The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is more expensive, offers a high-performance processor suitable for creative and professional work, and boasts a longer battery life with a very high-resolution Mini LED display. It's also lighter and has a better portability score than the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro, which could be significant if you travel often. The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro, however, is less expensive and particularly capable for gaming and engineering use, with a powerful AMD processor and NVIDIA graphics card that excel in 3D rendering and intense tasks. However, it has a shorter battery life and is heavier, which can limit mobility. If top-tier display quality and MacOS are important to you, go with the MacBook Pro; if you prioritize gaming performance and value, consider the Legion 5 Pro. 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 Lenovo Legion Pro 5
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
9.1/10
7.8/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
340.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for general use, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) excels in portability with a lighter build and a significantly longer battery life, adding convenience for users who prioritize mobility and usage away from power sources, alongside having superior screen brightness and speaker quality, enhancing multimedia consumption. However, the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro offers a better cooling system and a higher refresh rate screen which, combined with a high-performance graphics card, make it more suitable for users interested in gaming or graphic-intensive tasks, even if it sacrifices some portability and battery performance.
Gaming and AI
7.4/10
8.4/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 with its M2 Pro GPU and a high-quality Mini LED screen is effective for 3D work, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5's Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU and faster screen refresh rate make it superior for gaming, which is often not feasible on Macs due to compatibility issues with many popular games.
Content Creation
9.1/10
7.8/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.3/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
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 Lenovo Legion Pro 5 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
7.6/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for software development, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 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
8.0/10
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
340.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 boasts exceptional panel type, resolution, and brightness, making its screen a delight for everyday tasks and suitable for high-level design work with its wide color gamut. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 offers a strong display for general tasks and professional design endeavors due to good color accuracy and decent brightness, though it falls short for gaming and 3D applications where a high refresh rate is crucial. Despite the MacBook's high-quality display features, it's not ideal for 3D uses because it prioritizes resolution and panel quality over the faster refresh rates that are essential for smooth motion rendering.
Battery
17.5 Hours
3.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has 3.5 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.
Portability
Good
Fair
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 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 Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,050
$1,869
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has a price of $2,050 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 costs $1,869.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) and Lenovo Legion Pro 5 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) excels in engineering and design due to its powerful M2 Pro processor, high-quality Mini LED screen, and efficient thermal management ensuring quiet operation, but it is less portable than some models. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is lauded for similar tasks owing to its high-performance AMD Ryzen CPU and Nvidia RTX GPU, which are well-suited for demanding applications, and additionally offers a high refresh rate display for smooth visuals during design work, although it has a lower portability due to heavier weight.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 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."
"It doesn't quite match its Legion Pro 7i sibling as an Editors' Choice winner, but Lenovo's AMD-powered Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 is a stylish, well-built gaming laptop with solid performance at both 1080p and its sharper native resolution. It's cheaper than some comparably equipped machines and better than some similarly priced ones. That's a recipe for success, even without its frequent availability of discounts or sales. A brighter screen and longer battery life would be nice, but even as is the Legion Pro 5 earns a solid recommendation."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) or the Lenovo Legion Pro 5
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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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
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.