The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) offers superior performance, better screen quality with higher resolution and brightness, and significantly longer battery life, making it ideal for professional work, intensive engineering tasks, and creative pursuits like video editing or 3D design. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i is more affordable and still suitable for everyday use, light gaming, and less demanding engineering applications. It has a good balance of features for general tasks but won't match the MacBook Pro in power or display quality. The MacBook Pro's premium build and longer battery life come with a higher price, while the IdeaPad Slim 5i manages to keep costs down but compromises on performance and screen excellence. Consider the MacBook Pro if you need a high-end laptop for performance-intensive tasks and the Lenovo if you seek value for money for everyday computing needs. 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 Slim 5i
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023).
Key differences
General Use
8.8/10
7.5/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
315.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is equipped with a more powerful CPU and GPU, greater battery capacity, and superior screen quality which all contribute to its very good rating for general use, whereas the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i, while lighter and offering comparable storage and RAM, possesses a less powerful processor and lower screen resolution, contributing to its good rating for general use.
Gaming and AI
7.5/10
6.3/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
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 Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 comes with a powerful GPU and high-quality screen, making it well-suited for demanding 3D tasks and providing a fluid visual experience; however, its compatibility with games is limited as many popular titles aren't available for macOS. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i, while offering a decent GPU for gaming and capable of running a wider range of games, may not match the Pro's performance in 3D rendering or offer the same screen refresh rates.
Engineering and Design
8.9/10
7.0/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023), with its more powerful Apple M3 Pro CPU, higher RAM, and superior GPU, excels in engineering and design thanks to its high-performing hardware and top-tier mini LED screen with exceptional color accuracy and brightness. In contrast, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i provides good performance for its class with an Intel i5 CPU and integrated graphics, it may fall behind in demanding tasks, although it offers decent portability and a quality keyboard for more general use.
Content Creation
8.9/10
7.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
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 Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i 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
7.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i 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
6.4/10
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
315.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16's high resolution, brightness, and superior color gamut coverage make its display exceptional for general use and tasks requiring accurate color reproduction, important in engineering and design. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i provides satisfactory resolution and brightness for everyday tasks and basic design work but lacks the higher-end color accuracy and brightness of the MacBook. However, neither are optimal for 3D applications due to lower refresh rates, which are crucial for the smooth rendering of fast-moving images in gaming and 3D modeling.
Battery
17.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i 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
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,499
$828
$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 Slim 5i costs $828.
"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 device is made for average work loads and if your work has a lot to do with online browsing, using apps that are not power-hungry and streaming videos. The looks are really good and the device in itself is not a heavy one. And with Intel 11th-gen Core processor, you might sail through most of your work without complaints."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) or the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
102,495
Recommendations made
22,208
Consumer hours saved
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
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
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.