Based on this comparison, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is the more premium choice with a longer battery life, better speakers, higher build quality, and performance suited for more demanding tasks like 3D rendering or engineering software. Despite its superior capabilities, the MacBook Pro is heavier and less portable. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is a more budget-friendly option with a lighter design that makes it more portable. It has a touch screen, which the MacBook Pro lacks, but it has lower overall performance and shorter battery life, making it more suitable for general use rather than intensive tasks. Consider your main activities, whether you value portability, and if the higher price of the MacBook Pro justifies the performance gain for your usage. 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 Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
Very good portability
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
7.3/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
395.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is revered for its robust CPU and RAM, superior screen quality with Mini LED technology, and outstanding battery life, although it is less portable due to its larger size and weight, which also affects its overall portability score. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro, with a decent CPU and RAM for general use, more portable form factor and touchscreen display, offers a good balance for everyday tasks but falls short in battery endurance and screen quality compared to the MacBook Pro.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
6.1/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) with its higher GPU performance and faster screen refresh rate excels for 3D applications, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro, despite a fair GPU and a decent screen refresh rate, is held back for gaming partly due to compatibility issues with many popular games not running on its Windows 11 OS, whereas the MacBook's macOS also has limitations with gaming compatibility.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
7.0/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.0/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is more suitable for engineering and design due to its superior CPU, twice the RAM, advanced GPU, and exceptional screen quality, featuring a high-resolution Mini LED display with remarkable color accuracy and high brightness. Compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro, which also offers a high-resolution display and quality build, the MacBook excels in key areas like graphics performance for demanding applications, but it is heavier and less portable.
Content Creation
8.8/10
7.4/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.0/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
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 Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 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
7.3/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.0/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 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
7.7/10
16.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
395.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) stands out with a high-resolution display and exceptional brightness, along with wide color gamuts that ensure accurate colors for engineering and design work. However, its refresh rate is lower, which is less optimal for 3D applications where scenes move rapidly. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro also offers a sharp, bright display with good color accuracy for general and engineering uses but falls short in gaming and 3D scenarios due to a similarly modest refresh rate.
Battery
17.5 Hours
8.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has 8.5 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
3.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 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
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,949
$799
$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 Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro costs $799.
"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 main selling point of the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro versus a regular IdeaPad Slim 7 is its faster Core H-series CPU. In reality, the Core i7-11370H is only marginally faster than the U-series Core i7-1165G7 to the point where most users are not likely to notice the benefits. The slight performance uptick comes at the cost of slightly higher power consumption as well meaning owners will have to deal with potentially warmer temperatures or louder fans to compensate. Unless if you happen to be a power user, then the regular non-Pro model will be more than enough. Once you go 90 Hz, you can't go back."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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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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
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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.