If you prioritize long battery life, a high-resolution display for clear and vibrant visuals, and lighter weight for greater portability, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is an excellent choice. However, Apple's offering is sold at a premium price. On the other hand, the Dell G15 5520 offers strong performance, especially for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks, due to dedicated gaming-class graphics. The Dell laptop is also more affordable than the MacBook but has a shorter battery life and heavier weight, which could make it less convenient to carry around. The MacBook runs MacOS, best suited for certain creative work, while the Dell laptop runs Windows, which is generally preferred for a wider range of software compatibility, particularly in gaming and engineering. 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 software development
Excellent for content creation
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 Dell G15 5520
The Dell G15 5520 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023).
Key differences
General Use
9.1/10
7.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
251.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.3/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for general use, while the Dell G15 5520 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16, with its high-resolution Mini LED screen, long battery life, and light build, is excellent for general use and very portable, whereas the Dell G15 5520 has a lower-resolution IPS screen, significantly shorter battery life, and heavier design, making it less suited for on-the-go use despite its substantial CPU and GPU which are more tailored for gaming.
Engineering and Design
8.8/10
8.2/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) and Dell G15 5520 are both very good for engineering and design, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) excels in engineering and design owing to its powerful Apple M2 Pro CPU, a large 16GB of RAM, and a workstation-class M2 Pro GPU, complemented by a high-quality Mini LED screen with exceptional brightness and color accuracy.
Content Creation
9.1/10
7.9/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
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 Dell G15 5520 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
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for software development, while the Dell G15 5520 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
7.1/10
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
251.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Dell G15 5520 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16, with its high-resolution Retina display, delivers exceptional clarity and vivid colors, making it ideal for tasks that require visual precision, such as engineering and design work, due to its comprehensive coverage of DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB color gamuts. Conversely, for 3D applications where refresh rate is crucial, it may fall short compared to other laptops with faster screen refresh capabilities. The Dell G15 5520, while offering good resolution and panel quality for daily tasks and professional work, does not offer the high refresh rate that gamers and 3D designers seek for smooth visuals during fast-paced scenes.
Battery
17.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Dell G15 5520 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
15.6in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has good portability, while the Dell G15 5520 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Dell G15 5520 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,423
$1,000
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has a price of $2,423 and the Dell G15 5520 costs $1,000.
The Dell G15 5520 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) are both good for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) with its high-quality GPU and 120Hz refresh rate screen is suited for 3D work, especially on macOS which is preferred for various professional creative applications. Meanwhile, the Dell G15 5520, with its powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 and higher refresh rate of 165Hz, offers superior gaming performance and is compatible with a wider range of games on Windows.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) and the Dell G15 5520 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."
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | April 2023
"The Dell G15 (2022) is a 15.6-inch budget gaming laptop, and is great for gaming. You can configure the laptop with powerful Intel 12th Gen. CPUs and various NVIDIA dedicated GPUs, all of which deliver a smooth gaming experience at 1080p. There's also a QHD 240Hz display option if you want better visuals, though you'll have to pair it with the top-end NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti to get good frame rates. It doesn't get overly hot or loud under load, and there's no noticeable throttling on the CPU or GPU. Unfortunately, the 120Hz panel has a slow response time, causing noticeable ghosting, and it doesn't support variable refresh rate."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) or the Dell G15 5520
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 Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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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