Choosing between the MacBook Pro 16 (2023) and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" mainly depends on your needs and budget. The MacBook Pro, with its superior processor, better graphics, and high-resolution Mini LED display, is well-suited for demanding tasks like video editing, 3D modeling, and gaming. It also provides a higher build quality, a more vibrant screen, and a longer battery life, making it an excellent choice for professionals who need top performance on-the-go. However, it's significantly heavier and comes at a premium price.
On the other hand, the IdeaPad 3 is more affordable and lighter, suitable for everyday tasks such as web browsing, office work, and light media consumption. It runs Windows 11 Home which could be preferable if you're accustomed to the Windows ecosystem. The display is lower in resolution and it has lower specs overall, which may not be ideal for high-end tasks. If budget is a key concern and your computing needs are basic, the IdeaPad 3 might be the better option. 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 Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15"
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023).
Key differences
General Use
9.1/10
6.2/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
7.4/10
5.8/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is well-suited for 3D work with its powerful integrated graphics and high screen refresh rate, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has a basic GPU and standard refresh rate that make it less suitable for gaming and 3D tasks. Furthermore, while the MacBook Pro's Mini LED display ensures high-quality visuals beneficial for 3D rendering, the Lenovo's TN panel and lower resolution screen aren't ideal for such graphics-intensive activities.
Engineering and Design
8.8/10
5.8/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) excels in engineering and design with a powerful CPU and GPU, ample RAM, and a high-resolution Mini LED screen, which is ideal for demanding tasks, but it is heavier and less portable. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has a less powerful CPU and GPU, lower RAM, and a lower resolution screen, making it less suitable for engineering tasks, although it is slightly more portable.
Content Creation
9.1/10
6.3/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
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
6.3/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
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
5.2/10
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) offers a high-resolution display with excellent brightness and color accuracy, making it ideal for general use and design tasks that require true-to-life colors. Furthermore, its coverage of professional color gamuts ensures that engineers and designers see precise hues and saturations. However, its lower refresh rate does not provide the optimal experience for 3D applications that benefit from smooth motion, which is crucial for gaming or animation work.
Battery
17.5 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has 5 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
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,423
$360
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has a price of $2,423 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" costs $360.
"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."
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is an enduring office notebook with a powerful Ryzen APU. Lenovo's office all-rounder easily handles office and internet applications as well as modest games - the Ryzen 5 5625U APU and 16 GB of RAM make this possible. The CPU and GPU can work at consistently high clock rates. The emission values are okay, but the noise emissions should be lower under medium to full load. The relatively light notebook (approx. 1.6 kg) achieves practical battery runtimes of about 10 to 11 hours."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) or the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15"
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
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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