14” or 16” MBP as only computer?

[Technerd108]

If you still haven't decided I will give my 2 cents. I had both the 14" M1 Pro 16gb ram 512ssd and the base model 16". I pre-ordered the 14" I had sold my M1 MBP 13" in the summer in anticipation.

No matter which you choose they are amazing machines.

I returned my 14" because the screen although much larger than the 13" model just wasn't enough for me. The size and weight of the 14" is really nice. The 14" is only a little heavier than the old 13" but in my opinion felt lighter?? For weight and size the 14" was pretty close to perfect except for the screen..

Once you see the screen on the 16" it is really hard to go back to the 14". The notch feels smaller on the 16" to the point I barely notice it, while on the 14" I could not ignore the notch but either one wasn't bad but the 16" is a lot better.

Then there are the speakers. The speakers on both sound great but for me the volume was not super loud on the 14". The bass was impressive and sound quality was great but the volume just didn't get loud enough. When I got the 16" it was perfect. The speakers are impressive on the 16" to the point you are wondering how they put so much bass in a laptop!!

Charging is different on the 16" as in my opinion it was faster to charge and battery life is significantly better one the 16".

Like you I have struggled with the decision to get more ram. The base ssd is fine but ram is always a limiting factor-specially over time.

The cost difference between the base model and extra ram is $400!! Which is a lot!! So it goes from $2500 to $3000!

I was also considering the extra $200 for the M1 Max. So a difference of $600? Then I think this machine is already crazy expensive and then there is apple care?

However for that $600 the extra ram, extra bandwidth and extra GPU capacity should future proof the machine as much as possible for the lowest cost possible. Some may want the larger ssd as well which brings us up to $800 over base model. For me I don't need huge ssd as my external ssd is fast and with thunderbolt 4 I am good! Also if I get more ram then swapping to ssd is less likely.

I also tried to configure the above with the 14" but the 16" is so much better it is totally worth the extra $200!!

If I am going to be staring at the same screen for 5 years or so I don't want to be regretting my decision over a few hundred dollars when it cost a lot in the first place.

So my advice would be no matter what to get the 14" UNLESS you really care about the weight. That is literally the ONLY advantage to the 14" as everything else is less than the 16". It is amazing that the 14" is as powerful as it is but IMHO if you are buying a "Pro" machine then why compromise? This is the first MBP gen where Apple is NOT compromising and has added more features and power in a single generation than I have ever seen before! So I say go for it and go BIG!!

 

[Technerd108]

The Air and Mini and 13"MBP are not older generation M1. The M1 has the same cores as the M1 Pro / Max. They are all of the same generation. The Pro / Max are just beefed up with more cores for heavy duty processing use cases.

It definitely doesn't sound like you have any use cases that would require the pro/max level of performance. You would be paying twice as much for power that you would not use just for the appearance of "newer" tech.

I don't understand this advice which I see everywhere????? Since when has Pro in Apple nomenclature every really meant only for Pro's??

So he would not benefit for a 120hz mini led UHD screen? Better speakers, Faster processor and more ram?? It is not just new tech but this generation of MacBook Pro is a big change from the past several years. A lot of people have been waiting for Apple to stop catering to form over function and now that they have a lot of us are excited!

The other thing is how can you say he won't need the power?? Maybe he doesn't need the M1 Max and 32 GPU cores but the base model 14" or 16" would be a great laptop for anyone!! They are not that much more expensive than high end Windows laptops and I don't know too many high end HP Spectre/ Razor like devices that can even compare with the performance and features let alone battery life.

There are so many compelling reasons to get these new Macs besides just raw performance. It is like having a really efficient V8 that runs like a 4 cylinder engine but has all that power when you want or need it. Who says no to extra power and speed?? Most of us whether we have a "work flow" that justifies it or not like having more power, speed and efficiency!

 

[Tagbert]

I don't understand this advice which I see everywhere????? Since when has Pro in Apple nomenclature every really meant only for Pro's??

