I received mine today and thought I'd update this thread since I read all of these threads while I was waiting, trying to figure out if I made the right choice. I wasn't sure which size to get since I was coming from a 16 inch 2019 laptop. When I first heard of the new MacBooks it seemed like a no brainer to get the 16 since that's what I was used to. Then I started reading MacRumors and about how huge it was going to be and I felt slightly worried about that since I recall feeling a bit reluctant to grab my computer over my iPad when doing things. (This forum can be so dangerous haha).
So, after going back and forth about it for a few days I decided to order the 14 inch! Then I stressed a ton about whether I made the right decision. My wait time was about a month, so that was a lot of time to worry and second guess.
The thing that helped me the most was going into the Apple store. I had to go there for a different reason and since I was already there, I spent some time with the laptops. I was immediately drawn to the 14 inch, which was a good sign. I played around on Canva and made a quick printable just to see if the screen would be ok for me if I was doing some graphic design. (Which reminds me that I haven't pulled up Photoshop or Affinity Publisher yet, so will have to do that tomorrow). Anyway, I left the Apple store feeling like I made the right decision.
I kept reading these threads though, which made me feel like the computer I bought was inferior and that I wouldn't like it. But, I received the laptop today and the size is pretty great for me. It's just slightly larger than my 12.9 iPad and is comfortable to use on the couch (I use a lap desk pillow thing and it fits on there perfectly). I feel like it's pretty easy to grab it to go to the other room to work on it. I'm excited for summer because I love grabbing my computer and working outside in the backyard (though the other one did feel a bit like a drag to carry out there...I'm hoping this one will be better!)
I don't miss the larger screen and I like that it doesn't take up much space if I put it on my desk or have to place it on the couch next to me for a bit.
What about the battery? I've been working nonstop with it for the last approx 6 hours doing things like web browsing, downloading software and design assets (from DesignCuts), and writing an outline. I'm really bad at closing things, so I have Safari (6 tabs), Chrome (4 tabs), Cloud Outliner, Goodnotes - (which is syncing all of my files), Eagle, TextEdit, Calendar, Mail (which has downloaded about 50k emails in this time), Typeface, Keynote, App Store, Reminders, and Preview open. I've downloaded over 1000 images and fonts. I've installed several pieces of software from the web...all while on the battery. During these 6 hours my battery has gone down to 59%. NOT BAD. My 16 inch from 2019 would have been nearly dead by now (if not already dead).
My keys are not warm at all. That's pretty amazing since my last computer would get really hot if I was doing this many things. I just felt the bottom and I don't sense any heat.
I'm happy that I got the 14 inch.
My only issue is that I was experiencing the weird thing with the screen that someone described as oily...where my eyes were having difficulty focusing, especially in dark mode. It felt almost like the text was moving. It was very strange. I scaled the screen one level to the left and haven't had that problem since. I think I just have to get used to the extra brightness of the screen or something. I'll try the default resolution again tomorrow and see how it goes. (I was also staring at the screen for a long time before that happened...so it might also be that I had dry eyes at that point).
Anyway, just wanted to share.
Another update: this post took me a while to write...maybe 20-30 minutes? I had all of the above things open while I was doing it. My battery is now 57%. Pretty amazing.
Whichever computer you choose will be great. I'm letting go of my FOMO
Editing because I forgot to say mine is a 14 inch 10/16 32 GB 2 TB Model.