The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) offers a significantly larger storage capacity and higher performance with a longer battery life, suited for demanding tasks like 3D modeling, machine learning, or engineering but comes at a premium price and with less portability. In contrast, the XPG Xenia 14 is more affordable and portable with a lighter weight, better for general use and casual gaming. The MacBook has a more vibrant mini LED display, while the Xenia has an IPS screen that is sufficient for everyday tasks. Choose the MacBook if performance and display quality are priorities, and the XPG if you need portability and affordability. 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 XPG Xenia 14
Excellent portability
Key differences
General Use
9.1/10
7.3/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
321.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for general use, while the XPG Xenia 14 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) offers excellent performance for general use due to its powerful CPU and GPU, larger RAM and storage, superior screen quality with higher resolution and brightness, and longer battery life, although its higher weight impacts portability compared to the XPG Xenia 14. The XPG Xenia 14, on the other hand, is lighter with exceptional portability and very good keyboard quality, but has a less powerful CPU, less storage capacity, and a screen with lower resolution and brightness, leading to a good rather than very good general use experience.
Gaming and AI
7.4/10
6.1/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
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
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is good for gaming and AI, while the XPG Xenia 14 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 with its high-end GPU and 120Hz screen refresh rate excels in rendering 3D graphics smoothly, making it good for 3D tasks despite some popular games not running on its MacOS platform. The XPG Xenia 14, while having a decent CPU and screen quality for general use, has an integrated GPU and lower 60Hz refresh rate, which makes it less suited but still fair for gaming and 3D compared to the MacBook Pro.
Engineering and Design
8.8/10
6.8/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the XPG Xenia 14 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is highly suitable for engineering and design due to its powerful Apple M2 Pro CPU and GPU, substantial RAM, and superior screen quality with high brightness and color accuracy, but it's less portable and has a heavier build. The XPG Xenia 14 provides good capabilities for such tasks with a capable Intel CPU and integrated GPU, ample RAM, and a respectable screen, while offering better portability due to its lighter weight and smaller form factor.
Content Creation
9.1/10
7.4/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
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 XPG Xenia 14 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
7.2/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
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 XPG Xenia 14 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
6.9/10
16.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
321.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the XPG Xenia 14 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The MacBook Pro is renowned for its superior Retina display that offers high resolution, brightness, and wide color gamuts like DCI-P3, which are critical for clear, vibrant visuals in both general use and precision tasks required in engineering and design. The XPG Xenia 14, while providing good screen quality with adequate resolution and brightness for general use and engineering tasks, may not match the MacBook's color accuracy and range. However, for 3D applications or gaming, where the refresh rate is of utmost importance, both the MacBook Pro and the Xenia 14 might fall short compared to laptops designed specifically for such scenarios that typically feature displays with higher refresh rates.
Battery
17.5 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The XPG Xenia 14 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
Excellent
16.2in
SIZE
14.0in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The XPG Xenia 14 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
7.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the XPG Xenia 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,423
$800
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has a price of $2,423 and the XPG Xenia 14 costs $800.
"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 Xenia 14 is a top 14-inch laptop under 1 kg. ADATA isn't exactly known for its laptops and so we weren't expecting much from its first 14-inch Ultrabook. With that said, we're pleasantly surprised by how well the Xenia 14 looks and performs. Not only is it incredibly light, but it has a color accurate 16:10 display, high CPU and GPU performance, easy RAM and SSD serviceability, plenty of port options including Thunderbolt 4, and long battery life. It packs a lot of punch and features considering the size and weight to be better than even the LG Gram series."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) or the XPG Xenia 14
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.
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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