The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is ideal if you prioritize long battery life and high-quality build, with features such as a Mini LED screen and excellent speakers. It's suited for general use, engineering, and comprehensive creative tasks but comes at a higher price. The ASUS ROG Flow X16 offers a balance between price and performance, particularly for 3D work and machine learning with its Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, plus it has a touchscreen and is slightly lighter for more portability. It presents a good choice for gaming and design-oriented tasks but has a shorter battery life compared to the MacBook Pro. Consider the MacBook Pro for premium quality and longer usage without charging, or the ROG Flow X16 for more versatile performance in graphics-intensive applications and value for money. 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 (Late 2023)
Very good for software development
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Best in class battery life
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS ROG Flow X16
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023).
Key differences
General Use
8.8/10
8.0/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
502.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and ASUS ROG Flow X16 are both very good for general use, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) earns its very good reputation for general use through an exceptional balance of performance, provided by its potent CPU and ample RAM, along with superior screen quality and the significant battery life it offers, all packaged in a highly portable form.
Engineering and Design
8.9/10
8.3/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.2/10
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and ASUS ROG Flow X16 are both very good for engineering and design, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 with its Apple M3 Pro processor and 18-core GPU offers excellence in screen quality with a Mini LED display, essential for design accuracy, while the ASUS ROG Flow X16's combination of a high-end Ryzen CPU and RTX 3060 GPU ensures reliable performance for engineering tasks with added versatility of a touchscreen. While MacBook Pro stands out with higher battery life and probably lower operating noise, the ROG Flow X16 offers a 2-in-1 convertible design for greater portability and the benefit of a touchscreen, factors to consider based on individual preferences for flexibility and convenience.
Content Creation
8.9/10
8.0/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and ASUS ROG Flow X16 are both very good for content creation, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is somewhat better.
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
7.7/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
18.0 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 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the ASUS ROG Flow X16 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
8.5/10
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
502.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS ROG Flow X16 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro's screen stands out in general use and engineering due to its high resolution and brightness, alongside wide color gamuts, offering sharp images and vibrant colors essential for precise design work. However, it falls short for 3D applications as it lacks a high refresh rate, limiting smoothness and responsiveness which are crucial for these tasks. In contrast, the ASUS ROG Flow, while also providing a high-quality display for general use and engineering with good resolution and color accuracy, doesn't meet the top-tier gaming and 3D standards due to its poorer refresh rate compared to specialized gaming laptops.
Battery
17.5 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS ROG Flow X16 has 5.5 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
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS ROG Flow X16 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,299
$1,300
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has a price of $2,299 and the ASUS ROG Flow X16 costs $1,300.
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) are both good for gaming and AI.
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.
Portability
Good
Good
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and ASUS ROG Flow X16 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and the ASUS ROG Flow X16 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."
"Above all else, the Asus ROG Flow X16 is one thing - versatile! It is a thin, mobile work device, it's a 2-in-1, tablet, a powerful workstation and even a gaming PC. But something even more surprising: It does all of these things really well without making any big blunders. It's anything but a lazy compromise. Because, despite its compact dimensions and 2-in-1 functionality, the hardware isn't throttled and boasts, at least in turbo mode, above-average performance."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) or the ASUS ROG Flow X16
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 ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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
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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.