Choosing between the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 depends on your priorities. The MacBook Pro offers significantly higher performance, especially for tasks requiring heavy processing power like 3D rendering and machine learning, and it has a longer battery life suitable for intensive work without frequent charging. Its display quality is superior, with higher brightness, resolution, and color accuracy, making it ideal for professionals in creative fields. However, it comes at a premium price and is heavier, affecting portability.
On the other hand, the Inspiron 15 provides basic performance sufficient for everyday tasks and light work at a budget-friendly cost. Its GPU isn't as powerful, but the laptop is lighter and easier to carry around. The screen has lower resolution and color fidelity but supports touch input. Battery life is shorter, so it might require more frequent charging. If cost and portability are major considerations, and your tasks are more general in nature, the Dell Inspiron 15 might be the better choice. 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 general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good 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 Dell Inspiron 15 3525
The Dell Inspiron 15 3525 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023).
Key differences
General Use
8.8/10
7.0/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
259.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 with its powerful Apple M3 Pro CPU, 18GB of RAM, and high-resolution Mini LED screen excels in performance, display quality, and has a long battery life which makes it very good for general use, even though it is less portable due to its weight. The Dell Inspiron 15, on the other hand, has moderate specifications such as an AMD Ryzen CPU, 8GB of RAM, and an IPS screen, which makes it fair for general use; it offers good portability and a lower price but with a shorter battery life and less impressive screen quality.
Gaming and AI
7.5/10
6.0/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
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 Dell Inspiron 15 3525 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
8.9/10
6.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
18.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) excels in engineering and design use due to its powerful CPU and GPU, substantial RAM, and high-quality Mini LED screen that renders colors accurately, all contributing to better performance and viewing experience. On the other hand, the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 offers lower performance due to less RAM, a less capable integrated GPU, and a standard IPS screen with lower resolution and color coverage, making it less suitable for demanding engineering tasks and professional design work.
Content Creation
8.9/10
7.1/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
18.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for content creation, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 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
6.9/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
18.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 is only fair.
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
6.3/10
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
259.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the MacBook Pro 16's display delivers vivid images and crisp text due to its high resolution, panel technology that provides better color and viewing angles, and increased brightness for ease of use in various lighting situations. In engineering and design, the MacBook Pro's screen stands out with its wide color range, covering more professional color spaces, essential for accuracy in color-critical work. However, for 3D applications, the Dell Inspiron 15's screen may fall short in smoothness and responsiveness due to a lower refresh rate, when compared to displays optimized for 3D work, which prioritize higher refresh rates for fluid motion and better user experience.
Battery
17.5 Hours
6.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 15 3525 has 6.5 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
6.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,499
$400
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has a price of $2,499 and the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 costs $400.
"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."
"Dell's Inspiron 15 (3525) is a peppy-enough and affordable-enough home or remote work machine, but it's not very ambitious; it does little to go beyond the basics. More the concern: It’s readily overshadowed by a number of machines that outperform and outclass it. Even if the Inspiron can get the job done today, its competition has the mettle to keep doing the job tomorrow in a way the Inspiron simply can’t promise. Many of its slightly higher-end rivals have to be on sale (and frequently are) to match it on price, but the Inspiron 15 (3525) is outclassed even by some similarly priced options, making it a difficult recommendation."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) or the Dell Inspiron 15 3525
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
Joe Golden, Ph.D
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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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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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