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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024· Prices updated 24 hours ago
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has a high premium price, more storage, a larger mini LED screen, and better performance for engineering and 3D tasks, but it's less portable and more expensive than the HP Dragonfly Pro 14", which is priced midrange, has a smaller IPS touchscreen, and more modest performance suitable mostly for general use and some gaming. 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 keyboard
Advantages of the HP Dragonfly Pro 14"
- Very good portability
Key differences
General Use
9.1
8.0
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
405.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for general use, while the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" is very good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) excels in general use with its high-quality Mini LED screen, long battery life, and robust CPU and RAM, making it ideal for demanding tasks, although it's less portable and more expensive. Conversely, the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" offers very good general performance with a solid processor and RAM, a quality IPS touchscreen, and good battery life, at a more moderate price and higher portability thanks to its smaller size and lower weight.
Gaming and AI
7.4
6.5
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
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 HP Dragonfly Pro 14" is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is good for 3D because of its higher-end GPU and a screen refresh rate of 120 Hz that can handle complex graphics smoothly, whereas the HP Dragonfly Pro 14", with its fair GPU and a lower refresh rate of 60 Hz, offers less fluid graphics rendering which is less optimal for gaming and 3D, not to mention software availability issues on Macs for many popular games.
Engineering and Design
8.8
7.6
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.7/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) outshines the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" for engineering and design due to its more robust CPU and GPU, larger and higher quality Mini LED screen, and greater screen resolution, which collectively offer powerful performance and superior visuals for complex tasks.
Content Creation
9.1
7.9
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.7/10
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 HP Dragonfly Pro 14" 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
7.8
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for software development, while the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" 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
7.1
16.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
405.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16's display boasts high resolution, brightness, and extensive color gamuts, providing sharp, vivid visuals for general use and color-accurate work in engineering and design. However, its typical refresh rate limits its appeal for 3D applications where smoother motion rendering is crucial. On the other hand, the HP Dragonfly Pro offers a good balance of resolution and brightness suitable for everyday tasks and professional design work, but like the MacBook, it falls short in gaming and 3D scenarios due to a less optimal refresh rate.
Battery
17.5 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has 10 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
Very Good
16.2in
SIZE
14.0in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has very good portability, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0
8.5
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,423
$1,400
$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 HP Dragonfly Pro 14" costs $1,400.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) and the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) | HP Dragonfly Pro 14" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,423 | $1,400 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2023 | July 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.8'' x 0.66'' | 12.4'' x 8.8'' x 0.72'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.7 lbs | 3.42 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.01" | 12.39" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.77" | 8.78" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Apple M2 Pro (12C) | AMD Ryzen 7 7736U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 17.5 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 99.6 Wh | 64.6 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16.2" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | Mini LED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3456 x 2234 | 1920 x 1200 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 487 nits | 405 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 10/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.6/10 | 8.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8.8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | 9.6/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1440p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 3 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 3 | |
Shopping
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | February 2023
"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."
HP Dragonfly Pro 14"
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Dig into reviews and images
PCWorld
Brendan Nystedt | March 2023
"I’d say that the HP Dragonfly Pro checks off most of the boxes for this freelancer. It feels nice to use, is zippy and responsive, has great speakers, and even has a relatively sane price. Although it’s an unorthodox choice to pick AMD for this kind of machine, it’s clear that when Ryzen is given a chance to shine, it can kick a lot of butt."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) or the HP Dragonfly Pro 14"
0
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 HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
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