Framework Laptop 16 vs Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023)

Please select specific configurations for the laptops to get a more accurate comparative review
CPU
GPU
Apple M2 Pro GPU (19-core)
RAM
Storage

Review

Evaluation of Framework Laptop 16 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) important characteristics
Performance
System and application performance
Gaming
Performance in popular 3D games
Display
Viewing angle, color accuracy, brightness
Battery Life
Potential battery life in light and average use
Connectivity
Ports, webcam and other interfaces
Portability
Design, materials, durability and usability
NanoReview Score
Pick the usage scenario that best matches your needs
Primary usage:

Value for money (Beta)

Please input up-to-date prices for the selected laptop configurations to get an accurate value-for-money index.
Currency
VS
65.5
(Good)
Value Index
41.3
(Average)

Key Differences

What are the key differences between the notebooks
Advantages of the Framework Laptop 16
  • Higher screen refresh rate: 165 versus 120 Hz
  • Higher number of cutting-edge USB Type-C ports: 4 versus 3
  • Around 18% better multi-core CPU performance in the Cinebench 2024 test
  • User-upgradable RAM (up to 96GB) and an SSD
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023)
  • MacBook with the Apple M2 Pro chip maintains its performance even when running on battery power.
  • Thinner bezels and 20% higher screen-to-body ratio
  • Features a bigger (~18%) battery – 100 against 85 watt-hours
  • 34% sharper screen – 254 versus 189 pixels per inch (PPI)
  • Much smaller footprint: 15% more compact case (136.7 vs 160.4 square inches)

Tests and Specifications

Comparison table of test results and technical specs

Case

Weight 2.1 kg (4.63 lbs) 2.15 kg (4.74 lbs)
Dimensions 356.58 x 290.2 x 17.95 mm
14.04 x 11.43 x 0.71 inches
355.7 x 248.1 x 16.8 mm
14 x 9.77 x 0.66 inches
Area 1035 cm2 (160.5 inches2) 882 cm2 (136.8 inches2)
Screen-to-body ratio ~71.7% ~86.2%
Side bezels 6 mm 3.4 mm
Colors Black, Gray, Orange, Purple Silver, Gray
Material Top: Aluminum
Middle: Plastic
Bottom: Plastic
Aluminum
Transformer No No
Opening angle 155° 135°
Size comparison
Cooling solution
Cooling system Active Active
Vapor chamber No No
Liquid metal Yes No
Number of fans 2 2
Max. fan speed (RPM) - 6000 RPM
Noise level (max. load) 49 dB 43.2 dB

Display

Size 16 inches 16.2 inches
Type IPS LCD Mini LED
Refresh rate 165 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes Yes (24-120 Hz)
PPI 189 ppi 254 ppi
Aspect ratio 16:10 16:10
Resolution 2560 x 1600 pixels 3456 x 2234 pixels
HDR support No Yes, Dolby Vision
Sync technology G-Sync No
Touchscreen No No
Coating Matte Glossy (Antireflective)
Ambient light sensor No Yes
Screen space comparison
MacBook Pro 16 (2023)
16.2″ (16:10 ratio) = 118 in2
Laptop 16
16″ (16:10 ratio) = 115.1 in2
~2% more screen space
Display tests
Contrast 1500:1 504000:1
sRGB color space - 100%
Adobe RGB profile - 88.5%
DCI-P3 color gamut 100% 99%
Response time 9 ms 63 ms
Max. brightness
500 nits

Battery

Capacity
Full charging time - 1:25 hr
Battery type Li-Po Li-Po
Replaceable Yes No
Fast charging Yes Yes
Charging via USB (Power Delivery) Yes, 240 W Yes, 100 W
Charging port position - Left, Right
Charge power 100 / 180 / 240 W 140 W
Cable length - 2 meters
Weight of AC adapter 160 / 400 grams 353 grams

