To help you choose between the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17", consider the following: If your primary focus is on powerful performance for professional tasks such as video editing, music production, or design, the MacBook Pro, with its high-end specs, will excel, though it comes at a premium price. It also has a robust build quality and a vibrant display, making it suitable for creative professionals who need accurate color representation. On the contrary, if you prefer a larger screen and require a more budget-friendly option for everyday use like web browsing, word processing, or light media consumption, the IdeaPad 3 17" could serve you well. Its larger screen is advantageous for multitasking and can still manage lighter creative work. However, it won't match the MacBook Pro's performance for more demanding applications. The MacBook Pro also typically offers better battery life and portability, despite the IdeaPad's slim design, due to Apple's efficiency in hardware and software integration. If gaming or running engineering simulations is a priority, you should also consider whether the specific software you need runs better on macOS or Windows, as the MacBook Pro runs macOS and the IdeaPad runs Windows. 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 Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17"
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023).
Key differences
General Use
8.8/10
7.3/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
307.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.1/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) stands out for general use with its higher-end CPU and more RAM, leading to better performance, alongside an exceptional Mini LED screen with higher resolution and color accuracy, and longer battery life, but it is less portable. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" offers a more modest performance suitable for less demanding tasks and has a good screen, though lower in quality to the MacBook's, and while it has a shorter battery life, its lighter weight makes it easier to carry around.
Gaming and AI
7.5/10
6.1/10
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
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" 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
6.6/10
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 Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 is optimal for engineering and design because of its powerful M3 Pro processor, ample RAM, and superior GPU, coupled with an outstanding Mini LED screen offering high resolution and excellent color accuracy. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has a less capable AMD Ryzen 5 processor, less RAM, and a less powerful integrated GPU, and its IPS display, though large, offers lower resolution and color coverage, making it less ideal for demanding engineering and design tasks.
Content Creation
8.9/10
7.4/10
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 Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" 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
7.2/10
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 Lenovo IdeaPad 3 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
6.7/10
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
307.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 features a high-resolution display and exceptional brightness, which together with its superior panel technology, ensures crisp, clear images and vibrant colors that are essential for both general use and engineering work, making it stand out due to its wide color gamuts that cover an extensive range of colors needed for accuracy in design tasks. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 offers decent resolution and acceptable brightness, contributing to good general usability and satisfactory performance in engineering and design, although it lacks the wider color coverage of the MacBook. However, neither option excels in 3D due to suboptimal refresh rates, which are crucial for smooth visuals in fast-moving 3D applications and games.
Battery
17.5 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 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
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" 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
$784
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has a price of $2,499 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" costs $784.
"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."
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" defies expectations. Indeed, it is just a minor upgrade over last year. However, this doesn’t make the laptop any less terrific. It’s got a great performance, courtesy of the Ryzen 5x25U processors. In addition, you get a pretty good battery life. Perhaps, the 2-hour decrease in video playback, compared to last year is not great, but still, 10 hours of Web browsing and 7 hours of video playback is okay for 17-inch notebooks."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) or the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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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