If you need a laptop for high performance tasks like video editing or 3D modeling, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is a strong choice with its more powerful processor and graphics. It also offers a higher quality display and better speakers, which is ideal for multimedia work, but comes with a higher price tag and is heavier, making it less portable than the LG Ultra 16. The LG Ultra 16, on the other hand, is more budget-friendly, lighter, and offers good performance for everyday tasks and light engineering work. Its battery life is comparable to the MacBook's, despite its lower-end display and build quality, making it a practical option for general use and portability. Both have similar storage and no touchscreen, with different operating systems, MacOS for the MacBook and Windows for the LG Ultra, which might influence your decision based on your software needs. 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 LG Ultra 16
The LG Ultra 16 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021).
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
270.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
17.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.9/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the LG Ultra 16 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) offers a more powerful CPU and GPU, twice the amount of RAM, and superior screen quality, making it very good for general use, though it is less portable and heavier than the LG Ultra 16. While the LG Ultra 16 has the advantage of being lighter with competitive battery life and silent operation, it has a less robust CPU and GPU, and half the RAM, with a display that doesn't match the Apple's, categorizing it as good for general use.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
6.2/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
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 LG Ultra 16 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) fares better for 3D due to its higher-end GPU, which is crucial for rendering complex graphics, and a superior Mini LED screen with a higher refresh rate that makes visuals smoother, although it may be limited in gaming because many popular games aren't available for macOS. In contrast, while the LG Ultra 16's GPU is less powerful, making it only adequate for gaming and 3D, it runs Windows which supports a wider array of games, and has an IPS screen with a standard refresh rate that is fine for many games but won't deliver as fluid an experience as higher refresh rates.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
7.0/10
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 LG Ultra 16 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) outshines in engineering and design due to its robust CPU and GPU combo, ample RAM, and superior screen quality with a high-resolution Mini LED display. In contrast, the LG Ultra 16 offers half the RAM and relies on integrated graphics, but gains an edge in portability and offers a silent operating experience with its fanless design.
Content Creation
8.8/10
7.7/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
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 LG Ultra 16 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
6.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for software development, while the LG Ultra 16 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
6.2/10
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
270.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the LG Ultra 16 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro's display offers high resolution and brightness, alongside robust color accuracy covering a wide range of the color spectrum, making it excellent for detailed engineering and design work, but its standard refresh rate limits the smoothness for 3D applications. In contrast, the LG Ultra's display, while offering decent resolution and brightness for everyday tasks, does not match the MacBook in color reproduction, which professionals in design may find limiting. Lastly, for gaming and 3D work, the LG Ultra's lower refresh rate wouldn't be ideal, as it wouldn't provide the fluid motion graphics that these tasks often require.
Build Quality
10.0/10
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the LG Ultra 16 has only fair 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 LG Ultra 16 costs $1,000.
"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."
"Unlike the gram, the Ultra PC isn't designed to be as lightweight as possible. The 16-inch laptop is a whole 400 g (0.88 lb) heavier than its 16-inch gram counterpart partly because its chassis is not made of magnesium. Other than that, the Ultra PC seems like a copy of the gram – but with longer battery life, lower noise levels, and a clean, delicate look."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the LG Ultra 16
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 LG
LG is a South Korean conglomerate company. While LG is mainly known for various products outside of technology, LG also develops laptops. Within the laptop industry, they are known for their thin-and-light Gram series, as well as their value-oriented Ultra series. LG laptops offer very thin and light laptops with phenomenal battery life, 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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
102,795
Recommendations made
22,273
Consumer hours saved
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
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
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.