M1 MacBook Pro 16” vs. 2021 ROG Zephyrus M16

Apple has released the M1 MacBook Pro 16”, a 16.2-inch machine, in late-2021. It is powered by up to 10-core Apple M1 Max (10C, 32G). The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Apple M1 Max iGPU (32 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores).

On the other hand, we have the 16-inch ROG Zephyrus M16 was introduced by ASUS around the same year in mid-2021. It comes with an octa-core Intel Core i9-11900H with a boost clock speed up to 4.90 GHz. It has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 with 8GB GDDR6 80W TGP.

The M1 MacBook Pro 16” has a 16.2-inch display which is quite similar size to the 16-inch 2021 ROG Zephyrus M16. In addition, the M1 MacBook Pro 16” weighs 4.7 lbs. about 12% heavier than the 4.19 lbs. 2021 ROG Zephyrus M16. Moreover, measured at 14.01” x 9.77” x 0.66”, the M1 MacBook Pro 16” is much more portable than the 2021 ROG Zephyrus M16 at 13.98” x 9.57” x 0.88”.

There are a toal number of 7 ports and slots available on M1 MacBook Pro 16”. That includes three Thunderbolt 4 ports, a MagSafe 3, a headphone jack, an HDMI port, and a full-size SD card slot. With that said, it has two ports and slots fewer than the 2021 ROG Zephyrus M16 that has a Thunderbolt 4 port, a USB-C port, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, an RJ-45 port, a headphone jack, a microSD card slot, and a lock slot.

Moving over to upgradability, Apple claims that the M1 MacBook Pro 16” supports up to 64GB Unified memory. However, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. It also has soldered storage, and there are no M.2 slots for expansion.

For 2021 ROG Zephyrus M16, it supports up to 48GB 3200 MHz DDR4 memory. Like M1 MacBook Pro 16”, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Luckily, it has two M.2 slots that users can easily swap or add an extra SSD to get extra space when needed.

Here are some notable new features we found on the M1 MacBook Pro 16”.

• All-New MacBook Pro Design - the new design focus on functionality and performance. It has a larger chassis that provides more room for an advanced thermal system that can move 50 percent more air than the previous generation.
• New M1 Pro and M1 Max Chip - The new 16” MacBook Pro features the new M1 Pro, and M1 Max applies a system-on-a-chip (SoC) architecture. Both processors feature fast unified memory and increased memory bandwidth up to 400GB/s, 8-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, and with best-in-class performance per watt and industry-leading power efficiency.
• New Liquid Retina XDR with ProMotion Display - featuring mini-LED technology used in iPad Pro, the Liquid Retina XDR display delivers up to 1,000 nits of sustained, full-screen brightness, an incredible 1,600 nits of peak brightness, and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio.
• Better Battery Life - It delivers up to 21 hours of video playback, which is seven additional hours compared to the previous-generation MacBook Pro.

For 2021 ROG Zephyrus M16, there are also some outstanding new features that we want to point out as well including:

• Intel Core i9-11900H and Nvidia RTX 3070 - features the latest and most powerful processors with up to 48GB of DDR4 RAM and up to 2TB of PCIe Gen 4 storage.
• New 16-inch Display - the first ROG Zephyrus M series features the new taller 16:10 16-inch display with 94% screen-to-body ratio, WQHD resolution, 165Hz/3ms adaptive sync, and 100% DCI-P3 ideal for gamers who also create.
• 180° Ergolift - Open up more viewing angles with the 180° ErgoLift hinge.
• Built-in Webcam - On top of the super-slim screen bezel, the new ROG Zephyrus laptop now included
• Better Charging Capability - Supports USB-C Charging up to 100W power delivery and Quick Charge from 0 to 50% in 30 minutes.
• Intelligent Cooling - features thermal grizzly liquid metal thermal compound, 84-blade Arc Flow fans, customized self-cleaning cooling 2.0, and comprehensive 6 heat pipes coverage.