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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Display
- Interface
- Connectivity
- Configuration
- Performance
- Additional Features And Software
- Comments
HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (2021) vs Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (2021)
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
Tested using Methodology v0.8
Updated Feb 29, 2024 05:19 PM
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Amazon.comTested using Methodology v0.8.2
Updated Dec 14, 2023 12:24 PM
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Amazon.com
Size15.6"
Operating SystemWindows 11
Size16"
Operating SystemmacOS
Variants
- Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15-ec2121nr) (Shadow Black - 144Hz/250 nits/Ryzen 5/GTX 1650/8GB/512GB)
- Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15-ec2278ng) (Shadow Black - 144Hz/250 nits/Ryzen 7/RTX 3050Ti/16GB/1TB)
- Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15z-ec200) (Shadow Black - 60Hz/250 nits/Ryzen 5/GTX 1650/8GB/256GB)
- Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15-ec2008ca) (Shadow Black - 60Hz/250 nits/Ryzen 5/GTX 1650/8GB/512GB)
- Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15-ec2001sf) (Shadow Black - 60Hz/250 nits/Ryzen 5/GTX 1650/8GB/512GB)
- Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15-ec2005ns) (Shadow Black - 60Hz/250 nits/Ryzen 5/GTX 1650/8GB/512GB)
- Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15-ec2097nr) (Shadow Black - 60Hz/300 nits/Ryzen 7/GTX 1650/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MK1H3LL/A) (Silver - M1 Max/10‑core CPU/32‑core GPU/32GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MK1F3LL/A) (Silver - M1 Pro chip/10‑core CPU/16‑core GPU/16GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MK1E3LL/A) (Silver - M1 Pro/10‑core CPU/16‑core GPU/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MK1A3LL/A) (Space Gray - M1 Max/10‑core CPU/32‑core GPU/32GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MK193LL/A) (Space Gray - M1 Pro/10‑core CPU/16‑core GPU/16GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MK183LL/A) (Space Gray - M1 Pro/10‑core CPU/16‑core GPU/16GB/512GB)
Our Verdict
HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (2021)
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
The HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (2021) and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) are two very different laptops. The MacBook runs macOS and is designed for use as a creative workstation, and even though its M1 Pro or Max chip performs well in some games, it's far superior in video editing and 3D renders thanks to its significantly faster threaded performance, much larger unified memory, and dedicated video encoders and decoders. Additionally, the MacBook provides a far superior user experience thanks to its significantly brighter, more color-accurate, better-looking display, and it has a better-feeling keyboard, a larger, better-tracking touchpad, and louder, bassier speakers. On the other hand, the HP runs Windows and is designed for gaming, with a choice of entry-level dedicated NVIDIA GPUs and fast H-series AMD Ryzen CPUs that perform decently in most games. Unfortunately, like most gaming laptops, the HP's battery is much worse than the MacBook's.
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Shadow Black - 144Hz/250 nits/Ryzen 5/GTX 1650/8GB/512GB
Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15-ec2121nr)
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Finding storeSilver - M1 Max/10‑core CPU/32‑core GPU/32GB/1TB
MacBook Pro 16 (MK1H3LL/A)
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Finding storeShadow Black - 144Hz/250 nits/Ryzen 7/RTX 3050Ti/16GB/1TB
Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15-ec2278ng)
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Finding storeSilver - M1 Pro chip/10‑core CPU/16‑core GPU/16GB/1TB
MacBook Pro 16 (MK1F3LL/A)
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Finding storeShadow Black - 60Hz/250 nits/Ryzen 5/GTX 1650/8GB/256GB
Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15z-ec200)
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Finding storeSilver - M1 Pro/10‑core CPU/16‑core GPU/16GB/512GB
MacBook Pro 16 (MK1E3LL/A)
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Finding storeShadow Black - 60Hz/250 nits/Ryzen 5/GTX 1650/8GB/512GB
Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15-ec2008ca)
Searching
Finding storeSpace Gray - M1 Max/10‑core CPU/32‑core GPU/32GB/1TB
MacBook Pro 16 (MK1A3LL/A)
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Finding storeShadow Black - 60Hz/250 nits/Ryzen 5/GTX 1650/8GB/512GB
Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15-ec2001sf)
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Finding storeSpace Gray - M1 Pro/10‑core CPU/16‑core GPU/16GB/1TB
MacBook Pro 16 (MK193LL/A)
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Finding storeShadow Black - 60Hz/250 nits/Ryzen 5/GTX 1650/8GB/512GB
Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15-ec2005ns)
Searching
Finding storeSpace Gray - M1 Pro/10‑core CPU/16‑core GPU/16GB/512GB
MacBook Pro 16 (MK183LL/A)
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Finding storeShadow Black - 60Hz/300 nits/Ryzen 7/GTX 1650/16GB/512GB
Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15-ec2097nr)
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Finding storeNotice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our laptops test methodology.
