Comparison: M1 MacBook Pro vs. Razer Book 13

[polaris20]

hot, slow, and expensive.

I knew a girl like that once.

 

[Nica]

“...while the Razer Book has RBG key lighting that can be a distraction for some.”

Is it customizable? If so, I’d call that an advantage... unnecessary but still a more versatile option.

“Ports are one area where the Razer Book 13 may have an advantage for some users.”

It has all the same ports and then some. I don’t know how this is an advantage to simply “some”. I’d love more ports on my MBA

 

[kenberger]

Total lack of information and misleading comparison:
1. Should have been a MacBook Air M1 as it is more comparable as and entry level machine. And as such the price difference is zero.
2. The MacBook Pro (and Air) have 2560 by 1600 pixels display vs the Razer's Full HD of 1920 x 1080.
3. The MacBook Pro's M1 graphics are many times faster than the Razer's( https://technical.city/en/video/Apple-M1-8-Core-GPU-vs-Iris-Xe-Graphics-G7-80EUs - 529.1% faster (about 6.5 times) in synthetic tests )
4. The Macbook will maintain it's graphics and processor speed regardless of load where as the Intel I-5 in the Razer will throttle speed on any task that requires continuous computational or graphics performance form 3d video games to encoding video or ucopressinpg a large file.
5. The finger print sensor offer better securety and faster authentication. Not to mention that Mac OS is inherently more secure than windows. There is no need to run performance robbing anti-virus software on the Mac.
Could go on and on. This is just poor reporting. I remember when Macrumors was a Mac news site not a Windows Fanboy site.
There should be an apology to the reader of this site for this kind of junk click bait "review".

 

[Darth Tulhu]

Until M1, macOS was the main differentiator. Everything else was a very distant secondary consideration.

Now, if you really want performance, power, etc., you have to consider an Apple Silicon Mac.

I know the ‘PC master race people’ will buck and reject that idea for now, but the die is cast: if PCs don’t find a way to SIGNIFICANTLY increase their rate of performance improvements, they’ll soon be left in the dust.

You underestimate the reason PC users stick with PCs.

Gaming is probably number 1, but also hardware flexibility and customization.

When someone does not object to using Windows and wants one machine to do it all, a PC cannot be beat. Not with Apple's current offerings, performance be damned.

For many (most?) it doesn't matter how fast the car is if it only carries one passenger without his luggage.

 

[Putzytart]

I just still can't get my head around the fact that M1 Macs are now better bang for your buck than PCs. Having a Mac go head to head (benchmark-wise) against a similarly priced PC and win is just unheard of. As a Mac buyer since 1985 I am constantly reminded by Apple haters about how much extra I pay for the Apple logo. Now, that argument seems to be over, and I still am shocked. Can't wait for the iMac and more pro-targeted laptops and Mac mini.

 

[deeddawg]

Here, I'll make it very simple.

One of the two runs macOS.
The other doesn't.

All I need to know.

 

[Freeangel1]

you compared an M1 to an anemic Intel i5. Thats why the M1 comes out ahead in this review.
what you buy your stuck with in the M1. no upgrading or repairing the CPU, GPU or RAM
It's all built on 1 chip. non upgradable. that's the big downside for PRO's.

 

[Synchromesh]

That’s like comparing a “Subaru” Razer to an elegant “Porsche” M1”

As an owner of both a Subaru and a Porsche - let me tell you - the Subaru will kick my Porsche's ass any day of the week in absolutely everything except feel, smell, sound and fun-to-drive factor.

 

[MacBird]

As an owner of both a Subaru and a Porsche - let me tell you - the Subaru will kick my Porsche's ass any day of the week in absolutely everything except feel, smell, sound and fun-to-drive factor.

You are saying that your Subaru accelerates faster than your Porsche?

 

[Darth Tulhu]

I just still can't get my head around the fact that M1 Macs are now better bang for your buck than PCs. Having a Mac go head to head (benchmark-wise) against a similarly priced PC and win is just unheard of. As a Mac buyer since 1985 I am constantly reminded by Apple haters about how much extra I pay for the Apple logo. Now, that argument seems to be over, and I still am shocked. Can't wait for the iMac and more pro-targeted laptops and Mac mini.

Let's not get carried away. Macs are a better value than they have been in years, sure.

But bang-for-the-buck? It only depends on where you like to be 'banged'.

Processor speed? Check. OS stability and security and ease-of-use? Check.

Everything else? Nope.

That said, I never felt I paid extra for the logo, as the haters love to deride.

