14" or 16" MBP monitor?

[Ambrosia7177]

Hello. I am about ready to buy a MacBook Pro M3, and could use some advice on whether to get a 14" or 16".

While this laptop will be my "daily driver" for now, I am primarily getting it so that I can learn DaVinci Resolve and start getting into video-editing ASAP. (I have shot several terabytes of video, and my old clunky 2015 rMBP isn't powerful enough to even view these videos, let alone edit and publish them.)

I know that 90% of people say it is crazy to work off a laptop, but historically that is how I feel most comfortable. (I have a bad neck, and so using desks and desktops and large monitors or multiple monitors is a horrible experience for me! In the past, I have been quite happy working off my 13" rMBP in my lap or maybe on a desk.)

Of course, now that I am getting into video-editing - and along with that, probably getting into photo-editing, graphic-design, and motion graphics - I suppose working off a 13" laptop isn't very practical.

My current laptop is about ready to die, and I don't have $10,000 to buy two new MBP's, so whatever I get will be used 80% for day-to-day activities (e.g. reading news, checking email, watching YouTube videos, running my business) and the other 20% will be used for video-editing.

In my mind, I cannot see where an extra two inches of screen space would make much of a difference when it comes to video-editing, HOWEVER, and extra two inches would make a large difference when it comes to toting things around, fitting my laptop into my backpack, traveling in my car, and so on.

What do you recommend?

And is there anyone here using DaVinci Resolve and doing video-editing that can speak from practical experience?

(I have some questions about external monitors, but that is another thread!)

Thanks.

 

[tomekwsrod]

You have answered yourself in your own post. List your needs, then give each item on the list a priority, sum up, think, and make a decision.

The more screen estate, the easier in terms of UI it will be to move around. If this computer is going to be your daily machine, and you do not like using external displays, if I were you, I would happily carry a bigger laptop to feel more comfortable at work.

 

[Andrey84]

Hello. I am about ready to buy a MacBook Pro M3, and could use some advice on whether to get a 14" or 16".

While this laptop will be my "daily driver" for now, I am primarily getting it so that I can learn DaVinci Resolve and start getting into video-editing ASAP. (I have shot several terabytes of video, and my old clunky 2015 rMBP isn't powerful enough to even view these videos, let alone edit and publish them.)

I know that 90% of people say it is crazy to work off a laptop, but historically that is how I feel most comfortable. (I have a bad neck, and so using desks and desktops and large monitors or multiple monitors is a horrible experience for me! In the past, I have been quite happy working off my 13" rMBP in my lap or maybe on a desk.)

Of course, now that I am getting into video-editing - and along with that, probably getting into photo-editing, graphic-design, and motion graphics - I suppose working off a 13" laptop isn't very practical.

My current laptop is about ready to die, and I don't have $10,000 to buy two new MBP's, so whatever I get will be used 80% for day-to-day activities (e.g. reading news, checking email, watching YouTube videos, running my business) and the other 20% will be used for video-editing.

In my mind, I cannot see where an extra two inches of screen space would make much of a difference when it comes to video-editing, HOWEVER, and extra two inches would make a large difference when it comes to toting things around, fitting my laptop into my backpack, traveling in my car, and so on.

What do you recommend?

And is there anyone here using DaVinci Resolve and doing video-editing that can speak from practical experience?

(I have some questions about external monitors, but that is another thread!)

Thanks.

Any specialised software with lots of control elements in the UI benefits from more screen real estate. Your eyes will thank you later.

Just look at DaVinci Resolve screens here:

DaVinci Resolve: Learning the Interfaces – Library News

librarynews.northeastern.edu

I know you said you have a bad neck, but honestly the UI looks like it needs at least a full 24" inch monitor. I think you'll struggle even with 16". Hopefully you're treating your neck in parallel to buying a new laptop.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

You have answered yourself in your own post. List your needs, then give each item on the list a priority, sum up, think, and make a decision.

The more screen estate, the easier in terms of UI it will be to move around. If this computer is going to be your daily machine, and you do not like using external displays, if I were you, I would happily carry a bigger laptop to feel more comfortable at work.

So you think an extra 2" of screen size makes a world of difference?

 

[Fishrrman]

The 16" display looks great, but...
... it's going to "get heavy" if you carry it around a lot. I predict you're not going to like that.

So... will you be carrying this around a lot...?

 

[Ambrosia7177]

Any specialised software with lots of control elements in the UI benefits from more screen real estate. Your eyes will thank you later.

Just look at DaVinci Resolve screens here:

DaVinci Resolve: Learning the Interfaces – Library News

librarynews.northeastern.edu

I know you said you have a bad neck, but honestly the UI looks like it needs at least a full 24" inch monitor. I think you'll struggle even with 16". Hopefully you're treating your neck in parallel to buying a new laptop.

My neck got broken in a car accident, so no fixing that.

I am okay with my current laptop on a table, but if I have to look up it is uncomfortable, so having a large monitor would be a plus to me. (I suppose if I had a low desk it might be doable.)


Typically I work from the local library, and the reason for me getting into video-editing is for a startup business I am pursuing.

With that business, I will be traveling a lot and need a way to be able to edit and publish video while I'm out in the field. (And, no, I won't go so far as to edit video on my iPhone!)

I have been using a 13" MBP or rMBP for the last 15+ years with no complaints. Technically, a 14" display will be a step up. The subjective question is, "How much more would an extra 2" make when it comes to say Da Vinci Resolve?"

I suppose the work I do on my current laptop is tame compared to say Photoshop or DaVici Resolve. By that I mean I work a lot in Libre Office spreadsheets, and use applications like Audacity a lot, and NetBeans for web development and I have no complaints on my 13" laptop. But I do understand there are many more pallets and tools in applications like Photoshop, Illustrator and Da Vinci Resolve.

If I could afford two new MacBook Pro's I'd get a 16", but since I will be stuck with one new laptop for daily-driver stuff plus DaVici Resolve, I want to be smart about things which is why I am hear asking for advice!

 

[Ambrosia7177]

The 16" display looks great, but...
... it's going to "get heavy" if you carry it around a lot. I predict you're not going to like that.

So... will you be carrying this around a lot...?

I'm not worried about weight per se - I'm old enough to remember what 17" laptops from the 1990s and early 2000s felt like.

What I do worry about is little things like a 16" laptop not fitting in my current backpack - I don't want to have to go to Patagonia and buy a mountain climbing backpack and feel like I am getting ready to climb K2!

Also things I take for granted, I *often* check my email and work from my laptop while sitting in the front seat of my Honda. Would an extra 2" make that not possible? (For some stupid reason, Honda has made the driver's side electric seat not go back very far, and being 6 ft tall, it is already cramped even without a laptop in my lap!)