Main Differences for
Threshold
School
6.7
8.6
Battery
4.9
9.4
Touchpad
7.2
9.7
Build Quality
7.5
9.5
Webcam & Microphone
6.5
9.1
Brightness
5.9
8.5
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Build Quality
7.5
9.5
Build Quality Photo
Hinge
9.0
9.1
Hinge Photo
Range
130°
135°
Stability
Good
Good
One Finger Lift
Yes
Yes
Portability
6.8
7.2
Dimensions Photo
Size
15.6"
16"
Thickness
1.1" (2.7 cm)
0.7" (1.7 cm)
Width
14.2" (36.0 cm)
14.0" (35.6 cm)
Depth
10.2" (25.8 cm)
9.8" (24.8 cm)
Volume
153.0 in³ (2,507.8 cm³)
91.6 in³ (1,500.9 cm³)
Weight
4.6 lbs (2.1 kg)
4.7 lbs (2.2 kg)
Charger Size
12.7 in³ (207.4 cm³)
13.3 in³ (218.3 cm³)
Charger Weight
0.9 lbs (0.4 kg)
1.1 lbs (0.5 kg)
Serviceability
8.4
3.5
Internals Photo
Ease Of Access
8.5
6.0
RAM Slots
2
0
Storage Slots
1
0
Replaceable Battery
Yes
Yes
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
Yes
No
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Display
Screen Specs
Display Photo
Resolution
1920 x 1080
3456 x 2234
Aspect Ratio
16:9
16:10
Pixel Density
141 PPI
254 PPI
Panel Type
IPS
IPS
Touch Screen
No
No
Screen-To-Body Ratio
77%
91%
Refresh Rate
5.9
8.7
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate
60 Hz
120 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
No
Apple ProMotion
Contrast
7.1
10
Contrast Photo
Native Contrast
1,170 : 1
50,250 : 1
Brightness
5.9
8.5
Maximum Brightness
220 cd/m²
469 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
15 cd/m²
4 cd/m²
Reflections
7.5
8.8
Reflections Photo Off
Reflections Photo Max
Screen Finish
Matte
Glossy
Total Reflections
4.73%
1.91%
Indirect Reflections
2.97%
0.18%
Calculated Direct Reflections
1.76%
1.73%
Black Uniformity
6.5
10
Black Uniformity Photo
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
1.644%
0.355%
Horizontal Viewing Angle
6.3
6.9
Horizontal Viewing Angle Video
Horizontal Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Left
23°
25°
Color Washout From Right
24°
29°
Horizontal Hue Picture
Color Shift From Left
27°
39°
Color Shift From Right
40°
47°
Horizontal Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Left
24°
28°
Brightness Loss From Right
27°
32°
Black Level Raise From Left
60°
60°
Black Level Raise From Right
60°
60°
Gamma Shift From Left
20°
33°
Gamma Shift From Right
24°
38°
Vertical Viewing Angle
6.3
7.0
Vertical Viewing Angle Video
Vertical Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Below
24°
26°
Color Washout From Above
25°
31°
Vertical Hue Picture
Color Shift From Below
26°
38°
Color Shift From Above
36°
45°
Vertical Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Below
24°
29°
Brightness Loss From Above
27°
34°
Black Level Raise From Below
45°
45°
Black Level Raise From Above
45°
45°
Gamma Shift From Below
23°
28°
Gamma Shift From Above
25°
33°
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
4.2
9.9
White Balance Screencap
Gamma Curve Screencap
Color Screencap
Avg. White Balance dE
4.5
1.46
Avg. Gamma
2.04
2.22
Avg. Color dE
6.46
1
Avg. Color Temperature
6,908 K
6,709.7 K
Color Gamut
4.3
9.5
Gamut SDR
sRGB xy
68.42%
99.94%
sRGB uv
54.83%
99.76%
Adobe RGB xy
51.3%
88.91%
Adobe RGB uv
48.25%
94.33%
Gamut HDR
DCI P3 xy
50.93%
99.73%
DCI P3 uv
44.61%
99.09%
Rec. 2020 xy
36.62%
72.6%
Rec. 2020 uv
32.69%
73.59%
Flicker
10
10
Flicker Graph
Flicker-Free
Yes
No
Flicker Frequency
No Flicker
> 1000Hz
Flicker Active Below
0%
0%
Interface
Keyboard
7.8
8.0
Keyboard Photo
Typing Quality
7.5
8.0
Numpad
