5 best alternatives to MacBook Pro in 2024

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5 best alternatives to MacBook Pro in 2024 (Image via GETTY)

Apple's MacBook Pro is f͏amous for its pr͏oductivity and optimiz͏ati͏ons͏. ͏Th͏e laptop uses the company's own M-seri͏e͏s chip͏s͏ as͏ well as͏ i͏ts software,͏ MacOS. As a result of th͏is͏ syn͏ergy͏ between the t͏wo͏,͏ the MacB͏ook ͏Pro is considered one of the best͏ ͏workstation laptops. Its process͏ing power,͏ ͏lag-free experience, an͏d e͏v͏er͏y visual aspect͏ li͏ke a͏nimations can be optimize͏d by͏ Apple to ͏deliver ͏t͏he͏ be͏st possib͏le p͏erfor͏ma͏nce.

As a result, Apple's MacBooks deliver longer battery life than the industry standard. This intricate customization and ecosystem is tough to replace. But coming into 2024, the dynamics have changed. People now have found alternatives to even the MacBook Pro. The tech industry has developed enough to stand neck-and-neck with Apple in terms of productivity and experience.

This article lists exactly five such devices that can be taken into consideration if you want an alternative to the MacBook Pro. Each entry in this list offers unique features and can be picked up in place of a MacBook. These are the best alternatives, to the MacBook Pro, currently available on the market.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinion.


5 alternatives that can be picked up instead of the MacBook Pro coming into 2024

This list gives a detailed explanation of the alternatives, diving into the price and specs they offer. This article will offer an alternate perspective if you are planning to buy a MacBook Pro in 2024.

1) Apple's 13-inch M4 iPad Pro ($1299)

Apple's 13-inch M4 iPad Pro (Image by Amazon)
Apple's 13-inch M4 iPad Pro (Image by Amazon)

Apple released the M4 iPad Pro in May 2024. It is the thinnest iPad that Apple has commercially ever produced, measuring only 5.1 mm in thickness. It is powered by the new M4 chip which promises unmatched performance in productivity.

CategoryApple's 13-inch M4 iPad Pro
DisplayUltra Retina XDR Promotion
Storage256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB
ProcessorApple's M4 chip, 256GB/512GB models feature a 9-core CPU with 3 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores, a 10-core GPU, a 16-core Neural Engine, 8GB RAM,1TB/2TB storage models offer a 10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, 16GB RAM
Battery LifeUpto 10 hours
Resolution2752 x 2064 pixels
Bluetooth and WiFiv5.3 and WiFi6E

The 13-inch M4 iPad Pro features different storage options, out of which we recommend the 1TB model. This model retails at a discounted price of $1749, featuring a more powerful processor than a MacBook Pro at the same price point. It is very versatile in its use cases due to its touch screen and the Apple Pencil Pro.

The newly improved Apple Pencil is a very useful tool for note-making, sketching, and designing in the M4 iPad Pro. It is a great alternative to the MacBook Pro because of its convenience and also the fact that with the keyboard attachment, it becomes a full-fledged desktop. Apple is also set to launch new AI features to its devices, making the M4 iPad Pro one of the best alternatives to the MacBook Pro.

Pros:

  1. Very compact and versatile
  2. Offers a good display
  3. Extremely powerful with the new M4 chip
  4. Apple Pencil Pro support and Magic Keyboard support.

Cons:

  1. Might feel expensive to users.

2) Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra ($1599)

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra (Image via Amazon)
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra (Image via Amazon)

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra features the largest display on a handheld tab-like device. It is very thin and extremely easy to carry around in a bag, weighing lighter than the MacBook Pro at only 2.42 pounds. The large display is great for designing and taking notes besides being a great media consumption device.

FeaturesSamsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
Display14.6" Dynamic AMOLED 2X, HDR10+, 120Hz
Storage256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB
ChipQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, 256GB/512GB models ship with 12GB RAM
1TB/2TB models ship with 16GB RAM
Battery Life45 Watt fast charging 11200 mAh battery
Resolution1848 x 2960 pixels
Bluetooth and WiFiv5.2 and WiFi 6E

The Tab S9 Ultra comes with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor specially optimized for Galaxy. This chip is pretty powerful when performing tasks such as designing and editing. The S-Pen comes to good use in such scenarios, offering a pen-and-paper experience when writing on the tab. It also makes it easy to take notes and use the tab as a scribble board for artistic ideas.

Samsung tabs also come with the Samsung Dex feature wherein your whole tab behaves like a laptop when connected to an external display. The company is known for its screens, so it's not surprising that this tab ships with a brilliant and vibrant display great for media consumption.

Pros:

  1. Ships with a large display which offers a large working area.
  2. Samsung Dex helps your tab connect with any external display and behaves like a laptop
  3. The inclusion of the S-Pen adds to the productivity of the tab.

