Benchmarks give a number towards the performance of a device, but there’s a lot more to a product than a Cinebench or Geekbench score.

A YouTube video from Andrew Marc David shows a comparison using the Cinebench R23 test between the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra with an Intel Core i7-13700H processor up against the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 Max. It shows the Galaxy Book slightly edging out the MacBook in single core results, with the Samsung flagship gaining an impressive result of 1,853 with the top-of-the-line MacBook Pro receiving a still incredible 1,613. Where the MacBook gains against the Galaxy is in multi core performance, with Apple’s laptop coming in with 14,796 against the 14,382 of the Samsung.

Although benchmarks can give an indication to the performance of a product, real world use and other aspects of the device are often times more definitive in determining performance. For example, the 16-inch MacBook Pro has a 100-watt-hour battery, enabling up to 15 hours of wireless internet usage and up to 22 hours of Apple TV playback. The Galaxy Book has a 76-watt-hour battery, although Samsung does not disclose the estimated battery life for the Ultra laptop.

It is worth considering though the price difference between the two: the MacBook Pro comes in two sizes, with the 16-inch variant starting at £2,699 with an M2 Pro, going all the way up to £6,749 for the absolute top spec model. The Samsung starts at £2,449, and goes up to £3,049 for a Core i9 processor, 1TB of storage and an upgraded GeForce RTX graphics card. All models of the Samsung offering come with Windows 11 Home out of the box, whereas the Mac comes with the latest version of macOS Ventura.