Yes
No
Backlighting
Adjustable
Adjustable
Key Switch Actuation Graph
Operating Force
59 gf
59 gf
Actuation Force
33 gf
41 gf
Pre-Travel
1.14 mm
0.78 mm
Total Travel
1.87 mm
0.86 mm
Touchpad
7.2
9.7
Touchpad Photo
Tracking Quality
7.5
9.5
Size
10.7 in² (69.0 cm²)
24.8 in² (160.0 cm²)
Material
Plastic
Glass
Dedicated Buttons
No
No
Speakers
6.8
8.4
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
68 dB SPL
76 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
6.1 dB
4.9 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
2.5
0.7
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
236 Hz
116 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
12 kHz
20 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
0.5 dB
1.5 dB
Webcam & Microphone
6.5
9.1
Webcam Video Sample
Video Quality
6.5
9.5
Resolution
720p
1080p
Position
Top Center
Top Center
Privacy Cover
No
No
Face Unlock
No
No
Connectivity
Ports
7.0
8.5
Ports Photo
USB-A Ports
2
0
USB-C Ports
1
3
Thunderbolt
No
Thunderbolt 4
USB-C Charging
No
Yes
USB-C Display Out
Yes
Yes
HDMI
2.0
2.0
DisplayPort
No
No
3.5mm Jack
Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone
Card Reader
SD UHS 1
SD UHS 2
Ethernet
Yes
No
Proprietary Port
No
Apple MagSafe 3
Security Lock
No
No
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Bluetooth
5.2
5.0
Configuration
CPU
Brand
AMD
Apple
Model
Ryzen 5 5600H
M1 Max
Core Count
6
10
Thread Count
12
10
GPU
Brand
NVIDIA
Apple
Model
Geforce GTX 1650
M1 Max
Dedicated/Integrated
Dedicated
Integrated
VRAM Size
4 GB
N/A
RAM
Capacity
8 GB
32 GB
Modules
2
Unknown
Type
DDR4
LP-DDR5
Speed
3,200 MHz
6,400 MHz
Storage
Advertised Capacity
512 GB
512 GB
Usable Capacity
440 GB
463 GB
Drive 1
Micron MTFDHBA512QFD-1AX1AABHA
Apple SSD AP512R
Drive 1 Type
SSD
SSD
Drive 2
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Drive 2 Type
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Performance
Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
8.7
9.7
Geekbench Image
CPU Single-Thread
1,348 points
1,784 points
CPU Multi-Thread
6,254 points
12,733 points
GPU Compute
40,009 points
68,226 points
Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
9.3
9.6
Cinebench R23 Photo
Single-Thread
1,350 points
1,535 points
Multi-Thread
9,418 points
12,390 points
Blender (3D Rendering)
8.3
7.9
Blender Image
CPU Render Time
4.2 min
4.1 min
GPU Render Time
2.6 min
N/A
GPU Render Time (Optix)
N/A
N/A
Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
7.3
9.0
Basemark Image
Overall Score
42,842
80,945
Storage Drive Performance
9.2
9.5
Storage Performance Image
Sequential Write Speed
880.3 MB/s
4,506.1 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
1,968.5 MB/s
4,846.1 MB/s
Random Write Speed
91.5 MB/s
54.2 MB/s
Random Read Speed
60.7 MB/s
57.5 MB/s
Battery
4.9
9.4
Capacity
53 Wh
100 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
6.4 hrs
15.0 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
2.3 hrs
8.4 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
1.3 hrs
2.1 hrs
Charge Time
2.1 hrs
2.1 hrs
Borderlands 3
5.1
6.0
Borderlands 3 Graph
Avg. FPS
35 fps
48 fps
1% Low
22 fps
30 fps
0.1% Low
11 fps
16 fps
1% Low Delta
16 ms
12 ms
0.1% Low Delta
60 ms
43 ms
Avg. FPS On Very Low
79 fps
58 fps
Civilization VI
7.1
6.8
Civilization VI Graph
Avg. FPS
61 fps
52 fps
1% Low
39 fps
37 fps
0.1% Low
38 fps
33 fps
1% Low Delta
9 ms
8 ms
0.1% Low Delta
10 ms
11 ms
Avg. FPS On Minimum
175 fps
97 fps
