Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023)
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Good portability
Best in class battery life
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.5/10
9.1/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is good.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i excels in gaming and 3D mainly due to its high-performance Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU with hardware ray tracing and a high screen refresh rate, which are critical for rendering fast-paced games and detailed 3D graphics smoothly. In contrast, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 with its Apple M3 Pro GPU and lower refresh rate may handle 3D tasks well but may not support many popular games due to software compatibility limitations with MacOS.
Software Development
8.9/10
8.2/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
18.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and Lenovo Legion Pro 7i are both very good for software development, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is somewhat better.
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
8.7/10
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
469.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16, known for its Retina display, offers exceptional resolution and brightness, which along with its excellent panel type, make it ideal for general use, offering crisp and vivid imagery. For engineering and design tasks, it boasts wide color gamuts, ensuring colors are represented accurately and vibrantly, which is crucial for detail-oriented work. However, for 3D applications, its screen may fall short due to a lower refresh rate, which means it isn't as smooth for fast-moving graphics, despite good resolution and panel quality.
Battery
17.5 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has 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.
Portability
Good
Fair
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 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 Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$3,099
$2,000
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has a price of $3,099 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i costs $2,000.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and Lenovo Legion Pro 7i are both very good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) excels in general use due to its high-quality CPU and RAM, superior screen quality with high brightness and color accuracy, and impressive battery life, all packaged in a sleek, portable design. In comparison, the Lenovo Legion 7i Pro, while heavier and with shorter battery life, offers even more RAM, exceptional screen refresh rates for smooth visuals, and a powerful CPU and dedicated GPU that makes it suitable for more demanding applications and gaming. Both laptops have high-quality keyboards and speakers, with the MacBook Pro edging ahead in portability and battery, and the Legion 7i Pro in performance and upgradeability.
Engineering and Design
8.9/10
9.3/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
18.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Legion Pro 7i to be excellent for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) delivers strong performance in engineering and design through its Apple M3 Pro CPU and GPU, with a high-quality Mini LED screen, but is more portable and quieter in operation, excelling in keyboard and speaker quality. In comparison, the Lenovo Legion 7i Pro offers superior performance due to its Intel i9-13900HX CPU and Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU, more RAM, and a higher storage capacity, suited for the most demanding engineering tasks, though it's less portable and has a louder fan noise.
Content Creation
8.9/10
8.5/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
18.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and Lenovo Legion Pro 7i are both very good for content creation.
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.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 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."
"Passionate gamers who want to play demanding modern titles with maximum details and don't mind spending the moolah will find the Lenovo Legion 7 Pro to be the right choice. The bright, sharp, and color-accurate 16:10 QHD 240 Hz display makes for an immersive viewing experience. The hardware is housed in a stylish chassis that feels premium and scores well in terms of workmanship and stability. Other aspects such as sound quality, input devices, and connectivity also seem to be near-perfect."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) or the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i
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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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.