When choosing between the Apple MacBook Pro and the MSI Stealth, consider that the MacBook Pro offers a sleek design, long battery life, and is excellent for creative tasks like video editing, with its optimized software ecosystem. However, if high-end gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning is your focus, the MSI Stealth, with its powerful graphics and cooling system, excels despite being less portable and having shorter battery life. Both are powerful, but if budget is a concern and you favor a mix of performance and battery life for general use, the MacBook Pro may be the better value. 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
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 MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
8.4/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio is very good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 with its high-quality CPU and abundant RAM excels in delivering smooth performance and a crystal-clear screen, making it ideal for everyday tasks while being relatively portable with strong battery life. The MSI Stealth, although it provides comparable power and screen quality, tends to be bulkier and may not last as long on a single charge, making it slightly less convenient for on-the-go use.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
8.9/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has a strong GPU suitable for 3D rendering, but its screen refresh rate is typically lower than gaming laptops, making it less optimal for fast-paced gaming; its screen quality and CPU contribute to its capability in professional creative tasks. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio boasts a high refresh rate screen and superior GPU performance, catering effectively to the high demands of both gaming and 3D applications, though it's important to note that the MacBook's macOS might limit game compatibility, a non-issue for MSI's Windows platform.
Software Development
8.9/10
8.2/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio are both very good for software development, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is somewhat better.
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
8.4/10
16.2in
SIZE
18.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio for general use, 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 Retina display, which offers vivid colors, and wide color gamuts, like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, ensuring accurate color representation. However, its refresh rate isn't high enough to make it ideal for 3D applications, where smooth motion is crucial. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio also provides an excellent display for general use and professional design tasks, with a similar focus on color accuracy, but it falls short for gaming and 3D due to its lack of a high refresh rate.
Battery
17.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio has 6 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
18.0in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has good portability, while the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio 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
$2,900
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has a price of $1,949 and the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio costs $2,900.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio to be excellent for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) with its high-quality screen, exceptional build, and efficient CPU and GPU balance offers reliable performance for engineering tasks, complemented by a comfortable keyboard and good speakers; however, the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio surpasses it in raw CPU and GPU power, making it superior for more demanding engineering and design applications, although it is less portable and typically noisier under load.
Content Creation
8.8/10
8.5/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio are both very good for content creation.
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.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio 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."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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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