Can't Decide Between 14" and 16"

[nquinn]

I had a 2019 16" before selling it for a 13" M1 MBP. I was dead set on the 16" but when I received it today, it just felt like a behemoth. I literally laugh every time I open the laptop because the screen is JUST SO BIG. I don't remember having this reaction to the 2019 16", and I'm not sure why.

I immediately checked the Apple Store app and ordered a 14" for same-day delivery to compare. So far, this feels like the perfect size.

I'm going to keep using both for a while before I make up my mind, but now I'm heavily leaning towards keeping the 14".

I think it's a combination of things:

1. The screen is bigger: 16.2" vs 16"
2. The thickness of the case PLUS the raised legs makes the height of it just feel big
3. The extra half pound of weight is a lot. If you're sitting this monster in your lap I imagine it'll feel pretty heavy. (unfortunately couldn't try this in the Apple store of course).

I used a bunch of gift cards so can't easily just buy 2 and return the one I don't like.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

If mobility is the bigger corner

I was trying to respond to OP and their purported use case. I actually forgot about the battery life, that's a big factor in favor of the larger model. Don't get me wrong, I'm confident about selecting the 16" for myself. The size is fine and still quite portable for me.

i just noticed which message u were answering to ,my apologies

yep ,now its me who isnt sure about the purchase anymore.my 14inch 8c is in treatment...but honestly for all the reasons i mentionned maybe the 16 is a better choice..

 

[mashinhead]

I went by the Apple Store today to see them in person. And the 16 does feel big. It almost feels like picking up one of the old 17's. But price wise, I'm kinda like why would you buy the 14. It's the same price, and you're just getting less battery, screen, etc.

 

[nquinn]

I went by the Apple Store today to see them in person. And the 16 does feel big. It almost feels like picking up one of the old 17's. But price wise, I'm kinda like why would you buy the 14. It's the same price, and you're just getting less battery, screen, etc.

Ya the modest +$200 or whatever price difference is also a factor. Argh I can't decide. Maybe I'll flip a coin. My emotional/quick snap judgment is that I really liked the feel of the 14 as a laptop, but not sure if I'd regret losing all that screen real estate for a machine right now that will spend 90% of time at home. (maybe could change?)

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

I went by the Apple Store today to see them in person. And the 16 does feel big. It almost feels like picking up one of the old 17's. But price wise, I'm kinda like why would you buy the 14. It's the same price, and you're just getting less battery, screen, etc.

So , what's your choice ?

 

[aacemyan]

I went by the Apple Store today to see them in person. And the 16 does feel big. It almost feels like picking up one of the old 17's. But price wise, I'm kinda like why would you buy the 14. It's the same price, and you're just getting less battery, screen, etc.

While I was also tempted to get the bigger one based purely on the fact that you're getting better bang for your buck (bigger screen and battery), I think it's not a good way to justify getting the bigger size, especially if someone will be miserable lugging around the big laptop.

Over the last year, many folks moved from the 16" / 15" intel MacBook Pro to 13" M1 MacBook Air / Pro - and if there's anything to learn from this is that people get accustomed to different notebook sizes pretty quickly and can be just as productive.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

While I was also tempted to get the bigger one based purely on the fact that you're getting better bang for your buck (bigger screen and battery), I think it's not a good way to justify getting the bigger size, especially if someone will be miserable lugging around the big laptop.

Over the last year, many folks moved from the 16" / 15" intel MacBook Pro to 13" M1 MacBook Air / Pro - and if there's anything to learn from this is that people get accustomed to different notebook sizes pretty quickly and can be just as productive.

Yes but the battery tho..If u travel a lot ,the rather poor battery of the 14 might be bad ,while the brilliant one in the 16 will help tremendously .
U can't always plug it in when you're on the go.besides you'd have to add the 96W charger in ur bag in such case,which would make the whole thing even closer to the 16" in terms of weight

 

[mashinhead]

So , what's your choice ?

