The Apple MacBook Pro 16 is a premium choice with a more robust build, better screen quality, and higher performance suited for demanding tasks like 3D rendering and engineering, with a touch more battery life, but it's heavier and significantly more expensive. The MSI Prestige 15, being lighter and more affordable, offers good general use performance and has a dedicated GPU which is adequate for moderate gaming and some creative tasks, though it falls behind on screen quality and battery performance compared to the MacBook Pro. Consider what's more important to you: higher-end performance and display or portability and cost savings. 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 MSI Prestige 15
The MSI Prestige 15 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023).
Key differences
General Use
8.8/10
7.5/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
298.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the MSI Prestige 15 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16, with its high-resolution Mini LED screen, large RAM, advanced CPU, and significant battery capacity, offers a robust experience for general use, alongside superior battery life and portability due to its lightweight design. In contrast, the MSI Prestige 15 also provides competent general use capabilities with its adequate screen and performance hardware, but its lower battery life and slightly heavier build make it less portable, despite it being a viable option with a good balance of features.
Gaming and AI
7.5/10
6.3/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
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 MSI Prestige 15 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) excels in 3D tasks largely because of its powerful integrated GPU and higher screen refresh rate, but its MacOS may limit game compatibility, while the MSI Prestige 15, with a discrete Nvidia GPU and a standard screen refresh rate, is more suited for gaming but may perform less impressively in demanding 3D scenarios.
Engineering and Design
8.9/10
7.2/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Prestige 15 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has a more powerful CPU and GPU optimized for high-performance tasks, and its superior screen quality with better color reproduction outshines the MSI Prestige 15, making it more suitable for engineering and design work that demands higher fidelity visuals. While the MSI Prestige 15 offers a balanced combination of good CPU and GPU power with a decent-quality screen, its strengths are supplemented by greater portability, a quality keyboard, and lower operating noise, factors which might appeal to users who value mobility and a quieter working environment.
Content Creation
8.9/10
7.5/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
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 MSI Prestige 15 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
7.2/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the MSI Prestige 15 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
6.8/10
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
298.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the MSI Prestige 15 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023), with its high-resolution display and outstanding brightness, offers crisp and vibrant visuals for general use, while its broad color gamut coverage ensures accurate color rendition crucial for engineering and design tasks. However, despite its excellent resolution and panel quality, its lower refresh rate limits its effectiveness for 3D applications, which benefit from higher refresh rates for smoother motion rendering. The MSI Prestige 15, while also providing good resolution and decent brightness for general tasks, and respectable color accuracy for creative work, falls short for gaming and 3D due to its lesser refresh rate which is a key factor for these visually intensive and fast-paced activities.
Battery
17.5 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 15 has 7.5 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
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Prestige 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,499
$1,044
$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 MSI Prestige 15 costs $1,044.
"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 MSI Prestige 15 offers a dazzling 4K image quality, and solid performance. The MSI Prestige 15 appears to consistently implement the guiding principle of throttling the solid and efficient hardware to such an extent that content creation succeeds perfectly. Performance-hungry tasks, on the other hand, are slowed down a little by the reduced power consumption. Conversely, this means that the case remains relatively cool and the dual fan subdued. The battery life also benefits somewhat. So the losses aren't really dramatic because full performance is still available for short bursts."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) or the MSI Prestige 15
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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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