The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is considerably more expensive and offers superior performance, particularly for engineering tasks, 3D, machine learning, and gaming, with a longer battery life and a display better suited to color-critical work. Conversely, the HP Spectre x360 is significantly less expensive, it has a touchscreen, which the MacBook does not, and it's quite adequate for general use. The Spectre is a convertible with pen support, which could be useful for certain creative or business applications. However, it is less powerful for engineering and resource-intensive tasks. If portability is a key concern, both laptops are comparable in weight, but the MacBook has a slight edge in battery life. Choose the MacBook Pro if performance in demanding applications is critical and budget is not a constraint; opt for the HP Spectre x360 for everyday use, touch support, and if the budget is a major deciding factor. 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
Good for gaming and AI
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 Spectre x360
The HP Spectre x360 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023).
Key differences
General Use
9.1/10
8.2/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
406.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
11.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for general use, while the HP Spectre x360 is very good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) excels in general use due to its powerful Apple M2 Pro processor, ample RAM and storage, high-quality Mini LED screen, and extended battery life that outperforms the HP Spectre x360, along with a premium build and superior speaker quality, making it very suitable for intensive multitasking and media consumption.
Gaming and AI
7.4/10
6.6/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is good for gaming and AI, while the HP Spectre x360 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
8.8/10
8.0/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) and HP Spectre x360 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 due to its powerful M2 Pro processor paired with a high-quality Mini LED screen, offering high brightness, vivid colors, and increased contrast compared to the HP Spectre x360, which, while still good for these tasks with its Intel i7 processor and IPS display, has lower brightness and color coverage. Despite its engineering suitability, the MacBook Pro is less portable due to its weight and thickness, whereas the Spectre, being lighter and having a 2-in-1 convertible form, offers greater versatility and ease of transport.
Content Creation
9.1/10
8.2/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
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 Spectre x360 is very 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
8.3/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) and HP Spectre x360 are both very good for software development, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is somewhat better.
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
7.6/10
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
406.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the HP Spectre x360 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 stands out for general use and engineering due to its high-resolution display that offers vibrant colors and exceptional brightness, along with wide color gamut coverage which is crucial for professional design work where color accuracy is paramount. However, it falls short for 3D applications because it doesn't have a high refresh rate which is essential for smooth motion rendering in gaming and 3D modeling. Conversely, the HP Spectre x360, while providing a crisp and bright display with good color representation for both general use and professional design tasks, also lacks the higher refresh rate needed for optimal 3D application performance.
Battery
17.5 Hours
11.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The HP Spectre x360 has 11 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
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the HP Spectre x360 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
$1,000
$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 HP Spectre x360 costs $1,000.
"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."
"As we said, Lenovo's Yoga 9i is a tough competitor to the Spectre with an equally admirable OLED display. We're sad that neither of them has an HDMI port nor a niche or slot to hold the stylus, though the HP wins points for its bundled mini docking station and magnetically attached pen. Your choice will come down to screen shape—and in our eyes, just as seeing an OLED screen spoils you for an IPS panel, enjoying a tall 3:2 display spoils you for a more conventional view. The HP Spectre x360 13.5 is our new favorite 2-in-1."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) or the HP Spectre x360
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.
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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