The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is a premium laptop with a larger and higher-quality display, more storage, and substantially more RAM than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2. It boasts superior performance suitable for intensive tasks such as 3D rendering, machine learning, or engineering programs, and it also has a significantly longer battery life. However, it is more expensive and less portable due to its larger size and additional weight. In contrast, the Surface Laptop Go 2, with its touchscreen and smaller, more lightweight design, is much more affordable and portable, making it a good choice for general usage, and daily productivity tasks, though it's not as well-suited for demanding applications due to its lower performance capabilities and smaller storage. 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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Excellent portability
Key differences
General Use
8.8/10
7.0/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is preferred for general use over the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 due to its superior CPU, more RAM, higher-quality Mini LED screen, and longer battery life, which all contribute to better performance and display but at the cost of being less portable. On the other hand, the Surface Laptop Go 2 offers greater portability and a touchscreen at a lower performance level due to its less powerful CPU, less RAM, and lower-end IPS screen, making it a fair but more budget-friendly option for general tasks.
Gaming and AI
7.5/10
6.0/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 with its higher GPU performance and screen refresh rate excels in 3D rendering tasks, offering a smooth visual experience, but gaming is limited as many popular games are not compatible with MacOS. Meanwhile, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 provides fair performance for gaming with a satisfactory built-in GPU and a moderate screen refresh rate but might not be as capable for more demanding 3D games and applications.
Engineering and Design
8.9/10
6.5/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
18.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16, equipped with a more powerful CPU, more RAM, and a higher-end GPU, is better for demanding engineering and design tasks than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, which has a mid-range CPU, less RAM, and a GPU suitable for less intensive work.
Content Creation
8.9/10
7.1/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
18.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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
7.0/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
18.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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
6.9/10
16.2in
SIZE
12.4in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16's display excels in general use and engineering with its high resolution, brightness, and wide color gamut coverage, ensuring crisp, vibrant images essential for detail-oriented tasks. Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, with its agreeable resolution and panel quality, serves well for everyday activities and non-intensive design work, but neither have high refresh rates that 3D applications and gamers often require for smooth visuals. Furthermore, professionals in color-critical fields might favor the MacBook Pro for its superior color accuracy and range, which are crucial for design and engineering precision.
Battery
17.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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.
Portability
Good
Excellent
16.2in
SIZE
12.4in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has excellent portability, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,499
$565
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has a price of $2,499 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 costs $565.
"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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 review is a compact companion with old hardware. The Surface Laptop Go 2 shows some weaknesses. Microsoft didn't really develop the second generation of the Surface Laptop Go 2 any further but has only equipped it with a slightly more powerful Core i5 processor. However, the performance still remains at a fairly low level overall, but for many users, it definitely should still be sufficient for everyday tasks."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
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 Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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