The Apple MacBook Pro 16 will offer you robust performance and is well-suited for intensive tasks like video editing, 3D work, and professional software applications, with a larger screen that's great for multitasking, but it's less portable and more expensive. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x is more affordable, lighter, and easier to carry around, making it a good choice for everyday use and basic business tasks. However, it may not handle demanding applications as smoothly and could have a shorter battery life compared to the MacBook Pro 16. Your choice should align with your primary needs: performance and screen size with the MacBook Pro or portability and cost savings with the ThinkBook. 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
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 ThinkBook 13x
Excellent portability
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
7.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1920
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.3/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16, with its high-performance CPU and abundant RAM, provides smooth multitasking and is better suited for demanding applications, while its larger, high-quality screen enhances visual experiences, but it's less portable and has a shorter battery life. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x offers sufficient performance for everyday tasks in a more portable design and longer battery life, but with a smaller screen and less power for intensive software. Both have good storage, keyboards, speakers, are quiet, and manage heat well.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
7.9/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.6/10
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 ThinkBook 13x is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 offers a robust combination of a powerful CPU, ample RAM, high-quality GPU, and a superior screen, making it well-suited for demanding engineering and design tasks that require significant processing power and visual fidelity. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x, while still offering decent performance and a good screen for engineering and design, is more portable due to its smaller size and lighter weight, but may not match the MacBook Pro in sheer performance capabilities and screen real estate.
Content Creation
8.8/10
8.0/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1920
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and Lenovo ThinkBook 13x are both very good for content creation, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is somewhat better.
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
7.9/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1920
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for software development, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x 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
8.2/10
16.2in
SIZE
13.5in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1920
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a higher resolution and a brighter Liquid Retina XDR display, perfect for tasks in general use and engineering where sharpness, color accuracy, and brightness are key. However, its refresh rate is not ideal for 3D work, where smoother motion handling is necessary. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x also offers a high resolution and bright display suitable for general use and detailed engineering work, but similar to the MacBook, it lacks the high refresh rate critical for optimal 3D rendering and gaming experiences.
Battery
17.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x 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.
Portability
Good
Excellent
16.2in
SIZE
13.5in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x has excellent 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
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,949
$1,399
$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 ThinkBook 13x costs $1,399.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) to be good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 with its advanced GPU and higher screen quality delivers better performance for 3D applications, but its ecosystem limits gaming options as many titles aren't compatible with macOS. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x, while less powerful in the GPU department, offers a compatible operating system for a wider array of games and has enough performance to handle less demanding 3D tasks and gaming at fair quality.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x 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 Lenovo ThinkBook 13x
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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Joe Golden, Ph.D
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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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