If portability is important, the MSI Stealth 14 Studio is lighter and may be easier to carry around than the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023). For those who prioritize screen quality, the MacBook Pro offers a larger, higher-resolution display which could enhance visual work like photo or video editing. The MacBook, with its M2 Pro chip, may provide better overall performance and longer battery life which is suitable for intensive tasks and longer working sessions away from power sources. It runs macOS, which could be a deciding factor for those already within the Apple ecosystem. However, the MSI, being less expensive than the MacBook, offers a solid performance for its price, a high refresh rate display which is better for gaming, and it comes with Windows 11, making it a good fit for users preferring the Windows environment or needing specific Windows software. 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
Best in class battery life
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 14 Studio
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023).
Key differences
General Use
9.1/10
7.8/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for general use, while the MSI Stealth 14 Studio is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is regarded as very good for general use due to its powerful CPU and RAM, high screen quality, superior keyboard and speaker quality, and long battery life, which outweigh its lesser portability; the MSI Stealth 14 Studio is good for general use and excels with great portability and cooling but is outmatched by the MacBook's better performance and display features.
Content Creation
9.1/10
7.9/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
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 MSI Stealth 14 Studio 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
7.4/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for software development, while the MSI Stealth 14 Studio 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
7.6/10
16.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the MSI Stealth 14 Studio for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the MacBook Pro's exceptional resolution and brightness provide an outstanding viewing experience, while the MSI Stealth's screen also offers a pleasant visual experience but doesn't quite match the MacBook's finesse. With engineering and design in mind, the MacBook Pro stands out due to its wide color gamuts, enabling highly accurate color work, which the MSI Stealth offers to a lesser degree. In contrast, for 3D gaming and modeling where refresh rates become pivotal, neither the MacBook Pro nor the MSI Stealth excel as their screens prioritize resolution and panel type over the higher refresh rates preferred in this area.
Battery
17.5 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 14 Studio 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
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Stealth 14 Studio has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,423
$1,432
$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 MSI Stealth 14 Studio costs $1,432.
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) are both good for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) offers strong 3D performance with its integrated GPU, suitable for various creative tasks, but has a lower screen refresh rate, making it less ideal for high-frame-rate gaming. In contrast, the MSI Stealth 14 Studio includes a dedicated Nvidia RTX GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, which provides excellent gaming performance, although it runs Windows and more games are compatible with it compared to Macs.
Engineering and Design
8.8/10
8.5/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) and MSI Stealth 14 Studio are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) boasts superior screen quality with its Mini LED display and is more suitable for extended usage thanks to its longer battery life, making it ideal for detailed engineering and design work that requires precise color and image quality; however, it is less portable and has a heavier build. Conversely, the MSI Stealth 14 Studio, while offering a high-quality IPS screen, brings stronger GPU performance with its Nvidia RTX 4060 which can be more advantageous for GPU-intensive engineering applications and is lighter and more portable, although it has a shorter battery life.
Portability
Good
Good
16.2in
SIZE
14.0in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) and the MSI Stealth 14 Studio 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."
"You'll find a versatility in the MSI Stealth 14 Studio that isn’t matched by many content-creator laptops we've tested of late. The small frame allows you to (potentially) work from anywhere with an outlet and, if noise isn’t a concern, run your most demanding of programs, thanks to some powerful hardware inside. The MSI Stealth 14 Studio is an attractive and powerful option if you want a portable laptop to be the center of your content work setup."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) or the MSI Stealth 14 Studio
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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 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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