The Apple MacBook Pro 16 is more expensive with higher image quality, color accuracy, and brightness, making it preferable for creative professionals needing a vibrant display. Its in-built GPU synergizes with the Apple ecosystem, offering efficient video editing and design work, and it's slimmer and lighter, enhancing portability. The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 costs less, offers more storage and RAM, and includes a discrete Nvidia GPU, better for a wider range of games and 3D tasks. Its larger screen and numeric keypad aid productivity, but it's heavier, affecting portability. Choose the MacBook for premium display and ecosystem integration or the Zenbook for gaming and value. 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)
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
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 ASUS Zenbook Pro 17
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023).
Key differences
General Use
8.8/10
8.3/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.1/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 are both very good for general use, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is somewhat better.
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
7.5/10
6.9/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.1/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
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 (Late 2023) is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16, armed with its proprietary graphics, excels in 3D due to its high refresh screen, but is less suited for gaming, as many popular games aren't available on macOS. The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17, featuring an Nvidia RTX 3050, handles gaming well and supports 3D, but may offer a less fluid visual experience due to its standard refresh rate screen.
Engineering and Design
8.9/10
8.1/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.1/10
18.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 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 chip and Mini LED display, boasts powerful processing, superior screen quality, and a longer battery life, making it ideal for demanding engineering and design tasks. In contrast, the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 offers more storage and RAM, a high-quality NVIDIA GPU, and a larger screen, though its IPS display and heavier build make it slightly less portable and refined in terms of screen resolution and portability.
Content Creation
8.9/10
8.2/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
18.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 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
7.9/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
18.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 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
7.2/10
16.2in
SIZE
17.3in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The MacBook Pro is praised for its exceptional display, offering crisp resolution and high brightness, which makes text and images particularly sharp and vibrant for tasks like web browsing, document editing, and media consumption. Its wide color gamut also ensures accurate color reproduction, crucial for engineering and design work where precision is key. However, its lower refresh rate compared to specialized gaming notebooks makes it less ideal for 3D applications, where smoother motion is achieved with higher refresh rates.
Battery
17.5 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 has 9 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
7.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,499
$1,500
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has a price of $2,499 and the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 costs $1,500.
"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."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) or the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17
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.
Jason Lew
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.
Craig Russell
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.