The Apple MacBook Pro 16 is a premium choice with high performance for general use, 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks, along with better screen quality and battery life, but it comes at a higher price and has less portability. On the other hand, the Lenovo LOQ 16 is more budget-friendly, still suitable for gaming with dedicated hardware ray tracing and DLSS, and has slightly better portability, but its screen and overall performance scores are lower, which might be noticeable in demanding tasks and color-critical work. Choose the MacBook if your priority is top-notch performance and battery life or the Lenovo if you're looking for value and plan to game. 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
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Good portability
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo LOQ 16
The Lenovo LOQ 16 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023).
Key differences
General Use
8.8/10
7.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
329.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.3/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the Lenovo LOQ 16 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16, with its high-resolution Mini LED screen, longer battery life, lighter weight, and silent operation, excels in portability and screen quality, making it very good for general use. In comparison, the Lenovo LOQ 16 offers good performance for general use with a powerful CPU and GPU but is heavier and has a lower screen resolution, reduced battery life, and noisier operation which may affect comfort during extended use.
Engineering and Design
8.9/10
7.9/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.0/10
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo LOQ 16 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) excels in engineering and design due to its high-performance CPU and GPU, vast RAM, and superior screen quality with high resolution and color accuracy, along with long battery life, but at the cost of portability. The Lenovo LOQ 16, with its powerful AMD processor, dedicated Nvidia graphics, and ample RAM, is also well-suited for such tasks, and it brings the advantage of upgradable RAM and storage, though its screen isn't as color accurate and its battery life is notably shorter.
Content Creation
8.9/10
7.6/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
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 LOQ 16 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
7.5/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
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 LOQ 16 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
7.2/10
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
329.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo LOQ 16 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16's screen excels in clarity and color reproduction with high resolution and wide color gamuts, making it ideal for engineering and design tasks where precise colors and details are crucial. However, it lacks a high refresh rate, which diminishes the experience for 3D applications where smooth motion is key. The Lenovo LOQ 16 offers a balanced screen that's suitable for both general use and professional design work, but like the MacBook Pro, it doesn't provide the optimal refresh rate needed for the best gaming and 3D rendering experiences.
Battery
17.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo LOQ 16 has 6 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
5.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has good portability, while the Lenovo LOQ 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo LOQ 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,499
$1,000
$500
$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 $2,499 and the Lenovo LOQ 16 costs $1,000.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and Lenovo LOQ 16 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is equipped with its own high-performance GPU and a Mini LED display with a high refresh rate, making it suitable for 3D design and rendering; however, its operating system limits the range of games that can be played on it. The Lenovo LOQ 16, on the other hand, boasts a powerful Nvidia GPU and a high refresh rate IPS display, ensuring smooth gameplay and good 3D performance, with greater compatibility with popular games due to its Windows operating system.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and the Lenovo LOQ 16 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."
"Gaming laptops with an RTX 4060 are available starting from about 1,000 Euros (~$1,060), even in 16-inch format. For the supposedly affordable Lenovo LOQ 16 (1,500 Euros, ~$1,591), the manufacturer particularly saves in the equipment and materials compared to the more expensive Legion series. In addition, the LOQ is slightly heavier and more bulky. What remains is anything but a laptop full of difficult compromises. Instead, this is a more than solid gaming laptop that focusses on the 3D performance.Q is slightly heavier and more bulky."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) or the Lenovo LOQ 16
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
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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.