Apple MacBook Pro 16" M5 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra
The Verdict
The Apple MacBook Pro 16" M5 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra sit in the same category and end up appealing to slightly different buyers. The Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra is the cheaper of the two at $2,399 versus $2,499, a difference of about $100. The Apple MacBook Pro 16" M5 Pro is the newer release, which usually means a faster chipset and longer software support. Apple MacBook Pro 16" M5 Pro stands out for largest macbook display at 16.2 inches, while Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra is praised for gorgeous 16-inch 2.8k amoled 120hz display with vivid colors. Use the side-by-side spec table below to compare cameras, displays, battery life and connectivity in detail and decide which one fits your priorities.
Who Should Buy
Buy the Apple MacBook Pro 16" M5 Pro if…
- →Largest MacBook display at 16.2 inches
- →M5 Pro or M5 Max configurations
- →100 Wh battery with 24-hour life
Buy the Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra if…
- →Gorgeous 16-inch 2.8K AMOLED 120Hz display with vivid colors
- →NVIDIA RTX 4070 Laptop GPU handles creative and gaming workloads
- →Under 4 lbs — lightweight for a 16-inch laptop with discrete GPU
Pros & Cons
Apple MacBook Pro 16" M5 Pro
Pros
- Largest MacBook display at 16.2 inches
- M5 Pro or M5 Max configurations
- 100 Wh battery with 24-hour life
- Thunderbolt 5
- Up to 96GB RAM with M5 Max
Cons
- 2.14 kg is heavy
- $2499 starting price
- Non-upgradable components
Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra
Pros
- Gorgeous 16-inch 2.8K AMOLED 120Hz display with vivid colors
- NVIDIA RTX 4070 Laptop GPU handles creative and gaming workloads
- Under 4 lbs — lightweight for a 16-inch laptop with discrete GPU
- Seamless Samsung ecosystem integration with Galaxy phones and tablets
- Excellent keyboard with 1.5 mm key travel and good feedback
Cons
- $2,399 is steep and competes directly with MacBook Pro 16
- 76 Wh battery drains faster on AMOLED — expect 6-7 hours in practice
- Soldered RAM and SSD limit upgradeability
- Samsung software bloatware is annoying to clean up
- No OLED brightness matching Apple's XDR 1600-nit HDR peak
Full Specifications
| Spec | Apple MacBook Pro 16" M5 Pro | Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Software | macOS 17 | Windows 11 Home |
| Body | ||
| Weight | 2.14 kg | 3.95 lbs (1.79 kg) |
| Material | Recycled aluminum | Aluminum |
| Dimensions | 17.7 x 24.8 x 1.68 cm | 13.99 x 9.86 x 0.65 inches |
| Ports | ||
| HDMI | 1 | |
| SD card | ||
| MagSafe | — | |
| Thunderbolt ports | 3 | 2 |
| USB-A ports | — | 1 |
| USB-C ports | — | 2 |
| Battery | ||
| Battery life | Up to 24 hours | Up to 8 hours |
| Capacity | 100 Wh | 76 Wh |
| Display | ||
| Size | 16.2 inches | 16 inches |
| Type | Liquid Retina XDR, nano-texture option | AMOLED |
| Resolution | 3456 x 2234 | 2880 x 1800 |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz ProMotion | 120Hz |
| Brightness (nits) | 1600 | 400 |
| Storage | ||
| SSD | 1 TB / 2 TB / 4 TB / 8 TB | 1 TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe |
| Expandable storage | ||
| Keyboard | ||
| Backlit | ||
| Processor | ||
| RAM | 24 GB / 48 GB / 96 GB | 32 GB LPDDR5 |
| Cores | 18 cores (6 super + 12 performance) | 14 cores (6P + 8E) |
| Chipset | Apple M5 Pro (18-core CPU, 20-core GPU) | Intel Core i9-13900H (13th Gen) |
Want to compare a third product?
Add another product for a 3-way comparison.
Related Comparisons
- Apple MacBook Pro 16" M5 Pro vs MSI GE76 Raider
- Apple MacBook Pro 16" M5 Pro vs HP OMEN 17
- Apple MacBook Pro 16" M5 Pro vs Dell XPS 13 (2023)
- Apple MacBook Pro 16" M5 Pro vs Apple MacBook Pro 14" M2 Pro
- Apple MacBook Pro 16" M5 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro
- Apple MacBook Pro 16" M5 Pro vs MSI Stealth 16 Studio
This comparison is based on verified manufacturer specifications covering display, performance, camera, battery, and build quality. Scores are generated by analyzing specs across weighted categories on a 10-point scale. Learn more about our methodology.
Explore more in laptops, see all Apple products or all Samsung products. View full details for the Apple MacBook Pro 16" M5 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra.