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davidg4781

macrumors 68030
Oct 28, 2006
2,883
423
Alice, TX
If you buy new, his video is relevant; I’m exactly pinpointing this situation. If you spec the M1 13 inch Pro to 16GB RAM and 512GB of storage, the cost is suddenly quite close to the base model 14 inch and you miss out on the gorgeous and larger XDR promotion miniLED screen, not to mention the performance gap, new design, etc.

I’m comparing a 13” 16GB 1TB with a 14” 16/1 and I thought there was a $700 difference. That’s not very close.

Edit: I was comparing to the 14” with extra CPU and GPU cores.
 

DHagan4755

macrumors 68020
Jul 18, 2002
2,271
6,159
Massachusetts
There is NOTHING wrong with the 13" M1 MacBook Pro. That's why it's still on sale. It's a viable computer. The only subjective issue with it is the Touch Bar. I'm not really a fan but the OP is, so, to each their own. Is it worth waiting for Apple to put the M2 in the 14" model for the low end? No.
 

Madmischief

macrumors regular
Nov 16, 2013
108
70
Oxford, UK
To add my thoughts, which may help on the comparison.

I have a 13’ M1 16GB 512SSD bought last Dec, upgrading from a 15’ retina i7 16GB 1TB 2015 which worked well but was bulky.

Have used Macs since the early 90s and like having solid kit - primarily do photo then video editing (note: the MBP is a creation tool, I use an iPad Pro for most content consumption).

I knew that updated models would come in Q3/4 this year - so initially planned to sell the 13’ for the newer design similar RAM/SSD model when it arrived.

Went into a store last weekend to confirm my thinking & buy one - compared them side by side for a good 10 mins, now not so sure I want a new one. It’s boxy and bigger than I expected.

The 14’ has MagSafe fast charging, a better screen refresh + picture on HDR, function keys, faster vid editing and more ports - but worse battery life and a heavier/boxy design.

My 13’ is sleek, light and munches through everything I need currently - charges fast, has a solid screen, photo edits like a boss, edits 4K video quietly, stays cool and most importantly has amazing battery life.

The extra ££ to upgrade is not so clear for me, unless video editing goes significantly 8K only in the next 2-3yrs - I think am good with the 13’.

My final thoughts are the 13’ is a solid option if you can get a well specced one for £1200ish through Apple refurb, on sale or as lightly used in mint condition:

-> that £800 gap is quite significant and may beat out the 14’ base model for your use case.

-> if you value portability and battery life, the 13’ May beat out the 14’ base model for your use case.
 

flapflapflap

macrumors 6502a
Dec 13, 2013
768
439
There is NOTHING wrong with the 13" M1 MacBook Pro. That's why it's still on sale. It's a viable computer. The only subjective issue with it is the Touch Bar. I'm not really a fan but the OP is, so, to each their own. Is it worth waiting for Apple to put the M2 in the 14" model for the low end? No.
The 13“ M1 DESTROYS the over-weight and over-powered 14 in battery and is the better representation of a true portable laptop. I think it makes no sense that people would choose the warmer/hotter and inferior 14 in terms of battery life over the 16 which only costs 200-300(?) more which gives you better thermals, significantly better battery and a larger, more immersive screen.
 

flapflapflap

macrumors 6502a
Dec 13, 2013
768
439
Video is absolute BS and the guy is an idiot. Of course the M1 Pro will out perform the M1 as it has more performance cores. Why this is acting surprised and trying to position the 13" MBP as a slow machine is absolute nonsense.

He's also comparing a base level machine with 8GB RAM and less storage with one with Double RAM and double the storage. Its not even a fair test.
These Apple Shills are professional con-artists. If you search his video history, he has a review of the M1 wherein he marvels at its speed and performance and EXCELLENT battery life and even admits to using it as his primary video editing device. What an absolute shill.
 
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cababah

macrumors 68000
Jun 11, 2009
1,891
504
SF Bay Area, CA
The 13“ M1 DESTROYS the over-weight and over-powered 14 in battery and is the better representation of a true portable laptop. I think it makes no sense that people would choose the warmer/hotter and inferior 14 in terms of battery life over the 16 which only costs 200-300(?) more which gives you better thermals, significantly better battery and a larger, more immersive screen.
So, you're saying the 14" is a better buy? :confused:
 

flapflapflap

macrumors 6502a
Dec 13, 2013
768
439
If you want a beautiful, sleek, light weight, all-day battery MacBook, the 13" MBPro is still the only current machine to do that.
100%. The new 14 in particular is rather ugly in addition to be heavy and thick. Let’s not even discuss the strange decisions Apple made regarding the ports. Who doesn’t have an HDMI or SD card dongle these days???
 

loganfive

macrumors newbie
Nov 3, 2021
1
0
I have had the base 14 M1Pro for the past week and I will be returning it today. The upgraded LCD is the only thing that I will miss. The size and shade of gray on the new 14's remind me too much of the Dell Inspirion that I had 20 years ago. ?.
 

jungleghost

macrumors member
Apr 5, 2021
63
31
I have had the base 14 M1Pro for the past week and I will be returning it today. The upgraded LCD is the only thing that I will miss. The size and shade of gray on the new 14's remind me too much of the Dell Inspirion that I had 20 years ago. ?.
Inside the right drawer of my desk is a 10 year old Dell inspiron that really looks A LOT like the new 14" MBP.
 
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DHagan4755

macrumors 68020
Jul 18, 2002
2,271
6,159
Massachusetts
The 13“ M1 DESTROYS the over-weight and over-powered 14 in battery and is the better representation of a true portable laptop. I think it makes no sense that people would choose the warmer/hotter and inferior 14 in terms of battery life over the 16 which only costs 200-300(?) more which gives you better thermals, significantly better battery and a larger, more immersive screen.
Mostly yes! Coming from the 2019 16", the 2021 16" is awesome. For most users though, the new 14" & 16" are just too much for what they'll need. Hence why the 13" M1 Pro is perfect. It'll be interesting to see what Apple does with this model in the future.
 

DHagan4755

macrumors 68020
Jul 18, 2002
2,271
6,159
Massachusetts
100%. The new 14 in particular is rather ugly in addition to be heavy and thick. Let’s not even discuss the strange decisions Apple made regarding the ports. Who doesn’t have an HDMI or SD card dongle these days???
The 14" design is fine. From my experience working in IT for 20+ years, the biggest frustration from users across the board was the change or omission of ports. People LOATHE dongles. Even if they already have them. Remember how upset people were when Apple switched from the 30-pin connector to lightning? The backlash from that, even though it moved things forward, is probably a reason why USB-C isn't on the iPhone (yet). Change can be HARD for some people.
 
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haruhiko

macrumors 604
Sep 29, 2009
6,691
6,245
Go with the 16 or M1 13.
I will replace your recommendation with the M1 MBA. The true sleek laptop with M1 performance (not much difference with the M1 Pro unless in very long sustained heavy workload), runs cool despite being fanless, lightweight, cheaper, still super amazing battery life.
 
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haruhiko

macrumors 604
Sep 29, 2009
6,691
6,245
The 14" design is fine. From my experience working in IT for 20+ years, the biggest frustration from users across the board was the change or omission of ports. People LOATHE dongles. Even if they already have them. Remember how upset people were when Apple switched from the 30-pin connector to lightning? The backlash from that, even though it moved things forward, is probably a reason why USB-C isn't on the iPhone (yet). Change can be HARD for some people.
You know, the extra hassle of buying an SD card reader which doesn’t work very well is very frustrating. I don’t miss HDMI a lot but I definitely miss the SD card reader.
 

asohal

macrumors newbie
Sep 20, 2013
22
7
I Finally decided and returned the 14” M1 Pro 16/512. Ordered myself the 13” 2020 M1 MacBook Pro with 16/256. Better Battery Life and No notch. Ill take the Touch Bar over the notch for now. This is just me and for my use case. Hopefully this will last me 4-6 years. Hoping that by that time most of the softwares I need would run natively and no more notch??? ?
 

