Comparison: M1 vs. MacBook Pro Razer Book 13

Razer launched in November Razer Book 13, a new portable laptop focused on productivity rather than gaming. Because it is similar in many ways to the M1 Macs that Apple launched in November, we thought of comparing the Razer Book 13 with the MacBook Pro ‌M1‌.

As the name suggests, the Razer Book 13 is a 13.4-inch laptop with thin frames and a 60Hz matte screen. It is similar in size to the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro ‌M1‌, but is slightly smaller due to the small size of the frame.

In terms of design, the Razer Book 13 has a bit more than the 13-inch MacBook Pro thanks to Razer’s thin side frames. There is a thicker frame at the top to house a camera, but the frame size still exceeds the MacBook Pro. Rumors suggest that Apple is working on a new 14.1-inch MacBook Pro, which could have a thinner frame design, but for now, Razer is winning.

The display is significantly different from the MacBook Pro display, as the Razer Book uses a matte finish, which can be pleasing in situations where there is a lot of brightness. The glossy screen of the MacBook Pro looks fantastic, of course, but it can suffer from the bright sun.

Both cars have similar keyboard designs with about the same key stroke, but there are some differences here. The MacBook Pro has a touch bar that some people have never been used to, while the Razer Book has RBG key illumination, which can be a distraction for some.

The MacBook Pro has speaker grilles on each side of the keyboard, a haptic glass trackpad that is nicer to use than the physical trackpad on the Razer Book, and better thermal management. BookM1‌ MacBook Pro fans rarely show up due to the efficiency of the ‌M1‌ chip, but Razer fans spin almost as soon as they do something intensive. Even running the Microsoft Edge browser on battery made Razer Book fans activate.

Razer Book fans are on the bottom of the car, so when you use this on a tour, there is a potential for airflow blocking. The MacBook Pro doesn’t have fans at the bottom, so it’s better to use in turns, with hot air escaping from the hinge area.

Ports are an area where the Razer Book 13 may have an advantage for some users. It has two Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C ports, a 3.5 mm audio jack, a USB-A port, an HDMI 2.0 port and a microSD slot. Meanwhile, the MacBook Pro has two Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C ports and a 3.5mm audio jack.

When it comes to performance, the ‌M1‌ chip wins the 11th generation Intel chips that Razer uses. In a Geekbench test, the MacBook Pro ‌M1‌ scored 1734 in single-core performance and 7531 in multi-core performance. The Razer book got a single score of 1355 and a multi-core score of 5290. As for OpenCL, forM1‌ MacBook Pro got 19412, and Razer got 14761.

The Razer Book performance here is not bad at all and both are extremely capable machines that will excel in everyday tasks, but the MacBook Pro ‌M1‌ is better for more intensive tasks such as video or photo editing.

Apple’s MacBook Pro also has a better battery life. Apple says it lasts up to 20 hours and, although I haven’t seen much of it reach that maximum (which is for watching videos), it has surpassed the Razer Book. The Razer can take up to nine hours.

The basic Razer Book model with 256 GB of storage, 8 GB of RAM and the 11th generation Intel Core i5 chip mentioned above and the Intel Iris Xe graphics are priced at 1200 USD, so it is 100 USD cheaper than the MacBook Pro 13M1‌ 13-inch, which also comes with 256 GB storage and 8 GB RAM.

In particular, the MacBook Pro ‌M1‌ runs macOS Big Sur, and the Razer Book 13 runs Windows, and the ecosystem is probably the most important aspect when choosing between these machines. Those who are deep into the Apple ecosystem will use more of the BookM1‌ MacBook Pro, while those who rely on Windows software would prefer the Razer Book 13.

All in all, though, these are similar machines, and while the MacBook Pro winsM1‌ wins in terms of performance and efficiency, the Razer Book 13 is a capable laptop for those who need or prefer the Windows operating system.