If you prioritize a larger screen, longer battery life, and higher screen resolution for tasks like video editing or graphic design, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is a superior option despite its higher price and lower portability due to its weight. However, if your preference leans towards a more portable device that's also touch-capable and more cost-effective—the Razer Book 13, with its smaller screen and shorter battery life, may fit your everyday computing needs better, including light productivity tasks and possibly some gaming given its discrete Intel Iris Xe graphics. 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 Razer Book 13
Excellent portability
Key differences
General Use
9.1/10
7.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
507.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
14.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for general use, while the Razer Book 13 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) offers a larger, higher-resolution Mini LED screen with a powerful Apple M2 Pro processor and impressive battery life, making it very suitable for general use that may demand consistent performance and visual quality.
Gaming and AI
7.4/10
6.2/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
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 Razer Book 13 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
7.1/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Razer Book 13 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) outperforms the Razer Book 13 in engineering and design tasks due to its powerful M2 Pro processor and more capable GPU, aligned with a high-resolution Mini LED screen; this is why it is considered very good for these tasks.
Content Creation
9.1/10
7.6/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
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 Razer Book 13 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
7.5/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for software development, while the Razer Book 13 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
7.3/10
16.2in
SIZE
13.4in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
507.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Razer Book 13 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) excels in screen quality for general use and engineering with its high resolution and brightness, along with wide color gamuts that ensure precise color representation vital for detailed design work. However, it falls short for 3D applications due to a standard refresh rate that might not be as smooth as specialized gaming laptops. The Razer Book 13, while offering a good screen for general use and engineering tasks with adequate resolution and color accuracy, lacks the higher refresh rate that gamers and professionals using 3D software would prefer for a more fluid visual experience.
Battery
17.5 Hours
14.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Razer Book 13 has 14 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
Excellent
16.2in
SIZE
13.4in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Razer Book 13 has excellent portability, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has good 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 Razer Book 13 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
$1,389
$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 Razer Book 13 costs $1,389.
"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 Razer Book is like an XPS 13, but faster. The Book 13 combines the design philosophy and performance of a Blade Stealth with the 16:10 display of a Dell XPS 13 for an impressive piece of hardware. Office users who want something more stylish than the typical Dell, HP or Lenovo will certainly find themselves drawn to this Razer subnotebook. If your priorities are to have the best-looking and fastest 13-inch laptop in the office over auxiliary features, however, then the Book 13 proudly fulfills that niche."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) or the Razer Book 13
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 Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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
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
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