So he would not benefit for a 120hz mini led UHD screen? Better speakers, Faster processor and more ram?? It is not just new tech but this generation of MacBook Pro is a big change from the past several years. A lot of people have been waiting for Apple to stop catering to form over function and now that they have a lot of us are excited!

The other thing is how can you say he won't need the power?? Maybe he doesn't need the M1 Max and 32 GPU cores but the base model 14" or 16" would be a great laptop for anyone!! They are not that much more expensive than high end Windows laptops and I don't know too many high end HP Spectre/ Razor like devices that can even compare with the performance and features let alone battery life.

There are so many compelling reasons to get these new Macs besides just raw performance. It is like having a really efficient V8 that runs like a 4 cylinder engine but has all that power when you want or need it. Who says no to extra power and speed?? Most of us whether we have a "work flow" that justifies it or not like having more power, speed and efficiency!

Sure, if the OP wants to they can get the new MBPs. My point was that from the original description these are overkill for the needs. Maybe this is a case of wants.

 

[The Cockney Rebel]

So they have the config I want for in store pickup.

Question is, do I buy now or wait for Black Friday?

 

[TrueBlou]

Well, really only you can decide, my first piece of advice, pick a budget and stick (close) to it, it’s very easy to get carried away buying new toys - as I’m sure we all know.

Having spent the past year with a 13” MBA M1 (because I refused to allow myself to purchase another TouchBar model), going back to a larger screen in the form of the 16”, has been one of the best changes for me.

It’s so nice to have that extra screen real estate again. I had gotten used to working on the 13”, but it wasn’t until I got the MacBook Pro 16 that I realised just how much I missed the large screen for laptop use. I do have an external 27” 4K monitor at my desk, but I’m not always at my desk.

As for specifications, I went with 1TB 16GB and it’s performing admirably. I don’t always have a particularly light workload. Most days are Xcode, Affinity Photo, Designer, Final Cut Pro and Publisher, Fusion 360 thrown in on the odd day for the main apps.

That’s obviously on top of Safari with more tabs open than I realistically need most of the time, Music and the rest of the usual suspects on the go as well.

Obviously, that does mean that, depending on what’s all running at once, I use swap, but it’s so fast these days that I never notice unless I’m looking at Activity Monitor - which I don’t as a rule anymore since switching to M1 last year. And I’ve yet to see memory pressure get to a level I’d be concerned about, even when I threw Parallels into the mix running a game, just for the heck of it. Everything has stayed fast and responsive.

If you ever needed 32GB of RAM when working with your images and other workload before, then I’d say go for it again. There’s nothing magical about M1 in that regard, just the really fast swap that makes quite a difference. Though I will say my previous iMacs were 32GB because I regularly needed it and 64GB because I was being safe, and I haven’t regretted getting a 16GB MacBook Pro.

I have little doubt that a 16GB would work for you, but as I tell everyone when they’re asking me what computer to buy next. Decide on your budget, then put in order your priorities - is storage space more important to you than extra RAM? Will a 16” screen benefit your workload or would 14, or even 13 do fine? Do you really need the extra grunt of the M1 Pro/Max, or would the M1 be fine (though you have experience of the M1, so you know that answer) Once you’ve done those things, you’ll have arrived at the model you need…… Though not necessarily the one you want

 

[The Cockney Rebel]

Well, really only you can decide, my first piece of advice, pick a budget and stick (close) to it, it’s very easy to get carried away buying new toys - as I’m sure we all know.

Having spent the past year with a 13” MBA M1 (because I refused to allow myself to purchase another TouchBar model), going back to a larger screen in the form of the 16”, has been one of the best changes for me.

It’s so nice to have that extra screen real estate again. I had gotten used to working on the 13”, but it wasn’t until I got the MacBook Pro 16 that I realised just how much I missed the large screen for laptop use. I do have an external 27” 4K monitor at my desk, but I’m not always at my desk.

