Between the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and the MSI Summit E16 Flip, consider this: if you prioritize longer battery life and a higher-resolution Mini LED display, the MacBook Pro is better. Conversely, the Summit E16 Flip offers a touch screen with higher refresh rate and a dedicated NVIDIA graphics card, which could benefit gaming or creation tasks that require GPU power. The MacBook is slightly heavier but both are portable; it runs macOS, while the Summit runs Windows 11 Pro, a key consideration depending on software needs. Both are similarly priced, with the Summit providing double the storage capacity but half the RAM of the MacBook. 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 MSI Summit E16 Flip
The MSI Summit E16 Flip has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021).
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
7.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
294.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is favored for general use due to its robust CPU and RAM setup, superior screen quality with high brightness and color accuracy, and longer battery life, despite being less portable and heavier than some alternatives. Meanwhile, the MSI Summit E16 Flip, while offering a good balance for general use with respectable CPU and RAM, a touchscreen, and a convertible design for versatility, falls short in battery life and has lower brightness and color fidelity in its display compared to the MacBook, yet is more portable due to its lighter weight.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
7.7/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.8/10
7.9/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
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 MSI Summit E16 Flip 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
7.6/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for software development, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip 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
8.0/10
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
294.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the MSI Summit E16 Flip for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 features a high-resolution display with brilliant color accuracy, coverage of professional color gamuts, and exceptional brightness, making it ideal for both everyday tasks and color-sensitive work in engineering and design. However, its standard refresh rate holds it back for 3D applications where smoother motion from higher refresh rates is preferred. Meanwhile, the MSI Summit E16 Flip also offers a quality display with ample brightness and solid color performance suited to general use and design tasks, yet it falls short for gaming and 3D because its refresh rate isn't high enough to deliver the most fluid visual experience.
Battery
17.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Summit E16 Flip 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
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,949
$1,413
$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 MSI Summit E16 Flip costs $1,413.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) to be good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip is only fair.
The MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is favored for 3D tasks due to its high-quality Mini LED display and capable Apple M1 Pro GPU, providing strong performance and screen quality. Conversely, the MSI Summit E16 Flip excels in gaming and 3D applications because it includes a robust Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU and has a high screen refresh rate, essential for a smoother gaming experience, despite many games not being compatible with MacOS.
Portability
Good
Good
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The MSI Summit E16 Flip and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) both have 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 MSI Summit E16 Flip 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 MSI Summit E16 Flip is a 2-in-1 laptop with pen, 16:10 display, and RTX 3050 Ti. The Summit E16 Flip is a 2-in-1 laptop from the business segment that primarily targets creative users. MSI combines a 16-inch touchscreen in the 16:10 format with a powerful midrange GPU. While the 2-in-1 laptop from MSI isn't meant for everybody, it should definitely attract some followers. The touchscreen display (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) covers the DCI-P3 color space. This is accompanied by stable viewing angles, a good color reproduction, short response times, and a good contrast level."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the MSI Summit E16 Flip
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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CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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