Browse Plan Categories
Meet Upsie
Return navigate_next
HP Laptop and Apple MacBook – Which is Best?
November 30, 2020 *
Personal computers have been around for more than 40 years. By now it seems everyone would have his or her preference for either a Windows PC or an Apple model. And, not surprisingly, many do. That’s because choosing between the two vendors isn’t the real issue. It’s more about choosing between Windows and macOS.
Windows and macOS each have their own GUI (graphic user interface) and over the years most people have gravitated to one or the other. Each has a huge “ecosystem” that surrounds it. So, in the final analysis, choosing one or the other is a matter of personal preference.
Still though, for people planning to buy their first computer, preparing to replace an aging computer, or simply wanting to try something new, this article looks at the top-of-the-line HP laptop and Apple MacBook to help you make your decision.
HP Laptop and Apple MacBook
Before diving in, let’s identify the players.
- Apple boldly points out that the MacBook Pro 16“ is by far the most powerful notebook we have ever made. With an immersive Retina display, superfast processors, advanced graphics, the largest battery capacity ever in a MacBook Pro, Magic Keyboard, and massive storage, it’s the ultimate pro notebook for the ultimate user.”
- HP manufactures more than 280 laptops, but they point to the HP Spectre x360 Convertible Laptop – 15t-eb000 Touch as their most powerful general-purpose and business laptop. HP gaming laptops have better specs (and much higher prices), but this article focuses on non-gaming models, which makes a fairer comparison between the two brands.
Compare the Specs
Choosing a computer by comparing specifications and prices offers a good starting point.
| MacBook Pro 16 | HP Spectre x360 Convertible | |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | Clamshell | Convertible |
| Screen | 16‑inch (diagonal) LED‑backlit display, 400 nits brightness | 15.6” LED-backlit -or- AMOLED, 400 nits brightness, Touch screen |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon Pro 5300M 4GB | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4 GB |
| CPU | 2.6GHz 6‑core Intel Core i7 -or- 2.3GHz 8‑core Intel Core i9 | 2.6 GHz 6-core Intel Core i7-10750H |
| RAM | 16 GB, upgradable to 32, 64 GB | 16GB |
| Storage | 512 GB -or- 1 TB SSD, Upgradable to 2, 4, 8 TB SSD | 512 GB NVMe SSD -or- 1 TB SSD with Intel Optane memory |
| Wireless | 802.11ac Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 | Wi-Fi 6 AX 201, Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Battery Life | Up to 11 hours | Up to 12 hours |
| Operating system | macOS Big Sur | Windows Home 64 -or- Pro 64 |
| Warranty | 90 days of complementary technical support and a one‑year limited warranty. | 90 days of complementary technical support and a one‑year limited warranty. |
| MSRP | $2799.00 | $1729.99 |
Notable differences in the basic specifications include:
AppleMacbook Advantages
- Choice of two CPU options.
- Offers more RAM options. This is important because adding memory as a computer gets older and slower can dramatically improve overall performance.
- Offers more storage options. For apps that work with huge files (video editing, for instance), having the ability to expand disk space is important.
- Apple products are far less vulnerable to malware.
- You can run Windows 10 on the MacBook Pro if you choose (“dual-boot”), giving you the flexibility to run programs written for both operating systems.
- Apple is known for computers that are easy to use.
HP Laptop Advantages
- Convertible form factor allows use as a tablet or a laptop.
- Touchscreen is standard
- Offers Wi-Fi 6 AX, a faster more robust generation of Wi-Fi than 802.11ac.
- Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe), an industry-wide standard for SSDs, increases SSD performance dramatically. Compared to a SATA SSD that can handle data transfers up to 550 Mbps, the NVMe technology increases disk I/O to 3 Gbps, six times increase. Seek times are reduced too, from 0.2 ms for a SATA SSD to just 0.02 ms – a 10x improvement. The result: extremely fast disk I/O.
- Offers the choice of NVMe or Intel’s Optane hard drive caching. Optane is a smart memory system that accelerates your computer’s performance and makes it more responsive by quickly learning common tasks – cold boot, startup, file search, program launch – and remembers those tasks even when powered off.
- HP’s prices are far lower than Apple’s.
The Verdict?
As noted above, it’s a personal choice that’s more a matter of the operating system you want to use. However, once you’ve decided on the laptop brand, you’ll also want to consider how you’ll protect your laptop from accidental damage. Neither company’s warranty protects you against accidental damage, which means you’ll be paying out of pocket if anything other than “defects in materials or workmanship” occurs.
Upsie delivers the protection that’s missing from manufacturer warranties – accidental damage including liquid spills, immersion in liquids, drops, cracked screens, and a host of other hazards.
Upsie contracts also extend your one-year warranty to two or three years. Visit the general laptop warranty page for an overview of Upsie protection programs. Then choose either HP or MacBook to see what’s covered, your repair options, and comparative prices from the laptop manufacturers. Upsie extended warranty contracts can cost up to 70 percent less than extended warranties from the manufacturers and big box stores.
Go online or give Upsie a call to get started. 1-877-844-7745.
Learn More About HP Laptop and Apple MacBook Warranties:
* This article is over 6 months old and may or may not be updated.