The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) offers high performance, a vibrant display, and longer battery life, suitable for intensive tasks like video editing, 3D work, gaming, and professional use, but it comes with a higher price tag and is less portable due to its size and weight. The Gateway 14.1" laptop is likely more budget-friendly and portable due to its smaller size, making it suitable for general use and travel, but it could have less power for demanding applications and may offer shorter battery life, potentially making it less ideal for resource-intensive tasks or long periods away from a power source. Consider your primary activities, whether that's heavy-duty work or everyday tasks, and balance that against your budget and need for portability when making your decision. 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 Gateway 14.1"
Very good portability
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
5.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
208.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The MacBook Pro 16 (2021) provides exceptional performance for general use with a robust CPU, ample RAM, and high-quality screen, while its portability and battery life enhance its versatility. In contrast, the Gateway 14.1" is limited by a basic CPU, minimal RAM, and inferior screen quality, which reduce its effectiveness for anything beyond basic tasks, despite being lightweight and having an adequate portability factor.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
5.4/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is good for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021), with its powerful 16-core GPU and high screen refresh rate, is well-equipped for 3D applications and games that are compatible with macOS, compared to the Gateway 14.1", whose lower-powered GPU and standard refresh rate restrict its gaming and 3D performance. However, the MacBook's macOS may not support many popular games available on Windows which the Gateway 14.1" runs, potentially limiting gaming options despite its superior hardware.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
5.5/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is superior for engineering and design due to its high-performance CPU, ample RAM, powerful GPU, and high-quality screen, which are essential for demanding tasks and detailed visuals. Conversely, the Gateway 14.1" falls short in engineering and design due to its much lower-tier CPU, minimal RAM, less capable GPU, and lower screen quality, hindering performance and detail representation required in those fields.
Content Creation
8.8/10
5.8/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for content creation, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
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
5.8/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
32.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for software development, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
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
6.0/10
16.2in
SIZE
14.1in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
208.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Gateway 14.1" for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 boasts superior panel type, high resolution, and exceptional brightness, making it ideal for general use, while its wide color gamuts greatly benefit precision tasks in engineering and design. However, its standard refresh rate is less conducive for 3D applications where smoother motion is important. The Gateway 14.1", while offering decent resolution and adequate brightness for everyday tasks and entry-level design work, cannot match the MacBook's screen performance and suffers in gaming and 3D contexts due to its limited refresh rate.
Battery
17.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Gateway 14.1" 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
5.1/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the Gateway 14.1" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,949
$99
$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 Gateway 14.1" costs $99.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gateway 14.1" to have very good portability, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and the Gateway 14.1" 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 Gateway Ultra Slim 14" is surprisingly quiet with long battery life. The inexpensive Gateway excels at maximizing performance per dollar with lots of RAM and storage, super-quiet fan, and a long battery life. It can even house up to two M.2 SSDs which we weren't expecting from such a cheap system. However, the iffy reliability of the keyboard and USB-C port on our test unit means users should double-check for these potential issues immediately after purchasing."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the Gateway 14.1"
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 Gateway
Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.
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 is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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