Have you been sitting at home, salivating over the newest top-of-the-line Macbook Pro with one hand on your wallet? Before you pull the trigger, know that you can find a high quality Macbook Pro alternative, often for a fraction of the price.
There are numerous brands that have sleek, thin and light laptops on the market today. This is great for you, as it means you have tons of choices and options in a plethora of different price points. Or you can just make your laptop to look like a Mac.
While most alternatives to the Macbook Pro have similar features, they each have their own unique attributes as well. High end graphics processors, more gaming optimize, RGB backlit keyboards, and pen support are all features of laptops on this list.
Though the sleek design and Apple name is a huge draw towards purchasing a Macbook Pro, there are definitely better options available on the market. Don’t waste your hard-earned dollars on a lesser product, let us show you how you can possibly save money and get a high-quality laptop that rivals Apple’s newest offering.
Recommendation for March 2023
- HP Spectre x360 – 2-in-1 Alternative
- Asus Zenbook 13 – Compact Like Macbooks
- Asus Zenbook 15 – Best Productivity Alternative
- Microsoft Surface 2 – Best Design Alternative
- Gigabyte Aero – High-Performance Alternative
- Razer Blade 15 – Best MacBook Lookalike
- Dell XPS 13 – Ultraportable Alternative
- Lenovo Yoga Chromebook – Cheap Alternative
- Dell XPS 15 – Photo Editing Alternative
- Lenovo ThinkPad P53s – Business Laptop Alternative
Best MacBook Pro Alternative In 2023
HP Spectre x360 – 2-in-1 Alternative
The Spectre X360 from HP is a 2-in-1 that performs exceptionally well as a laptop, and is worthy of consideration as an alternative to the Macbook Pro. The added ability to use it as a tablet with pen support is just the icing on the cake.
From a design perspective, the HP Spectre X360 has a beautiful aluminum chassis, giving it an ultra durable body to go with a stylish metal finish. Combine that with the 13.3-inch 1080p display with amazingly vivid colors, and you have a design that is both pleasing and functional.
The keyboard is fantastic. With a 1.4mm travel distance, it has just enough punch to make the chiclet style keys feel robust. It is a pleasure to type on, and you should not feel hampered by the size in any way.
Packing an Intel i7 8550u processor, 8 gigs of RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage, this small laptop has the performance to match it’s looks. You can always step up the specs to add more RAM or storage, but that does come with a more premium price.
Coming in with a weight under 3 pounds is impressive when paired with the almost 13 hours of battery life you will be able to get from normal use. That makes the HP Spectre X360 a great laptop to put in your backpack.
It’s sleek, sharp, lightweight, fast, and surprisingly durable. A great alternative to the Macbook Pro.
Recommended configuration for HP Spectre x360
CPU: Intel Core i7-1065G7 | Graphics: Intel Iris Plus Graphics | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 13.3″ 1920×1080 FHD Touch Display| Storage: 512GB SSD + 8GB Optane | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 13 hours | Weight: 2.87 pounds
Asus ZenBook 13 – Compact Like MacBooks
Asus has created an absolutely stunning computer here in the ZenBook 13. Don’t let their lack of western world domination fool you, this is the absolute best alternative to the Macbook Pro on the market.
When you first open this laptop the main thing you will notice is the sheer amount of screen that is there. The bezels are tiny, with a screen-to-body ratio of 915%!
The display has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, and my goodness does it ever look beautiful. The colors and vibrancy are exceptional, and the clarity of the resolution on the 13.3 inch screen is perfect.
The keyboard on the ZenBook 13 is comfortable to use. It doesn’t have the longest travel distance, but the key presses are nice and responsive.
Packing an i7-8565U processor paired with 16 Gb of RAM, the Matebook X Pro performance extremely well. While it may not be able to compete with some of the top tier models on the market, for a laptop this thin and light it does a fantastic job.
The last thing to note is the battery life and overall weight of the item. Coming in at under 3 pounds is an amazing feat, especially when you consider the battery can last 11 hours on a single charge!
Recommended configuration for Asus ZenBook 13
CPU: Intel Core i7-8565U | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 13.3″ 1920×1080 FHD NanoEdge Bezel Display| Storage: 512GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 11 hours | Weight: 2.6 pounds
Asus ZenBook 15 – Best Productivity Alternative
The Asus Zenbook 15 is a head-turner, with its sleek aluminum design. The build quality is extremely good, with a sleek design to compliment the robust metal chassis.
The 15.6-inch 4k display is beautiful. With a screen-to-body ratio of 92%, the stunning screen is not too hampered by ugly bezels.
