Considering your laptop options between the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro, here's what you should keep in mind: The MacBook Pro offers superior build quality, higher screen resolution, brightness, color accuracy, and incredibly long battery life, which makes it excellent for professionals in design, video editing, or photography who also value portability and a sleek design. On the other hand, the Legion 5i Pro is tailored towards high-performance gaming and engineering tasks with its powerful dedicated graphics, higher refresh rates, and thermal management, though it's heavier and less portable with a shorter battery life. If cost is a key factor, you'll find the Legion 5i Pro is typically less expensive than the MacBook Pro. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
Excellent for general use
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Good portability
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
7.5/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is considered very good for general use due to its high-resolution Mini LED screen, efficient M1 Pro processor, and extensive battery life, complemented by exceptional build quality and a lightweight form factor enhancing portability. Conversely, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro, while boasting a powerful Intel i7 processor and dedicated Nvidia graphics for heavy tasks, falls short in battery life and is bulkier, making it less ideal for those prioritizing mobility and all-day use without charging.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
8.0/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is good.
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.
Content Creation
8.8/10
7.6/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
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 Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 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
9.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for software development, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 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
8.1/10
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
When considering a laptop for general use, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 offers superior screen quality due to its high resolution, advanced panel technology, and exceptional brightness, providing crisp and vibrant visuals for everyday tasks. For engineering and design, the MacBook's screen excels in accurately representing colors, supporting wide color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, which are crucial for precision in color-critical work. However, for 3D applications, the MacBook falls short as it prioritizes resolution and color accuracy over a high refresh rate, which is essential for a smooth and responsive experience during 3D rendering and gaming.
Battery
17.5 Hours
3.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has 3.5 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
Fair
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,949
$1,000
$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 Legion Pro 5i costs $1,000.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and Lenovo Legion Pro 5i are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in engineering and design due to its robust CPU and GPU integrated into the M1 Pro chip, ample RAM, and a high-quality Mini LED screen that enhances color accuracy and brightness, benefiting detailed design work. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro is equipped with a high-performance Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU, making it suitable for demanding engineering software while also offering a quality IPS display with a high refresh rate, though it compromises on portability and screen brightness compared to the MacBook Pro.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 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 midpriced Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 follows some of our favorite gaming machines, including last year's model and the higher-end Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 tested earlier this year. But pedigree doesn't count for much in the computer world, and gaming laptops require a certain level of power and graphics performance to justify their prices. The Pro 5i Gen 8 just doesn't do that, offering middling CPU and GPU performance rather than the sort of muscle that would make it a great value."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i
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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