The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) offers more screen size with a high refresh rate and impressive color coverage, which is ideal for professionals in photography, video editing, or design work who prioritize display quality and battery life. Its higher price reflects a premium build and potentially longer-duration performance suited for intensive tasks, such as 3D rendering or machine learning, but it's heavier, making it less portable. In contrast, the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is lighter, making it more portable, with a touchscreen, a higher RAM, and a dedicated graphics card, suitable for gaming or engineering software, and it's less expensive, offering great value for users who need a balance of power and portability. However, it has a smaller screen and shorter battery life, making it less ideal for extended use without a power source. Choose the MacBook Pro if your work demands top-tier display and battery performance, despite a higher cost and less portability. Opt for the Lenovo if you require a more affordable, portable powerhouse with a touchscreen, better suited for gaming and engineering tasks but with trade-offs in battery life and screen size. 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)
Best in class overall build quality
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
Best in class overall display quality
Key differences
Software Development
8.9/10
8.3/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
18.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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
9.6/10
16.2in
SIZE
14.5in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
618.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i for software development, and content creation, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro and Lenovo Slim Pro 9i both offer high resolution and brightness, with panel types that deliver crisp, vivid images, making them excellent for general use and visual tasks in engineering and design. Their superior color gamut coverage ensures that professionals in graphic design and engineering see accurate, wide-ranging colors for detailed work. However, these laptops fall short for 3D applications and gaming because they lack the high refresh rates needed for the smooth rendering of fast-moving visuals.
Battery
17.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,499
$1,500
$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 Pro 9i costs $1,500.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and Lenovo Slim Pro 9i are both very good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) excels in general use due to its robust CPU combined with ample RAM for multitasking, a high-quality screen, and long battery life; however, its larger screen size and weight reduce its portability compared to some rivals. The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i also shines in general use with a powerful processor, double the storage, and a superior touch-capable Mini LED screen that's more portable due to its smaller size and lighter weight, but it trails in battery life and cooling efficiency.
Gaming and AI
7.5/10
7.6/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) are both good for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is tailored for 3D work, featuring a high-quality GPU that's part of the Apple M3 Pro chip, offering smooth visuals at a refresh rate suitable for professional tasks, but due to MacOS limitations, it can't run many popular games.
Engineering and Design
8.9/10
8.9/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
18.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is lauded for engineering and design due to its powerful Intel i7 processor paired with a high-performing Nvidia GPU and ample 32GB RAM, along with an exceptional pixel-dense Mini LED touchscreen, factors valuable in resource-intensive applications and precise visual work.
Content Creation
8.9/10
8.5/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
18.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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.
Portability
Good
Good
16.2in
SIZE
14.5in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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."
"The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is an impressive laptop with a brilliant Mini-LED display, a powerful 100-watt version of Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics, and excellent connectivity. Having run the Cinebench benchmark again, we were impressed with the CPU performance. That makes the Slim Pro 9i is an easy recommendation, especially for those who care about GPU and CPU performance. It’s also a fantastic choice if you frequently view HDR movies and games on your laptop."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) or the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
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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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.