Cons:

  1. The screen size is huge and may feel cumbersome to some users.

3) Asus Vivobook Pro 16X ($1759)

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X (Image via Amazon)
Asus Vivobook Pro 16X (Image via Amazon)

The ASUS V͏ivobook Pro 16X is a sleek laptop with a minimalistic design designed for crea͏tors and professionals. It boasts the Intel Core i9 processor and the NVI͏DIA ͏GeFor͏ce RTX͏ ͏4070 graphics, making it good at handling ͏d͏emanding tasks li͏ke vi͏d͏e͏o editing and 3D rendering. This laptop is capable of power delivery through its Type-C port and thus is very portable.

CategorySpecifications
Display16" WQXGA (2560 x 1600) 16:10
Storage1TB
ProcessorIntel Core i9-13980HX with 32GB RAM
GraphicsRTX 4070
Battery Life90WHr
Bluetooth and WifiWi-Fi 6E(802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.2 (Dual band) 2*2

The Asus Vivobook is a very sturdy laptop and is one of the best alternatives to the Macbook Pro. It retails for around $1759, which is good value for money considering the specs. This laptop boasts great graphical prowess and can handle designing and coding like a breeze.

Asus has added a unique feature to this laptop called the DialPad. This is a virtual rotatory control that offers the user seamless controls in productivity apps like PhotoShop and Illustrator. The laptop ships with every I/O port required on a day-to-day basis and also has a MUX switch so that you can directly use the discrete graphics turning off the iGPU or vice versa.

Pros:

  1. Great Build Quality
  2. Good quality display
  3. Asus DialPad makes controlling some apps seamless
  4. Can also be used for gaming

Cons:

  1. Display resolution is low compared to competitors

4) Dell XPS 17 9730 ($2549)

Dell XPS 17 9730 (Image via Dell)
Dell XPS 17 9730 (Image via Dell)

The Dell XPS 17 9730 comes in two variants: i7 and i9. We recommend going for the i9 variant, which comes with an i9 13900H processor and the RTX 4080. The XPS series is known for its sleek, metallic look and this one follows suit. It comes with an aluminum chassis, carbon fiber armrest, and a big touchpad.

CategorySpecifications
Display17" UHD 3840x2400 60Hz Touch
Storage1 TB
ChipsetIntel i9 13900H
GraphicsRTX 4080
RAM32 GB
Battery Life14+ hours

The Dell XPS 17 features a touchscreen display and thus can also be used with a stylus to take notes like in a tab. It competes with the MacBook Pro in terms of productivity with a great 4K screen which looks very vibrant and displays accurate colours. The laptop comes with very tuned acoustics to facilitate audio editing. It's also adept at photo creation and designing.

This device from Dell comes with the company's customization software which offers minute control over aspects of the laptop. It features four pre-built modes: Quiet, ultra-performance, cool, and optimized. Ultra Performance draws out the raw power from the i9 and RTX 4080, whereas Quiet underclocks both of them. Optimized mode offers a balance between the two.

Pros:

  1. Brilliant Display
  2. Precise and masterclass build quality
  3. 4K display which is great for content consumption and designing
  4. Minimal and symmetrical bezels
  5. Supports touch input

Cons:

  1. The laptop offers only a 60Hz display

5) 11th generation Microsoft Surface Pro (Upcoming)

Microsoft's upcoming Surface Pro (Image via Microsoft)
Microsoft's upcoming Surface Pro (Image via Microsoft)

The upcoming Microsoft Surface Pro looks very promising and shows potential to be one of the best alternatives for MacBook Pro. It will ship with the Snapdragon X Elite 12-core processor, featuring a 4K touch display with that well-known surface form factor.

CategorySpecifications
Display4K Touch
Storage1 TB
ChipsetSnapdragon X Elite
RAM32 GB LPDDR5X
Battery LifeUpto 14 hours
Wifi and BluetoothWiFi 7 and v5.4

The new Surface Pro looks very promising. Microsoft will integrate Co-pilot AI into the Operating system, improving the quality of life of the user. The company will introduce a search function where instead of manually searching for something in the files, the AI will do it following a description of the file given by the user.

The Surface Pro will be great for productivity and media consumption with its 4K touch display. It can be connected to Microsoft's Surface Pro Flex keyboard and used like a laptop. This keyboard comes with a haptic touchpad and can be used attached or detached, giving the user more control over the way they want to use it. The pen as well as the camera will be integrated with AI and will provide maximum productivity benefits.

Pros:

  1. Uses the faster LPDDR5X RAM efficient in data accessing and processing
  2. Features new WiFi and Bluetooth technology ensuring faster connectivity
  3. Great, vibrant, and color-accurate 4K screen.
  4. Co-Pilot AI comes integrated with better AI features and AI-enhanced productivity

Cons:

  1. Snapdragon X Elite is a fairly new chip and may have optimization issues.

These are the five best alternatives to MacBook Pro in 2024. The form factor of a laptop as a working device is losing its flair. People now want convenience and their interest has been piqued by the new influx of powerful and productive tablets into the market. This list covers all the best tablets on the market right now for users to confidently choose the device that fits their needs.

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