Choosing between the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and the Dell Precision 5470 involves considering your needs for performance, battery life, display, and operating system. The MacBook Pro offers a larger display with higher resolution and Mini LED technology, which might be preferable for tasks involving visual content. Its Apple M1 Pro chip provides ample power for a wide range of professional tasks including 3D and machine learning, and it has remarkable battery life for extended use without charging. However, its Mac operating system may limit software compatibility for certain specialized engineering applications. On the other hand, the Dell Precision 5470, though with a smaller and less high-res screen, runs Windows 11 Pro and may support a broader range of engineering software. It also has enterprise-focused features like additional security options. The MacBook Pro is heavier and might be less convenient for travel, while the Dell Precision, being lighter, suits on-the-go professionals despite its shorter battery life. 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 keyboard
Advantages of the Dell Precision 5470
Very good portability
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
500.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the Dell Precision 5470 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) with its more powerful CPU, larger screen with higher resolution, more RAM, and significantly longer battery life stands out for general use and content consumption, though it's less portable and pricier than the Dell Precision 5470, which provides ample power for everyday use, a high-quality keyboard, and good portability at a more affordable cost. Both laptops boast quality speakers and build, but the MacBook Pro offers a more vibrant display and better heat management, making it suitable for longer and more intense work sessions.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
7.8/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Precision 5470 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) stands out for engineering and design use due to its powerful M1 Pro processor with great CPU and GPU performance, a high-resolution Mini LED screen with excellent color accuracy, ample storage and memory, coupled with a large screen size that enhances multitasking and design work. Meanwhile, the Dell Precision 5470 offers good performance with its Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU, however, has less memory and storage, a lower resolution screen, and reduced battery life, making it less suitable for extremely intensive tasks, but its lighter weight and smaller form factor may be advantageous for those prioritizing portability.
Content Creation
8.8/10
7.8/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
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 Precision 5470 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
9.1/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for software development, while the Dell Precision 5470 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
7.3/10
16.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Dell Precision 5470 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 excels in screen quality for general use and engineering due to its high resolution, impressive brightness, and wide color gamuts that ensure sharp, bright, and color-accurate displays. Its stellar performance in engineering and design is further enhanced by the coverage of professional color spaces, such as DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, which are crucial for detailed and color-critical work. However, for 3D and gaming applications where high refresh rates are most important, the MacBook Pro may not be ideal as it typically prioritizes resolution and color fidelity over faster screen refresh capabilities, whereas the Dell Precision 5470, while offering good resolution and suitable color accuracy for general use and engineering tasks, does not focus on high refresh rates, making it suboptimal for gaming and 3D uses.
Battery
17.5 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Dell Precision 5470 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
14.0in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Dell Precision 5470 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
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the Dell Precision 5470 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,949
$1,669
$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 Precision 5470 costs $1,669.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) to be good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Precision 5470 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and the Dell Precision 5470 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 Dell Precision 5470 is a mobile workstation that's far more portable than most alternatives. Between its slim 14-inch design and top-quality MIL-STD 810H build, it's one of the best options around for taking professional-grade performance on the road or to the job site. There are tradeoffs for its portability, and users of the most demanding, graphics-intensive applications will need to carry something heavier. But the Dell's exceptional battery life underscores its desirability as the most portable workstation we've seen."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the Dell Precision 5470
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
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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