Before diving into specifics, let me address the differences at a high level. The Apple MacBook Pro is known for its premium build quality, high performance, and long battery life, but it comes at a higher cost. It's ideal for professionals doing intensive tasks like video editing, 3D modeling, and software development. On the other hand, the Lenovo Slim 7 is more affordable and still offers good performance for everyday tasks and some heavier workloads, such as light photo editing or casual gaming. It might not match the MacBook Pro in terms of raw power or build quality, but it's generally lighter and more portable, making it a better option for those who travel often or have a smaller budget. If cost is a significant factor for you and your workload doesn't include heavy video editing or 3D rendering, the Lenovo Slim 7 is a wise choice. However, if you're looking for a workstation replacement with top-tier performance and can justify the expense, the MacBook Pro would be the better option. 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 Slim 7 16
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023).
Key differences
General Use
8.8/10
7.7/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the Lenovo Slim 7 16 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is more suitable for general use due to its high-quality Mini LED screen, which offers an excellent visual experience, and it has a powerful proprietary CPU that handles tasks efficiently alongside more RAM for multitasking, whereas the Lenovo Slim 7 16 provides versatility with a touchscreen and discrete graphics for casual gaming, but its overall performance and screen quality, while good, do not reach the same heights as the MacBook, and it offers shorter battery life. The MacBook also excels in portability with a slightly higher battery life and a build quality that ensures durability, while the Slim 7 16 prioritizes a more conventional approach with ports and an upgradeable storage option.
Gaming and AI
7.5/10
6.6/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Slim 7 16 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16, with its powerful integrated GPU and high-quality Mini LED screen, handles 3D applications well, but its MacOS may limit gaming due to compatibility issues with many titles. On the other hand, the Lenovo Slim 7 16's discrete Nvidia GPU and higher screen refresh rate offer a better gaming experience on Windows, but its screen quality and graphics performance may not match the MacBook, making it just fair for 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.9/10
7.5/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Slim 7 16 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 is highly suited for engineering and design due to its superior CPU and GPU from Apple's own M3 Pro lineup, more RAM, and a high-quality Mini LED screen, which all contribute to excellent performance and visual clarity. On the other hand, the Lenovo Slim 7 with an AMD CPU and Nvidia GPU, while slightly lighter for portability, offers a touch-enabled IPS display but has less RAM and lower coverage in professional color spaces, which can be important for design accuracy.
Content Creation
8.9/10
7.6/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
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 Lenovo Slim 7 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
7.6/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
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 Slim 7 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
8.3/10
16.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo Slim 7 16 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16's screen is lauded for having superior resolution and brightness, coupled with wide color gamuts, which makes it exceptional for general use and professional design and engineering applications where precise color representation is essential. Meanwhile, the Lenovo Slim 7 16 also offers high resolution and brightness, providing a very good visual experience for general activities and color-critical work, although it might not match the Apple's color range precisely. However, for 3D applications and gaming, where a high refresh rate is crucial to ensure smooth motion, both laptops fall short, with the MacBook Pro's focus on color and resolution coming at the expense of a faster refresh rate, which is a key factor for these specific uses.
Battery
17.5 Hours
9.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Slim 7 16 has 9.5 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.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo Slim 7 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
$1,440
$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 Slim 7 16 costs $1,440.
"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."
"At $1,011, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Pro is a real bargain among full-sized laptops, with a handsome 16-inch, 16:10 aspect ratio touch screen, a speedy CPU, a comfortable keyboard, ample memory, and a roomy solid-state drive. It's not a blazing gaming rig or mobile workstation, but it doesn't pretend to be. Its biggest negative is that it may be hard to find—during our review, it sold out and was marked "Temporarily Unavailable" on Lenovo's site."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) or the Lenovo Slim 7 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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