The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is more expensive with a higher-quality Mini LED display and boasts better battery life, making it suitable for on-the-go use and jobs that benefit from vibrant screen colors like photoshop or video editing. It's also lighter, aiding portability. The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is less expensive with a quality IPS screen and a dedicated graphics card, making it fitting for engineering and 3D tasks. However, it is heavier and has shorter battery life, meaning it's less portable and may require more frequent charging. Give Feedback
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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
Good portability
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad P16
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023).
Key differences
General Use
9.1/10
8.0/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
569.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for general use, while the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good.
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
6.9/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.5/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
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 Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is equipped with its own high-performance GPU and a high screen refresh rate, making it suitable for 3D work; however, the limited availability of games for macOS might restrict its use for gaming. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad P16, with its dedicated Nvidia GPU and good screen quality, is well-suited for running a wide range of games and 3D applications, although its lower screen refresh rate compared to the MacBook may not be optimal for fast-paced gaming.
Engineering and Design
8.8/10
8.3/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) and Lenovo ThinkPad P16 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 potent M2 Pro CPU, sizable RAM, advanced GPU suitable for graphics-intensive tasks, and high-quality Mini LED screen with great resolution and color accuracy. Conversely, the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 offers a robust Intel i7 processor, an Nvidia RTX GPU geared for professional graphics work, a high-resolution IPS display, and amenities such as more ports and a keyboard with a number pad, with the tradeoff of less portability due to its higher weight.
Content Creation
9.1/10
8.2/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
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 ThinkPad P16 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
8.4/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) and Lenovo ThinkPad P16 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
8.2/10
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
569.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
If you prioritize a sharp, vivid display for everyday tasks and professional design work, the MacBook Pro 16's screen excels with its high resolution and brightness, along with wide color gamut, making images pop and allowing precise color work. For similar needs, the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 also provides a high-quality display with strong color accuracy and brightness, suitable for general and engineering use. However, for 3D applications that benefit from smoother visuals, neither of these laptops are ideal due to their lower refresh rates compared to models specifically geared toward gaming or 3D rendering.
Battery
17.5 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 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
Poor
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.5 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has good portability, while the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 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
$1,449
$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 Lenovo ThinkPad P16 costs $1,449.
"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's only a few months since we gave the MSI CreatorPro X17 one of our rare 4.5-star ratings and our top mobile workstation honor, but the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 matches that achievement in a more premium overall build. Ultimately, its build quality, screen, and keyboard give our latest Editors' Choice nod to the Lenovo—it's enough of a monster on almost all fronts that it simply cannot be ignored."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) or the Lenovo ThinkPad P16
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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