Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023)
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023)
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GENERAL USE: Very Good—8.7/10
GAMING/AI: Good—7.2/10
ENG/DESIGN: Very Good—8.4/10
SOFTWARE DEV: Very Good—8.7/10
CONTENT CREATION: Very Good—8.7/10
PORTABILITY: Good—7.6/10
BATTERY: Best in Class—9.5/10
OVERALL SCREEN QUALITY: Best in Class—9.5/10
OVERALL PERFORMANCE: Very Good—8.1/10
SIZE: 16.2"
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is positioned at a premium price point with powerful performance thanks to its Apple M2 Pro processor. It boasts a large 16.2-inch Mini LED display with high resolution, making it an excellent choice for professionals who need accurate colors and clear visuals for tasks such as video editing or graphic design. Its battery is robust, providing long hours of typical usage, which is ideal for those who need to work on the go. Weighing 4.7 pounds, it is heavier than some laptops, which may affect its portability. This MacBook Pro also comes with a large touchpad, a high-quality backlit keyboard, a fingerprint reader for added security, and multiple USB-C/Thunderbolt ports for connectivity, but it lacks an HDMI port and an Ethernet connection. It doesn't come with a number pad on the keyboard, so for tasks that require numerical data entry, this could be a limitation. It’s not primarily designed for gaming, but it can handle general and engineering tasks very well. Overall, if you value top-notch build quality, excellent screen performance, and are not constrained by budget, the MacBook Pro 16 (2023) would be a strong choice, albeit with some trade-offs in portability and gaming capabilities. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Evaluation
Pros
- High-resolution 120Hz display
- Exceptional build quality
- Long battery life
- Excellent speaker and webcam
- Powerful Apple M2 Pro chip
Cons
- Significantly heavy
- No touchscreen option
- No available RAM upgrade
- Only USB-C/Thunderbolt ports
Ratings by Category
Build Quality:5.0
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, chassis rigidity, and overall reliability. Our assessment of build quality includes many details that are difficult to quantify. Our laptop experts use their best judgment to produce the final score.
Battery Life:4.9
PerfectRec’s Battery Life rating is based on hours of battery life in typical usage scenarios.
General Use Screen Quality:4.9
The general use screen score is based on the screen technology, contrast ratio, resolution, brightness, color gamut and color accuracy. This score does not take into account specialized display features for specific use cases, such as high refresh rate for gaming.
Keyboard Quality:4.9
The Keyboard Quality score is based on the PerfectRec experts’ assessment of tactile feedback, typing comfort, keyboard reliability and typing noise.
General Use:4.6
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) excels in general use due to its potent Apple M2 Pro processor and ample 16 GB of RAM, which ensure smooth multitasking and performance. Additionally, the high-quality Mini LED screen, best-in-class keyboard and speaker quality, and long battery life make it a versatile choice for various tasks, while still offering good portability despite its larger screen size.
Software Development:4.6
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software development.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Content Creation:4.6
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, and video editing work.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Operating Noise:4.6
PerfectRec’s Operating Noise Score is based on fan noise measurements. Laptops with a fanless design, such as Macbooks, receive the maximum score.
Engineering & Design:4.5
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design, CAD and 3D work.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Portability:4.2
PerfectRec’s portability rating takes into account the volume and thickness of the laptop as well as its weight.
Gaming & AI:4.1
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability as well as AI performance, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
While performance (especially graphics performance) is the most important factor determining this score, we also give modest weight to screen quality, heat management, keyboard quality, and storage.
Full Specs
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Price | $1,999 | ||
Release Date | January 1, 2023 | ||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.8'' x 0.66'' | ||
Weight | 4.7 lbs | ||
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | Apple M2 Pro (12C) | ||
Graphics | M2 Pro (19C) | ||
Mux Switch / Advanced Optimus | No | ||
RAM | 16 GB | ||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | ||
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | 17.5 Hours | ||
Battery Capacity | 99.6 Wh | ||
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | 16.2" | ||
Display Technology | Mini LED | ||
Resolution | 3456 x 2234 | ||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | ||
Display Brightness | 487 nits | ||
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score  | 10/10 | ||
Portability Score | 7.6/10 | ||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | ||
Fan Noise Score | 8.8/10 | ||
Keyboard Lighting Color | White | ||
Warranty Period | 1 year | ||
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | 9.5/10 | ||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | ||
Webcam | 1080p | ||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | ||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | ||
Number Pad | No | ||
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | 0 | ||
USB-C ports | 3 | ||
USB-C Charging | Yes | ||
Display Outputs | 2 | ||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | ||
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Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023)
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NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | February 2023
"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."
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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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Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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