The keyboard on the Zenbook 15 feels great. With a key travel distance of 1.5mm, the keys have a wonderful tactile feel.
The touchpad on the Zenbook 15 feels good and it’s smart too. It is responsive and smooth enough to allow you to scroll and glide through your tasks with ease.
A high end i7-10510U processor paired with a GTX 1650 Ti makes this one of the most powerful laptops on our list. Throw in 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD and you have a monster computer in a stylish package.
The Zenbook 15 is on the heavier side of our scale coming in at 3.6 lbs. The battery life is not great either at only 8 hours. This comes from packing so much power into this laptop, you sacrifice some size and need the power to push it to its limits.
Recommended configuration for Asus ZenBook 15
CPU: Intel Core i7-10510U | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 15.6″ 4096×2160 4K FHD NanoEdge Bezel Display| Storage: 512GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 8 hours | Weight: 3.6 pounds
Microsoft Surface 2 – Best Design Alternative
The second iteration of the Surface Laptop is as elegant as it is functional. Holding this laptop in your hand you can feel the quality and workmanship that went into making it one of the best ultraportable laptops on the market.
The screen on the Surface Laptop 2 rivals the best of the best. The 4k screen has vibrant colors and a pixel density that makes everything super crisp.
The keyboard is one of the best we have ever used on a thin laptop. It feels absolutely wonderful to type on, and will not fatigue your fingers as quickly as some of the smaller keyboards used by other laptops on the market.
Microsoft has created one of the best touchpads on the market here with the Surface Laptop 2. It is nice and large and extremely smooth with responsive clicks and gestures. You can not ask for better.
Packing an i7-8650U processor and 16 GB of RAM, the Surface Laptop 2 has plenty of horsepower for any task you have for it. A large 512 GB of SSD storage rounds out the nice specs of this laptop.
This is an easily portable laptop, coming in at just under 3 pounds. Combine that with the 14.5 hours of battery life, and you have a great companion laptop to take anywhere you go.
Recommended configuration for Microsoft Surface 2
CPU: Intel Core i7-8650U | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620 | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 13.5″ 3480×2160 FHD Display| Storage: 512GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 14.5 hours | Weight: 2.83 pounds
Gigabyte Aero – High-Performance Alternative
The Aero is Gigabytes stylish top-end laptop, and boy is it a thing of beauty. It feels robust while still pulling off the chic style that so many Apple fans will appreciate.
The 4k display in the Aero is one of the best we have ever seen. With 100% Adobe RGB and the X-Rite Pantone Certified color calibration, this screen is what dreams are made of.
The RGB Keyboard is both functional and comfortable. The key travel feels nice and key presses are responsive.
The touchpad on the Gigabyte Aero is extremely responsive, and the large size makes navigating around simple. The smoothness makes for a nice feeling that you can use for hours at a time.
This behemoth of a PC packs an i9 processor and a whopping 32 GB of RAM. That makes it extremely powerful, and the RTX 2070 GPU cranks it up to the next level.
All of that performance comes at a price, and that is weight and battery life. While it is still a respectable 4.4 pounds, the battery life suffers quite a bit coming in at only 8 hours.
This machine is one of the most high powered, elegant laptops on the market. It is definitely a laptop similar to a Macbook Pro, both in style and performance.
Recommended configuration for Gigabyte Aero
CPU: Intel Core i9-8950HK | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 15.6″ 3840×2160 FHD IPS Display| Storage: 1TB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 8 hours | Weight: 4.4 pounds
Razer Blade 15 – Best MacBook Lookalike
If you are drawn to buy MacBook Pro because of its aesthetics and compact build, you can have that and the power too for half the price!
The Razor Blade 15 is powered by a Core i7 processor and a dedicated GPU to ensure it can chew any tasks you throw at it with ease. Backed by 16GB of RAM so multitasking won’t be a problem.
The 4K display is not bad as an alternative to Retina display, it also has very narrow bezel that lets you have a wider screen.
Though this one is a bit expensive than comparable MacBook Pro build this is a gaming choice where you can actually have that MacBook aesthetics and at the same time the power of gaming laptop.
All in all, this is a pretty powerful laptop that could rival MacBook Pro in terms of style and power.
Recommended configuration for Razer Blade 15
CPU: Intel Core i7-8750H | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 15.6″ 1920×1080 144HzFHD IPS Display| Storage: 512GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 5 hours | Weight: 4.63 pounds
Dell XPS 13 – Ultraportable Alternative
Dell XPS series is known for its trimmed body that is so portable you can literally bring it anywhere you go.
This sleek laptop is powered by an Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB of RAM so don’t underestimate the power that lies beneath this tiny laptop.