Good question, if it was cheaper I think I would take the 14. But given the price, I think it will be 16. I also can't decide on a color. But both are pretty great. I asked a lot of questions and really there are 3 differences:

- Screen Size
- 3 hr in battery life
- $200 diff in price

There is not diff in performance. Speakers. Screen. Or anything else.

 

[StoneCold X]

So something I can keep hearing on the forums is the better thermals and speakers in the 16" vs the 14" but I can't find anything describing the difference. Everyone says they are essentially the same other than the screen size and battery.

So is there a difference in thermals and speakers?

 

[aacemyan]

The chatter about thermals being better on the 16" are for 3 reasons - most of them being purely speculative.
1) Physics - larger chassis means better thermals on x86 processors, but this may not be applicable to M1Pro/Max
2) High Power Mode exclusive to 16" - so far it seems mainly about the fans kicking up louder to squeeze the last 1% of power if you care about that thing and can tolerate more noise
3) Weight different between 16" M1Pro and M1Max. Once again pure speculation at this point and not based on anything concrete

 

[cardfan]

Yes but the battery tho..If u travel a lot ,the rather poor battery of the 14 might be bad ,while the brilliant one in the 16 will help tremendously .
U can't always plug it in when you're on the go.besides you'd have to add the 96W charger in ur bag in such case,which would make the whole thing even closer to the 16" in terms of weight

It’s a good reminder the 16 requires much more for charging needs. I have more than a few that will do 96w. Even docks. But 140? Nope.

I’d only get if larger screen makes a big difference. Also have an iPad to take with me that can be used as second screen with 14 (though I might sell it). But there’s more of a pain lugging 16 around. Need a bigger backpack. Even at home I’d want to dock it and hardly use that screen. AppleCare is less for the 14 as well.

 

[UltimateSyn]

My emotional/quick snap judgment is that I really liked the feel of the 14 as a laptop, but not sure if I'd regret losing all that screen real estate for a machine right now that will spend 90% of time at home. (maybe could change?)

Yup... 14" is such an awesome size as a device, but that damn massive, gorgeous screen on the 16"!!! I have both here in front of me and I can not decide for the life of me. It's incredibly frustrating.

 

[flapflapflap]

So I've tried both today. The 16" is HUGE! I mean proper behemoth, I can't imagine anyone carrying that stuff around.

My laptop is mostly at home and even so I prefer the 14". The 16" is so heavy and hard to handle

Bear in mind I come from a 15" one and I just can't go with the 16". Reminds me more of the old school 17" one

Exactly my concern. Imagine flying with the 16!

 

[flapflapflap]

I feared the 16" for awhile until work purchased one. It's fine and I feel portable enough, but when I go back to my old 13" the difference is pretty extreme.

I actually don't mind lugging the 16" around... I'm out and about all the time. For me it's more about how much space it takes up on a small cafe table, or when I'm lounging at home with it on my lap. The older 16" is just barely comfortable to sit like this for an hour or so at a time, whereas my 13" does not really fatigue at all, but the screen is a bit cramped. I fear the new 16" with at least 1/3 heavier might be just a bit too much to feel comfortable in my lap.

I *think* the 14" will be the sweet spot for portability and power. My eyesight is pretty good and I'll likely increase the scaled resolution to what I have on my current 16" - 2048 * 1280 - using SwitchResX in a pixel doubled format to retain sharpness.

issue is that the 14 has inferior battery life compared to the M1 13

 

[flapflapflap]

Been using the 14 for a couple hours and it feels more like the old 15 than it does the recent 13. It may be the perfect size. The 16 in pics and videos just looks too big. It reminds me of the old 17 inch

Agree

 

[mashinhead]

Exactly my concern. Imagine flying with the 16!

This is a misleading image. This is a 13" on a 16.2"

 

[aacemyan]

Exactly my concern. Imagine flying with the 16!

Wow, the 16” is twice the physical volume of the 13”

 

[flapflapflap]

I hear you, I'm just stating that holding it with one hand is almost impossible due do the shape and heaviness. It's HUGE honestly... I was shocked

Numbers are pointless…you need to feel it in your hands. I actually cancelled my 16 order but was curious so I visited the Apple Store today. It is way too large for me. I think for most people, the 16 is too large, chunky and heavy. Imagine traveling or flying with the 16! It would probably stay at my desk 99% of the time which defeats the purpose of getting a laptop. The problem with the 14 is its inferior battery life compared to the M1 13.

 

[flapflapflap]

I have to say I ordered the 16" (currently using a 2019 16" intel for work), but after visiting the Apple store today to compare them I think I may revert to the 14".

The new 16" model is just massive. While it's footprint is similar to the older models, the increased depth and weight make it just feel like a huge brick.

Like the other poster here, I also still mostly plan to use this at home and am still questioning it. I was totally set on the 16" previous to this but now am leaning like 60-70% towards the 14".

The 14" feels like a sleek laptop while the 16" feels like someone stuck a screen on a desktop lol.

The problem for me is that the 14’s battery life seems so inadequate. The M1 13 is the king, and the 16 is very close to it.

 

[flapflapflap]

I had a 2019 16" before selling it for a 13" M1 MBP. I was dead set on the 16" but when I received it today, it just felt like a behemoth. I literally laugh every time I open the laptop because the screen is JUST SO BIG. I don't remember having this reaction to the 2019 16", and I'm not sure why.

I immediately checked the Apple Store app and ordered a 14" for same-day delivery to compare. So far, this feels like the perfect size.

I'm going to keep using both for a while before I make up my mind, but now I'm heavily leaning towards keeping the 14".

Do you mind letting us know what the 14 battery is like? I’ve been spoiled with the M1 13’s amazing battery life and in my mind, I can’t justify paying around $2,000 for a similar sized MBP with 40%~ less battery life.

 

[warmbear]

The chatter about thermals being better on the 16" are for 3 reasons - most of them being purely speculative.
1) Physics - larger chassis means better thermals on x86 processors, but this may not be applicable to M1Pro/Max
2) High Power Mode exclusive to 16" - so far it seems mainly about the fans kicking up louder to squeeze the last 1% of power if you care about that thing and can tolerate more noise
3) Weight different between 16" M1Pro and M1Max. Once again pure speculation at this point and not based on anything concrete

Teardown images are now on the front page. 16 Max definitely has larger heat pipes and larger fans compared to 14. Not sure if its the same for 16 pro though.

 

[flapflapflap]

I just checked out both at the Apple Store, I think the 14" is going to be the perfect size for the vast majority of customers. The screen is just big enough that you don't feel like you're missing out on real estate but the laptop is compact enough for easy portability. The 16" looks and feels absolutely gigantic and the only reason I think people should get it is if you are doing significant productivity type work (video/photo editing particularly) and it's going to be sitting on a desk most of the time. I had the same dilemma about the size before hand but once I saw both, no doubt will be getting the 14".

Are you concerned with its battery life knowing it’s about 40% less than the M1 13?

 

[flapflapflap]

This is a misleading image. This is a 13" on a 16.2"

Sorry if that came off as misleading. Definitely not my intention. I shared that to compare the 13 with the new 16. The 16 is incredibly chunky, but it does have great battery life.

 

[nquinn]

The problem for me is that the 14’s battery life seems so inadequate. The M1 13 is the king, and the 16 is very close to it.

Is it really? You can always bring a charger with you - most of the time I'm not working on a laptop for 10+hrs straight or whatever with no charger.

Another thing to keep in mind with the heavy 16 is that you also have a heavier charger with it to lug around if you need it.

 

[flapflapflap]

Wow, the 16” is twice the physical volume of the 13”

I know the majority of folks who will buy the 16 are real Pro’s but seriously, the 16 looks so bizarre. Imagine seeing that in a coffee shop. It will look ridiculous particularly when most other patrons will be sporting their MBA/MBP 13/14.