Anyone replacing MBP 16 with MBA M1?

[jerryk]

Feels like a strange change, but I am considering it. Ultimately I think I want the 14" AS MBP. However, I don't use my MBP 16" since getting a 13" MBP. The 16" is too big and I have a nice desktop rig for heavy-duty work. And the reviews show the MBA and MBP with the M1 chip can keep up with the 16".

Any thoughts? What am I not considering?

 

[cupcakes2000]

Feels like a strange change, but I am considering it. Ultimately I think I want the 14" AS MBP. However, I don't use my MBP 16" since getting a 13" MBP. The 16" is too big and I have a nice desktop rig for heavy-duty work. And the reviews show the MBA and MBP with the M1 chip can keep up with the 16".

Any thoughts? What am I not considering?

If no immediate need, I would wait until they release the higher end equivalent chips

 

[badsimian]

I am doing exactly this. In your case though given you have a 16", a 13" and a heavy desktop machine you already have too many machines before the M1s arrived

 

[bill-p]

Any thoughts? What am I not considering?

I have both with me right now. M1 may stay. I'll grab the next 16" when it comes out for sure. Here are some highlights:

1. Screen real estate.
2. Speakers. 16" beats this 13" Pro by far.
3. Microphone.
4. Extra Thunderbolt 3 ports on both sides.
5. Stronger WIFI antenna on 16" (noticeable if I'm right outside my house).
6. Faster GPU. Noticeable if gaming.
7. x86 apps are better behaved.
8. Bootcamp and virtualization via Parallels.

Things I'd say the 13" M1 Pro does better:

1. It's virtually silent.
2. For some reason, system animations are smoother and more responsive.
3. Battery life. I get around 10 - 12 hours. The 16" gets around 7 - 8 hours, but typically more like 4 - 5.
4. It's lighter and more compact.
5. An ultra compact 30W charger works. I still have to lug along a 100W charger with the 16".

Things that are similar:

1. CPU performance is similar. M1 may be a bit faster in some tasks, but it's almost unnoticeable in daily use.
2. Keyboard is similar.
3. Webcam is similar.

Switch at your discretion. Right now, I think the M1 has a number of showstoppers for some (like you can't restore the OS with just M1, Rosetta 2 has compatibility and stability issues, and there are not a lot of native apps yet). If it's not your main bread and butter, it may be worth getting just to see what's up. If it is your main bread and butter, I'd advise you to wait.

 

[heretiq]

I purchased the 13-inch M1 MBPro on Friday with the intention of replacing my 16-inch, 32 GB Intel MBPro after reading numerous reviews heralding the speed and quietness of the new M1 Macs. I use the MBPro with a high-end Dell 32” external monitor and thought I would like the faster speed, no fan noise and greater portability of the 13-inch M1 MBPro over my 16-inch Intel MBPro. After a full day of use, the M1 speed is just as reported, and I have yet to hear the fan. However, I’m returning the 13-inch M1 MBPro for two reasons: (1) the 13-inch screen is really small compared to what I’ve become accustomed to, and (2) the practical experience of the speed difference and no fan noise are not as consequential as I thought they would be — at least not consequential enough to offset #1. So, I’m going to stick with my 16-inch Intel MBPro until the 16-inch Apple Silicon MBPro is released.

 

[planteater]

I was looking at speccing a 16GB / 1TB M1 MBA today. Very nice machine, but ultimately I've decided to wait for the other MBP's to arrive, hopefully soon in 2021, before making a choice. As good as AS is now, I have a feeling next year there will be some better options for me, given how long I keep and use my machines.

 

[idandavid]

i still dont know if ill get the air or pro but i sold my macbook pro 16 last week to get the m1. it hasn't arrived yet in my country but i'll be getting it ASAP.

 

[jerryk]

I am doing exactly this. In your case though given you have a 16", a 13" and a heavy desktop machine you already have too many machines before the M1s arrived

Impossible to have too many machines. Did I mention my 24 TB NAS, dozens of IoT devices, Raspberry PIs, Google Coral TPUs, and servers? 😁

 

[jerryk]

i still dont know if ill get the air or pro but i sold my macbook pro 16 last week to get the m1. it hasn't arrived yet in my country but i'll be getting it ASAP.

Did you get a good price for the 16"? Most of the sale places on the web are offering about $1650 (USD).

 

[vigilant]

Feels like a strange change, but I am considering it. Ultimately I think I want the 14" AS MBP. However, I don't use my MBP 16" since getting a 13" MBP. The 16" is too big and I have a nice desktop rig for heavy-duty work. And the reviews show the MBA and MBP with the M1 chip can keep up with the 16".

Any thoughts? What am I not considering?

Here are some thoughts, from someone that has had nothing but conference calls for work for I think going on 7 or 8 months?

My previous MacBook Pro 13 was fast enough. But being on conference calls, and taking notes began to really get sluggish. I bought the MacBook Pro 16 thinking the dedicated graphics card was going to help since it looked like the performance was being exhausted running dual screens with one being 4k. The MacBook Pro 16 is doing it's job. It isn't "slow" but it definitely doesn't feel as responsive as say my iPad Pro 13. I do like the screen real estate but it's REALLY frustrating walking into my office, unlocking my computer and seeing no applications doing anything, but the fan is whirling loudly.

You can fault me for it, but I'm seriously considering a pretty loaded MacBook Pro 13. 16GB of memory with 1TB drive. Having a 5 person video call on Teams and Notes shouldn't be causing the fans to kick on as aggressively as they are.

By all accounts, I fully acknowledge that it's extreme. But days like tomorrow, where it looks like I have 8 video calls, I am just tired of having to babysit a laptop that I use for this purpose. I can't really blame Apple for this, because everything else I have beyond exceeds my expectations. It's the hardware holding it back.

The idea of a 13 inch laptop, that's like $1,900 that can run reliably at peak performance and the fan doesn't kick on just seems like a dream.