Though the 512GB SSD storage is not that big, it’s not that small either so you can probably use it to save big files and install more applications as you wish.
The battery life of 12 hours is pretty decent enough to power you up for the whole day without the worry of getting out of juice while doing something.
So if portability and power are all you need aside from the MAcBook Pro look alternative then this should be your top pick.
Recommended configuration for Dell XPS 13
CPU: Intel Core i7-8550U | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620 | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 13.3″ 3840×2160 4K FHDIPS Touch Display| Storage: 512GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 12 hours | Weight: 2.67 pounds
Lenovo Yoga Chromebook – Cheap Alternative
Let me tell you first that this is a Chromebook, which means it runs on Android OS but you can pretty much do almost everything a Windows or Mac as the most application has Android version.
This MacBook Looking Chromebook is powered by an Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB RAM so you basically use this for heavy tasks and light gaming without a problem.
The 128GB storage is not much but you can always use cloud-based storage to compensate for lack of enormous storage space.
The display is not bad either as it comes with 15.6” IPS display so you can expect some high-quality images and videos on this Chromebook.
So if you’re looking for a MacBook Pro alternative that is powered by Android, you can surely rely on Lenovo Yoga Chromebook to satisfy you.
Recommended configuration for Lenovo Yoga Chromebook
CPU: Intel Core i5-8250U | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620 | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 15.6″ 1920×1080 FHD IPS Touch Display| Storage: 128GB | Operating System: Chrome OS | Battery Life: 10 hours | Weight: 4.19 pounds
Dell XPS 15 – Photo Editing Alternative
This laptop is capable of doing heavy tasks such as photo and video editing, the powerful configuration is pretty worth it the price.
Inside a very thin body is a powerful Core i7 processor and a dedicated NVIDIA GTX 1650 graphics card that can handle pretty much any editing you throw at it.
While the 16GB RAM ensures you can open application simultaneously without the problem of lagging.
The display is pretty decent too, the IPS display makes sure you have an immersive viewing experience and to make sure you got every detail right when editing.
Equipped with a FingerPrint reader so you can secure everything on the laptop, security is one vital feature that MacBook has and Dell provides that also.
Recommended configuration for Dell XPS 15
CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 15.6″ 1920×1080 InfinityEdge HD IPS Display| Storage: 512GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 8 hours | Weight: 5.39 pounds
Lenovo ThinkPad P53s – Business Laptop Alternative
Compact, sleek, durable, and powerful are features of MacBook Pro that the Lenovo ThinkPad P53s features too!
This compact sleek looking laptop is powered by Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA Quadro graphics card that enables you to do any heavy tasks without any compromises. While the 16GB RAM is there to make sure you can do multitasking.
The 15.6” screen has an IPS display that enables you to see vivid and crisp images when using this laptop so you won’t strain your eyes in hours of use.
Secured with FingerPrint reader to add some privacy and security, it also has USB ports and other external output ports so you can use external peripherals if needed.
This could be your overall workstation that could replace MacBook Pro for a more affordable price.
Recommended configuration for Lenovo ThinkPad P53s
CPU: Intel Core i7-8565U | Graphics: NVIDIA Quadro P520 | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 15.6″ 1920×1080 FHD IPS Display| Storage: 512GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 13 hours | Weight: 3.9 pounds
Picking The Best Macbook Pro Alternatives In 2023
Design
Apple is known for their fantastic, sleek design choices. When evaluating these laptops, we want to ensure they have a stylish design and are well-built for long lasting durability.
Performance
Having a powerful processor and enough RAM to push a high resolution screen and perform tasks such as video editing are paramount. Most people looking for laptops to rival a Macbook Pro will want as much horsepower as they can get, and we want to make sure it is there!
Display
A nice, high pixel density screen is a signature of the Macbook Pro. We want to ensure the alternatives we select have gorgeous displays that will make media pop right off the screen.
Keyboard
For students or professionals, the ability to comfortably type is paramount. Keys with a nice travel and tactile feel while still being minimalist is what we are looking for here.
Touchpad
A smooth tracking touchpad is something that every laptop should have. Tactile clicks are also nice to make for the most smooth experience possible.
Battery Life
The worst thing is to be in the middle of creating a presentation or a homework assignment and getting the low battery warning. We want to find laptops with the best possible battery life so that you can get all your work done without worry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get the Mac OS experience on these laptops?
The answer here, sadly, is no. All of these machines run Windows natively, but the functionality and stylish new look of Windows 10 has helped give it a much more user-friendly and reliable experience.
Are these laptops as secure as a Macbook?
Yes. With the many different virus protection programs on the market, Windows computers are extremely powerful at catching and removing unwanted and harmful files.