial for graphics work or entertainment, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels with its Mini LED display. Its battery life is significantly longer, making it suitable for extended use without needing a charge. Creative professionals or users needing robust processing power for tasks like video editing or 3D rendering will benefit from its powerful hardware. On the other hand, the Dell Inspiron 16 5635 offers more storage space at a lower cost and is lighter, enhancing portability. It's a good fit for general use and light creative tasks, especially if budget and storage are concerns over cutting-edge performance and display quality. 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 5635
The Dell Inspiron 16 5635 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021).
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
8.0/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
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
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5635 is very good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is favored for general use due to its high-performance CPU, substantial RAM, superior screen quality, and lengthy battery life, at the expense of being heavier and less portable than the Dell Inspiron 16 5635, which also provides very good general use capabilities with a competent CPU, ample RAM, and good screen quality, complemented by its lighter weight and excellent heat management that ensures silent operation.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
6.3/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
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 5635 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.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
7.3/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
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 5635 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is favored in engineering and design due to its high-performance CPU and GPU, twice the RAM for multitasking, and a superior Mini LED screen offering higher resolution and color accuracy compared to the Dell Inspiron 16 5635, which although offers ample storage, has a less powerful CPU and GPU, half the RAM, and a standard IPS display with lower resolution. While both laptops are similar in portability, the MacBook Pro has a higher build and speaker quality as well as quieter operating noise, which might be more appealing for long hours of work, although this comes at a higher cost.
Content Creation
8.8/10
7.9/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
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 5635 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
7.7/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
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 5635 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
6.6/10
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
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 5635 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) provides outstanding visual clarity and color accuracy with its high-resolution display and wide color gamut, which makes it ideal for tasks that require precise color representation, such as engineering and design. However, its refresh rate is lower than what is preferred for 3D applications, making it less suitable for those needs. In contrast, the Dell Inspiron 16 5635 offers adequate resolution and brightness for everyday tasks and professional work, but similar to the MacBook, it lacks the high refresh rate sought after by gamers and those working with 3D content.
Battery
17.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 16 5635 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 5635 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,949
$735
$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 5635 costs $735.
"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."
"Compared to the previous year’s Inspiron, Dell upgraded the screen aspect ratio on this generation, but also transitioned to a more minimalistic centered keyboard flanked by up-firing speakers. The 16-inch screen is huge plus and I really appreciate the extra real estate without sacrificing the footprint much. This year’s model is a little larger than last, though, as the former model was already very small for a 15 incher."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the Dell Inspiron 16 5635
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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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.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Laptops Expert
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