Avg. Turn Time
7.65 s
9.69 s
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
9.2
9.1
CS:GO graph
Avg. FPS
172 fps
129 fps
1% Low
107 fps
N/A
0.1% Low
79 fps
N/A
1% Low Delta
4 ms
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
7 ms
N/A
Avg. FPS On Low
268 fps
162 fps
Counter-Strike 2
CS2 Graph
Avg. FPS
1% Low
0.1% Low
1% Low Delta
0.1% Low Delta
Avg. FPS On Low
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
7.1
6.0
Avg. FPS
52 fps
93 fps
1% Low
39 fps
25 fps
0.1% Low
33 fps
11 fps
1% Low Delta
6 ms
29 ms
0.1% Low Delta
11 ms
77 ms
Avg. FPS On Lowest
99 fps
134 fps
Thermals And Noise
6.1
7.7
Keyboard Temps Picture
Keyboard Temp While Idle
37 °C (99 °F)
25 °C (77 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
49 °C (121 °F)
45 °C (112 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
25.0 dBA
25.0 dBA
Fan Noise Under Load
52.5 dBA
43.4 dBA
Power & Fan Control App
Yes
No
Performance Over Time
9.4
9.8
Performance Over Time Graph
Performance Over Time Image
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
86 °C
93 °C
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
4% loss
1% loss
GPU Temp (Heaven)
55 °C
88 °C
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
0% loss
0% loss
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
Windows 11
macOS
Additional Software
Yes
None
Extra Features
RGB Illumination
No
No
Touch Pen
No
No
Secondary Display
No
No
Biometrics
No
Fingerprint Sensor
Check Price
Shadow Black - 144Hz/250 nits/Ryzen 5/GTX 1650/8GB/512GB
Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15-ec2121nr)
Searching
Finding storeSilver - M1 Max/10‑core CPU/32‑core GPU/32GB/1TB
MacBook Pro 16 (MK1H3LL/A)
Searching
Finding storeShadow Black - 144Hz/250 nits/Ryzen 7/RTX 3050Ti/16GB/1TB
Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15-ec2278ng)
Searching
Finding storeSilver - M1 Pro chip/10‑core CPU/16‑core GPU/16GB/1TB
MacBook Pro 16 (MK1F3LL/A)
Searching
Finding storeShadow Black - 60Hz/250 nits/Ryzen 5/GTX 1650/8GB/256GB
Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15z-ec200)
Searching
Finding storeSilver - M1 Pro/10‑core CPU/16‑core GPU/16GB/512GB
MacBook Pro 16 (MK1E3LL/A)
Searching
Finding storeShadow Black - 60Hz/250 nits/Ryzen 5/GTX 1650/8GB/512GB
Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15-ec2008ca)
Searching
Finding storeSpace Gray - M1 Max/10‑core CPU/32‑core GPU/32GB/1TB
MacBook Pro 16 (MK1A3LL/A)
Searching
Finding storeShadow Black - 60Hz/250 nits/Ryzen 5/GTX 1650/8GB/512GB
Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15-ec2001sf)
Searching
Finding storeSpace Gray - M1 Pro/10‑core CPU/16‑core GPU/16GB/1TB
MacBook Pro 16 (MK193LL/A)
Searching
Finding storeShadow Black - 60Hz/250 nits/Ryzen 5/GTX 1650/8GB/512GB
Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15-ec2005ns)
Searching
Finding storeSpace Gray - M1 Pro/10‑core CPU/16‑core GPU/16GB/512GB
MacBook Pro 16 (MK183LL/A)
Searching
Finding storeShadow Black - 60Hz/300 nits/Ryzen 7/GTX 1650/16GB/512GB
Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (15-ec2097nr)
Searching
Finding store
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HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (2021)
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HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (2021) vs Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021): Main Discussion
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