haruhiko

macrumors 604
Sep 29, 2009
6,691
6,245
I Finally decided and returned the 14” M1 Pro 16/512. Ordered myself the 13” 2020 M1 MacBook Pro with 16/256. Better Battery Life and No notch. Ill take the Touch Bar over the notch for now. This is just me and for my use case. Hopefully this will last me 4-6 years. Hoping that by that time most of the softwares I need would run natively and no more notch??? ?
Most of the softwares I run on the M1 systems are native already, except some stupid corporate VPN and remote apps.

The base 14” M1 Pro with 16GB RAM and 512GB is like… $1,999 right? Your M1 MBP 13”, if equipped with 512GB of storage is just $300 less than the 14” and you lose the mini-LED screen (the most obvious difference, I’d suggest you to load up some YouTube HDR videos to see the difference, it’s huge), 1080p webcam, ports, performance. To each their own but with such a small difference in price 14” in a no brainer for me (IF compared with the M1 13”). If you don’t care about all of that and just want to save some money, the M1 MBA is a much better choice in this regard.
 
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jungleghost

macrumors member
Apr 5, 2021
63
31
Most of the softwares I run on the M1 systems are native already, except some stupid corporate VPN and remote apps.

The base 14” M1 Pro with 16GB RAM and 512GB is like… $1,999 right? Your M1 MBP 13”, if equipped with 512GB of storage is just $300 less than the 14” and you lose the mini-LED screen (the most obvious difference, I’d suggest you to load up some YouTube HDR videos to see the difference, it’s huge), 1080p webcam, ports, performance. To each their own but with such a small difference in price 14” in a no brainer for me (IF compared with the M1 13”). If you don’t care about all of that and just want to save some money, the M1 MBA is a much better choice in this regard.
Man, his Mac cost 550 dollars less than the base 14". With $550 I could buy the Iphone 13 or the PS5. I really think that it's better have one very good laptop plus a cellphone or a next gen videogame, than only have a little better laptop.
 
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cababah

macrumors 68000
Jun 11, 2009
1,891
504
SF Bay Area, CA
The cool thing about having your own money is that you can spend it however you want and I dunno, buy what you like without needing to consult anyone else. There is no "wrong" configuration to purchase as each individual has their own needs and different value of how they'd like to spend their hard-earned money.

I think folks get a little too caught up trying to go on smear campaigns either for or against certain models. If you don't want to buy a 14" and think it is a bad value, then don't buy it but there is no need to spend energy trying to convince others that they made a bad decision. Maybe they really wanted a superior display and 1080p webcam and better portability....who is to say they are wrong?

It's all subjective folks as opinions vary but there needs to be a line drawn between sharing your thoughts and going on a witch-hunt to gather up all the 14" (or 16") customers lol. I think there are a lot of insecure folks trying to either do some sort of purchase justification (or not upgrading justification).
 
Last edited:

haruhiko

macrumors 604
Sep 29, 2009
6,691
6,245
Man, his Mac cost 550 dollars less than the base 14". With $550 I could buy the Iphone 13 or the PS5. I really think that it's better have one very good laptop plus a cellphone or a next gen videogame, than only have a little better laptop.
Yes that’s why I recommended the M1 MBA if he wants to save money. Same performance most of the time with the M1 13” MBP, and much cheaper.
 

flapflapflap

macrumors 6502a
Dec 13, 2013
768
439
I Finally decided and returned the 14” M1 Pro 16/512. Ordered myself the 13” 2020 M1 MacBook Pro with 16/256. Better Battery Life and No notch. Ill take the Touch Bar over the notch for now. This is just me and for my use case. Hopefully this will last me 4-6 years. Hoping that by that time most of the softwares I need would run natively and no more notch??? ?
I'll take the Touch Bar over the notch any day.
 
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