The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and the Razer Blade 14 are both premium laptops with their own advantages. The MacBook Pro offers a larger and more vibrant Mini LED display, a higher battery capacity for longer use, runs MacOS, and has a higher build and speaker quality. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 14 has superior gaming performance with its AMD Ryzen processor and Nvidia RTX graphics, is more portable due to being lighter, and has a full Windows gaming experience. If portability and gaming are priorities, go for the Razer Blade 14, but if you prefer longer battery life and a focus on creative work with a larger screen and MacOS, the MacBook Pro is the better choice. 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 software development
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 Razer Blade 14
Very good portability
Key differences
General Use
8.8/10
8.1/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
328.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and Razer Blade 14 are both very good for general use, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) with its Mini LED display, high screen resolution, large battery, and Apple M3 Pro processor is excellent for general use due to its superior battery life and screen quality, balanced with a slightly heavier form, making it less portable than some alternatives. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 14 offers a solid general-use option with a capable AMD Ryzen processor, Nvidia RTX graphics, a good amount of RAM, and ample storage, but has a lower battery life, making it better suited for users who prioritize performance and portability over longer unplugged usage.
Engineering and Design
8.9/10
8.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.0/10
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and Razer Blade 14 are both very good for engineering and design, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) excels in engineering and design due to its powerful Apple M3 Pro processor, high RAM capacity, and exceptional Mini LED screen quality, whereas the Razer Blade 14 stands out with its AMD Ryzen CPU, dedicated Nvidia RTX GPU for demanding tasks, and solid IPS display panel. While the MacBook Pro offers a larger screen and higher battery capacity, the Razer Blade is more portable and has a superior GPU, which is crucial for graphics-intensive engineering work.
Content Creation
8.9/10
8.1/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and Razer Blade 14 are both very good for content creation, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is somewhat better.
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
7.9/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the Razer Blade 14 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
8.0/10
16.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
328.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Razer Blade 14 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro's screen stands out for general use and engineering because it generally offers a high resolution and excellent brightness, combined with wide color gamuts, which makes details sharp and colors accurate. The Razer Blade 14 also provides a high-quality display with similar features, but for gaming and 3D applications, its screen may not be as suitable due to a lower refresh rate, which is crucial for smooth motion and gameplay. For those focused on 3D work and gaming, a higher refresh rate is key, which the MacBook Pro and Razer may lack compared to other laptops designed specifically for these tasks.
Battery
17.5 Hours
9.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 14 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.
Portability
Good
Very Good
16.2in
SIZE
14.0in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.9 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Razer Blade 14 has very good 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
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the Razer Blade 14 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,199
$2,999
$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 $2,199 and the Razer Blade 14 costs $2,999.
The Razer Blade 14 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) are both good for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 with its high-quality GPU is well-suited for 3D work on MacOS, despite many popular games not being compatible, while the Razer Blade 14, with a high-end GPU and greater screen refresh rate, excels in gaming and 3D on Windows, where most games are readily available.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and the Razer Blade 14 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."
"After making a huge splash with the original 2021 model, it's expected that the 2022 refresh would be more of a minor update to an already impressive machine. It adds a higher resolution webcam (720p to 1080p), faster CPU (Ryzen 9 5900HX to Ryzen 9 6900HX), faster GPU (RTX 3070/3080 to 3070/3080 Ti), faster RAM (DDR4-3200 to DDR5-4800), faster M.2 SSD support (PCIe3 x4 to PCIe4 x4), newer WLAN module (Killer AX1690i to Qualcomm WCN685x), and a MUX switch for the new integrated Radeon 680M GPU. It's indubitably an upgrade especially in terms of single-thread processor performance."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) or the Razer Blade 14
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 Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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