I paid extra for the combination of factors, the wholistic experience: the hardware aesthetics, the array of ports, the (eventual) ability to run both Windows and macOS, the integration with other products, and of course, OS X.

Nowadays, the competition has matched most of those "advantages" save the last two, which they never will.

 

[toke lahti]

The MacBook Pro, meanwhile, has two Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports and a 3.5mm audio jack.

AFAIK, mbpM1 does NOT have TB4, so maybe you should correct this?

@MacRumors?

 

[sidewinder3000]

Why bother writing a review when the conclusion is just: whichever ecosystem you’re in will determine which one you buy?

 

[jhanly]

1. What is the point of this? Comparing a random Windows laptop to a Mac laptop for no apparent reason seems odd.

2. “Design wise, the Razer Book 13 has a bit of an edge over the 13-inch MacBook Pro thanks to the Razer's thin side bezels.”

This is utterly subjective. Why do the slightly thinner bezels “win out”? What advantage does it provide? Simply stating it’s better isn’t meaningful or useful.

The author explained why he was comparing the 2 computers. Made sense to me.

 

[LinkRS]

It seems like you should have included some key points in your article as well:

1) Tired of hearing put downs on Touch Bar, just go to settings and turn it off, if you don't like it, it shouldn't bother anyone if it is in the old fashioned style. Extra features are always a plus, not a minus.
2) display? Seems the ball was dropped here. The model you chose is only a full HD+ (1920X1200) display, MBP wins out easily. Also no mention of brightness (their upgraded display is equivalent), and color gamut?
3) SSD speed? The MBP is pretty fast, is the Razer comparable? According to laptopmag anyway, the SSD is pretty crappy in comparison
4) TouchID, I didn't see that mentioned, does Razer have an equivalent feature?
5) Ports? Sorry this is a big red herring, if you need the extra ports you will get a cable/adapter once (even for travel). OK, I hear yah, but the port choice is simply not relevant, even if you had the port, you still have to travel with the cable, so one cable or a different cable, yawn.
6) speakers/mics? Dolby atmos? It would be ice to know
7) 512GB option, $200 for the MBP is always considered expensive, but at least Apple uses fast, hardware encrypted, SSDs. All I can find on Razer's site is you have to go to $1999 which also gets you a UHD touch screen (yawn, no smears for me thanks), an I7 and 16GB of ram. The equivalent MBP is $1699, still faster, and no touch screen to get smeared - so not totally equivalent

Well, here is some amplifying info..

1 - You can't just disable the Touch Bar, then you have no Function Keys, volume control, screen brightness without having to go to settings. Despite that, I agree with the sentiment that if your deciding factor about it being "worse" is that it has a touch bar, then it is bogus.

2 - Can't really compare Matte vs Glossy as this is a personal preference. Some folks prefer one over the other. Apple used to offer options for matte or glossy for MacBook Pros. You are right on the resolution, and potentially the color gamut. I don't know what the Razer is rated at.

3 - SSDs can vary wildly depending on brand and type, would need more info to make this assessment

4 - Valid point about TouchID. I have not seen fingerprint readers outside of TouchID that work as well as Apple's. However Windows "Hello" works pretty well when it is available.

5 - This is entirely a valid point against Apple. People have been complaining for a while now the lack of ports on Apple products. The Razer just simply wins here. With only 2 ports, you either have to sacrifice one for charging when necessary, or depend on dongles and docks/cradles. A laptop relying on external things for connectivity is painful.

6 - This is also valid. Very few laptops have good speakers. That is why the 2019 16" MacBook Pro gets so many kudos for its speakers.

7 - This is the one that made me type this post. All SSD's by how they work are hardware encrypted. Apple does not have the monopoly here. Windows (assuming the right version is chosen) features BitLocker which in combination with a TPM offers the same protection as FileVault. Again, as mentioned for 3, would need more info to see if the Razers' drive is not fast, as SSDs in the Windows world can vary pretty significantly. For the record, one of the reasons the SSD in the new M1 systems is so "fast" is that Apple chose a lower-performing part for the early 2020 models. There are many reports how those were slower than the models they were replacing.

Good luck!

Rich S.

 

[Le0M]

Really looking forward to a completely redesigned laptop lineup from Apple.
It has been way too long.

Why do you - like many others - care so much about a redesign? It's not like the Mac get faster that way. It's just aesthetics.

 

[Synchromesh]

You are saying that your Subaru accelerates faster than your Porsche?

I'm saying waaaaaay faster than my Porsche. Subaru is 9 years old, Porsche is 37. So, yeah. But despite that Porsche is way more fun to drive because acceleration isn't everything in a car.