As for specifications, I went with 1TB 16GB and it’s performing admirably. I don’t always have a particularly light workload. Most days are Xcode, Affinity Photo, Designer, Final Cut Pro and Publisher, Fusion 360 thrown in on the odd day for the main apps.

That’s obviously on top of Safari with more tabs open than I realistically need most of the time, Music and the rest of the usual suspects on the go as well.

Obviously, that does mean that, depending on what’s all running at once, I use swap, but it’s so fast these days that I never notice unless I’m looking at Activity Monitor - which I don’t as a rule anymore since switching to M1 last year. And I’ve yet to see memory pressure get to a level I’d be concerned about, even when I threw Parallels into the mix running a game, just for the heck of it. Everything has stayed fast and responsive.

If you ever needed 32GB of RAM when working with your images and other workload before, then I’d say go for it again. There’s nothing magical about M1 in that regard, just the really fast swap that makes quite a difference. Though I will say my previous iMacs were 32GB because I regularly needed it and 64GB because I was being safe, and I haven’t regretted getting a 16GB MacBook Pro.

I have little doubt that a 16GB would work for you, but as I tell everyone when they’re asking me what computer to buy next. Decide on your budget, then put in order your priorities - is storage space more important to you than extra RAM? Will a 16” screen benefit your workload or would 14, or even 13 do fine? Do you really need the extra grunt of the M1 Pro/Max, or would the M1 be fine (though you have experience of the M1, so you know that answer) Once you’ve done those things, you’ll have arrived at the model you need…… Though not necessarily the one you want

I’ll be going for the 16” 16GB 1TB.

They have them in stock for collection.

Deciding whether to get one, or wait for Black Friday and get the gift card?

 

[Chancha]

Sure, if the OP wants to they can get the new MBPs. My point was that from the original description these are overkill for the needs. Maybe this is a case of wants.

I guess the point being the M2 Air with new design isn't here yet, thus the base 14" with its rather approachable pricing is indeed not a bad choice for casual users, even if they don't need the processing power they can still gain something from the hardware features. That dynamics will change a lot when the newly rumored design Air happens, probably with MagSafe etc.

 

[TrueBlou]

I’ll be going for the 16” 16GB 1TB.

They have them in stock for collection.

Deciding whether to get one, or wait for Black Friday and get the gift card?

A fine choice, I’m sure it will serve you well for many years.

Black Friday is always good for getting a gift card, who doesn’t like a bit of a bargain. I’d have liked to do that with mine if I could have.

I didn’t get the choice to wait to for mine, primarily because it’s my birthday (Christmas eve, so I sometimes get a combined present)/Christmas present from my parents and my dad just can’t contain his excitement with presents until Christmas Day, so I end up getting them early. And this year he wasn’t taking chances of there being no stock.

Then the nutter will end up going out and buying something else for Christmas Day I’ve been protesting against the amount they spend on presents since I was a kid, it gets you nowhere, he even didn’t speak to me for over a week once when I tried refusing to tell him anything I would like. I’m 47 now, I gave up trying a long time ago, it saves the, you can’t take it with you, arguments.

….. Incidentally, spoiled certainly, brat, definitely not, that would have been (literally) knocked out of me decades ago, my folks would never stand for that kind of behaviour, rightly so.

 

[The Cockney Rebel]

A fine choice, I’m sure it will serve you well for many years.

Black Friday is always good for getting a gift card, who doesn’t like a bit of a bargain. I’d have liked to do that with mine if I could have.

I didn’t get the choice to wait to for mine, primarily because it’s my birthday (Christmas eve, so I sometimes get a combined present)/Christmas present from my parents and my dad just can’t contain his excitement with presents until Christmas Day, so I end up getting them early. And this year he wasn’t taking chances of there being no stock.

