The Apple MacBook Pro 16 is a premium option, offering stronger performance, particularly with tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or intensive engineering work. Its display excels in color accuracy and brightness, making it suitable for creative professionals. The MacBook also boasts a long battery life but is heavier and more expensive. If you’re on a budget and prioritize good value and decent performance for general use, the Dell Inspiron 16 5635 is less expensive with more storage out of the box and a lighter build for easier portability. Though its performance and screen quality are moderated compared to the MacBook, the Inspiron works well for everyday tasks and is suitable for less demanding engineering work. 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 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 16 5635
The Dell Inspiron 16 5635 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
265.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and Dell Inspiron 16 5635 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) shines in general use with its powerful CPU, abundant RAM, and high-resolution Mini LED screen, along with an excellent battery life and solid build, making it highly suitable for a range of tasks, but it is less portable and pricier. The Dell Inspiron 16 5635, with ample storage, decent performance for day-to-day tasks, and good portability due to its lighter weight and smaller dimensions, offers a balance between cost and capability, but with a lower battery life and screen quality compared to the MacBook Pro.
Gaming and AI
7.5/10
6.3/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5635 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is better for 3D applications due to its superior GPU performance and higher screen refresh rate which provides smoother on-screen motion, making it suitable for intensive graphics work, although it is important to remember that it does not support many popular games due to MacOS limitations.
Engineering and Design
8.9/10
7.3/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5635 is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.9/10
7.9/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
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 Inspiron 16 5635 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
7.7/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5635 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
6.6/10
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
265.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 16 5635 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
If you prioritize a high-quality display for general activities like browsing and watching videos, the MacBook Pro offers superior resolution and brightness, enhancing clarity and detail. For professionals in engineering and design, the MacBook Pro's wide color coverage ensures accurate color representation, essential for precise work. However, for 3D applications and gaming, you may prefer a laptop with a higher refresh rate, which the MacBook Pro lacks, making it less smooth for fast-paced visuals.
Battery
17.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 16 5635 has 8 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
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5635 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,499
$735
$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 16 5635 costs $735.
"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."
"Compared to the previous year’s Inspiron, Dell upgraded the screen aspect ratio on this generation, but also transitioned to a more minimalistic centered keyboard flanked by up-firing speakers. The 16-inch screen is huge plus and I really appreciate the extra real estate without sacrificing the footprint much. This year’s model is a little larger than last, though, as the former model was already very small for a 15 incher."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) or the Dell Inspiron 16 5635
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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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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Laptops Expert
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