CPU

CPU name
Base frequency 3.8 GHz 3.5 GHz
Turbo frequency 5.1 GHz -
Cores 8 12 (8P + 4E)
Threads 16 12
L3 Cache 16 MB -
Integrated GPU Radeon 780M Apple M2 Pro GPU (19-core)
Fabrication process 4 nm 5 nm

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
12551
Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)
Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)

Graphics Card

GPU name
TGP 100 W 35 W
Type Dedicated Integrated
Fabrication process 4 nm 5 nm
GPU base clock - 450 MHz
GPU boost clock - 1398 MHz
FLOPS 23.2 TFLOPS 6.8 TFLOPS
Memory size 8 GB System Shared
Memory type GDDR7 LPDDR5
Memory bus 128 bit 256 bit
Memory speed ~24 Gbps 6.4 Gbps
Shading units (cores) 4608 2432
Texture mapping units (TMUs) 144 152
Raster operations pipelines (ROPs) 48 76
GPU performance 23.2 TFLOPS 6.8 TFLOPS

GPU Benchmarks

Steel Nomad Lite Score
Blender GPU 4323 888
Solar Bay 61827 15563
Expected FPS based on average performance across 9 popular games. Details

RAM

RAM size
Channels 1x8 GB 2x8 GB
Clock 5600 MHz 6400 MHz
Type DDR5 LPDDR5
Upgradable Yes No
Total slots 2 -
Max. ram size 96 GB -

Storage

Storage size
Bus PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) Custom
Storage type SSD (M2) SSD (M2)
Channels 1x256 GB 2x256 GB
Upgradable Yes No
Total slots 2 -
NVMe Yes Yes

Sound

Audio chip Realtek ALC1318 -
Speakers 2.0 4.2 (4 tweeters and 2 woofers)
Power 2x2W -
Dolby Atmos No Yes
Loudness ~86 dB ~86.1 dB
Microphones 2 3

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard v6E v6E
Bluetooth v5.2 v5.3
Fingerprint Yes Yes
Infrared sensor No No
Optical drive No No
Webcam Above the display Above the display
Webcam resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Ports
USB-A No No
USB Type-C 4x USB 4.0 3x USB 4.0
Thunderbolt No Thunderbolt 4
HDMI 1x HDMI 2.0 1x HDMI 2.1
DisplayPort 1x v1.4 No
VGA No No
Audio jack (3.5 mm) Yes Yes
Ethernet (RJ45) Yes No
SD card reader Yes Yes
Proprietary charging port Yes Yes

Input

Keyboard
Keyboard type Island Island
Numpad Yes No
Backlight Yes Yes
Key travel 1.5 mm 1 mm
Touchpad
Size 12.2 x 7.6 cm 15.5 x 9.9 cm
Surface Glass Glass
Windows Precision Yes No
Further details
Notes on MacBook Pro 16 (2023):
    - Entry-level configuration includes a 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU, contrasting the 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU we tested, resulting in roughly a 15% multi-core performance reduction.
    - Entry-level configuration featuring 512 GB storage uses slower single-channel SSD, whereas 1 TB or larger versions incorporate dual-channel SSDs.
*Disclaimer! Ports, speakers, display, and other specifications can vary depending on the laptop's specific configuration or region.

Cast your vote

So, which laptop would you choose?
25 (92.6%)
2 (7.4%)
Total votes: 27

Comments

Write your opinion about the comparison of Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) and Framework Laptop 16 or ask any questions
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Avatar
Ben Dover July 25, 2024 at 03:04 AM
This is very true. The Framework laptop dominates the MacBook Pro in terms of price and performance. XD
0 Reply
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George April 18, 2024 at 02:41 AM
Framework laptop is AMD-based, does not support Thunderbolt.
0 Reply
Serhii April 18, 2024 at 07:22 AM
It is very useful comment, thank you.
0 Reply
Avatar
Pietro M. September 21, 2023 at 10:52 AM
The battery of the Framework laptop *is* replaceable.
0 Reply
Serhii September 22, 2023 at 07:22 AM
Thank you for your comment, it's true.
0 Reply