Then the nutter will end up going out and buying something else for Christmas Day I’ve been protesting against the amount they spend on presents since I was a kid, it gets you nowhere, he even didn’t speak to me for over a week once when I tried refusing to tell him anything I would like. I’m 47 now, I gave up trying a long time ago, it saves the, you can’t take it with you, arguments.

….. Incidentally, spoiled certainly, brat, definitely not, that would have been (literally) knocked out of me decades ago, my folks would never stand for that kind of behaviour, rightly so.

So you reckon I should just wait for the Black Friday offer, now?

 

[TrueBlou]

So you reckon I should just wait for the Black Friday offer, now?

Well now that's a difficult one. I'll give you my completely honest 'if I were buying it' opinion.
If it were me, I'd say to hell with a gift coupon, I'm not risking it being out of stock. But that's just me, I'm not known for my patience

I suppose it really depends how much you need one and how much of a difference the voucher will make to you, by the sounds of it you're not in desperate need of one right now, so would it matter if you get to Black Friday and it ends up being sold out in the inevitable mad rush of people buying it.

The worst that happens is you have a longer wait, I assume if you buy it on Black Friday, you get the voucher even if you have to wait until god knows when for the computer.

 

[darngooddesign]

The Air and Mini and 13"MBP are not older generation M1. The M1 has the same cores as the M1 Pro / Max. They are all of the same generation. The Pro / Max are just beefed up with more cores for heavy duty processing use cases.

It definitely doesn't sound like you have any use cases that would require the pro/max level of performance. You would be paying twice as much for power that you would not use just for the appearance of "newer" tech.

But you aren't paying double.

For equivalent 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD the base 14" is $300 USD more than the 13" MBP and upgrading to the 16" screen, better speakers, and improved battery is only $200 more.

So the base 16" is only 25% more expensive than the equivalent 13" MBP.

 

[The Cockney Rebel]

Well now that's a difficult one. I'll give you my completely honest 'if I were buying it' opinion.
If it were me, I'd say to hell with a gift coupon, I'm not risking it being out of stock. But that's just me, I'm not known for my patience

I suppose it really depends how much you need one and how much of a difference the voucher will make to you, by the sounds of it you're not in desperate need of one right now, so would it matter if you get to Black Friday and it ends up being sold out in the inevitable mad rush of people buying it.

The worst that happens is you have a longer wait, I assume if you buy it on Black Friday, you get the voucher even if you have to wait until god knows when for the computer.

I think I might hold out.

We’re on opposing sides of the fence this year, bud. Last year it was you who had to wait .

 

[UltimateSyn]

If it's really never going to leave your desk, and you absolutely need to have the best/newest processor with the M1 Pro, why not just hold out for next year's iMac Pro? That would give you a clean setup with an impeccable (and much larger) display while also having the power of the M1 Pro/Max.

There's really no sense at all in buying a laptop to only sit at a desk. You're sacrificing display size, ergonomics, cost, etc. for essentially no reason. If it sits on the desk 80% of the time and you take it on the go the other 20% then fine there's justification.

To the original question of 14" vs. 16": if there isn't going to be an external monitor at play and it's just going to sit at a desk then the choice is REALLY easy. 16". I'd only recommend the 14" if it's going to be leaving the desk a lot (or you have limited surface area on your desk) and you value portability.

 

[TrueBlou]

I think I might hold out.

We’re on opposing sides of the fence this year, bud. Last year it was you who had to wait .

Aye, that was horrific but one of the few times my folks have actually managed to keep a Christmas present until Christmas. It was quite refreshing, I may be an old git, but I still like getting excited for Christmas. Maybe it’s the autism, or maybe it’s just because I’m a really big kid

 

[The Cockney Rebel]

Aye, that was horrific but one of the few times my folks have actually managed to keep a Christmas present until Christmas. It was quite refreshing, I may be an old git, but I still like getting excited for Christmas. Maybe it’s the autism, or maybe it’s just because I’m a really big kid

You’re a diamond fella, buddy .

 

[The Cockney Rebel]

Should I grab it, or wait for Black Friday??