The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) offers high performance, excellent build quality, and a superior display, making it ideal for professionals in creative fields or those who need a machine for resource-intensive tasks. The battery life is also impressive, suiting those who need to work for long periods without access to power. However, it comes with a higher price tag and limited ports, requiring adapters for additional connectivity. On the other hand, the ASUS Vivobook 16 is more affordable and includes a wider array of ports, which can be beneficial for connectivity. It's more suited to general use and less demanding tasks, while still offering a decent-sized screen for productivity. If you prioritize portability and have a tighter budget, the Vivobook might be the more practical choice. 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 (2023)
Excellent for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Excellent 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 ASUS Vivobook 16
The ASUS Vivobook 16 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023).
Key differences
General Use
9.1/10
7.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
295.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for general use due to its superior screen quality, excellent battery life, and high portability score coupled with a strong CPU and ample RAM, which makes it adept at handling a variety of tasks efficiently.
Gaming and AI
7.4/10
6.3/10
5.8/10
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
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16, with its more powerful GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, is well-suited for smooth 3D rendering, which is crucial for design and animation tasks; however, its macOS may limit game compatibility compared to the ASUS Vivobook 16, which offers fair gaming and 3D capabilities at a likely lower cost but has a less powerful integrated GPU and a standard screen refresh rate.
Engineering and Design
8.8/10
7.0/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) outshines ASUS Vivobook 16 with a more powerful CPU and GPU, better screen quality with higher resolution and Mini LED technology, and longer battery life, all of which are crucial for demanding tasks in engineering and design. However, the MacBook Pro is less portable due to its weight and is also pricier, which are factors customers may consider if they require easy mobility and have budget constraints.
Content Creation
9.1/10
7.5/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook 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
7.3/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 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 (2023) is very good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook 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
9.3/10
6.4/10
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
295.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook 16 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro's screen boasts higher resolution and brightness, making it highly suitable for everyday tasks where clarity and visibility are key. For engineering and design, its color accuracy is superior due to a wider color gamut, allowing for precise work with graphics and videos. However, its refresh rate isn't as high, making it less ideal for 3D applications where smoother visuals are crucial for an immersive experience.
Battery
17.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS Vivobook 16 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
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,423
$668
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has a price of $2,423 and the ASUS Vivobook 16 costs $668.
"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."
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, Yannick Khong | May 2023
"The ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) is a budget Windows laptop. It's available with various AMD Ryzen 5000 and 7000 U-series CPUs and integrated graphics. You can only get 8GB of RAM; however, there's an empty SO-DIMM slot if you want to upgrade it. It has an FHD+ (1920 x 1200) 16:10 IPS display, a full-size keyboard with a Numpad, a 720p webcam, and Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity. Ports include three USB-As, one USB-C, an HDMI, and a headphone jack. The USB-C supports charging but no video output."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) or the ASUS Vivobook 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 ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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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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.
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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.
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Laptops Expert
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