If you prioritize sleek design, a high-resolution display, and long battery life for productivity tasks, and are comfortable with a higher price, the MacBook Pro is an excellent choice, especially if you're already in the Apple ecosystem. However, if gaming or high-performance computing is more your focus, and you need a laptop capable of handling demanding software, the Alienware offers robust power and is designed for that purpose, though it may sacrifice some battery life and portability compared to the MacBook Pro. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023)
Very good for general use
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Good portability
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m16 R2
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023).
Key differences
General Use
8.8/10
7.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
302.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the Dell Alienware m16 R2 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16, with its efficient CPU and long battery life, offers a smooth and portable option for everyday tasks, complemented by its high-quality screen; whereas the Dell Alienware m16 R2, designed with a focus on performance, provides a robust CPU and RAM configuration suitable for more demanding applications but trades off some portability and battery life due to its gaming orientation.
Content Creation
8.9/10
7.9/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
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) is very good for content creation, while the Dell Alienware m16 R2 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
7.6/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
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 Dell Alienware m16 R2 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
8.2/10
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
302.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Dell Alienware m16 R2 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The MacBook Pro typically offers high-resolution displays with superior brightness and color accuracy, making it an excellent choice for tasks that prioritize image quality and vivid detail, such as photo editing and graphic design. Its screen might fall short for 3D use due to a lower refresh rate, which is crucial for smooth rendering of fast-moving images required in gaming and 3D animation. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware, while providing very good resolution and brightness for everyday tasks and good color range for creative work, lacks in terms of refresh rate, making it less ideal for the high-speed visual performance gamers and 3D professionals need.
Battery
17.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware m16 R2 has 6 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
Fair
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has good portability, while the Dell Alienware m16 R2 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the Dell Alienware m16 R2 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,149
$1,650
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has a price of $2,149 and the Dell Alienware m16 R2 costs $1,650.
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) are both good for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 is equipped with a high-quality GPU and excellent screen quality, making it well-suited for 3D tasks; however, its lower screen refresh rate and compatibility issues with many popular games limit its appeal to gamers. In contrast, the Dell Alienware m16 R2, with its superior GPU and higher refresh rate screen, is optimal for gaming and 3D tasks, although with a compromise on screen quality when compared to the MacBook Pro 16.
Engineering and Design
8.9/10
8.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and Dell Alienware m16 R2 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 excels in engineering and design due to its high-quality CPU, ample RAM, and superior screen quality while the Dell Alienware m16 R2 matches performance with a robust CPU, ample RAM, and a high-quality GPU, making it suitable for demanding graphics tasks. The MacBook Pro maintains a balance with good portability and lower noise levels, whereas the Alienware offers a more gaming-centric keyboard and potentially louder speakers but is less portable.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and the Dell Alienware m16 R2 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."
"Alienware’s m16 R2 is a solid gaming laptop that leaves much to be desired, particularly in its quest to fulfill your needs as a product for productivity. Battery life under eight hours and a dim display are both vital issues for something that will accompany you through school projects or a workday. However, the Alienware m16 R2 is an exceedingly powerful gaming laptop, consistently being one of the best in our performance tests when compared against similar products. Even then, its display is lacking color, its fans get pretty darn loud, and its speakers aren’t punchy enough to rise above that noise."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) or the Dell Alienware m16 R2
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 Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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
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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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