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norwaypianoman

macrumors regular
Dec 16, 2008
246
93
Norway
Answers:

"The dream of 2TB"
Thanks @TimothyJohn - Yes, I think maybe fulfilling my dream of 2 TB is more important than anything else, though machines are more expensive here in Norway.

"Both a desktop and a laptop"
Thanks @Pokolasko - What I meant, was that if you buy the 16 inch, you get both a desktop and laptop in one. And I strongly vote for it, for those who upgrade to have one mac. In many countries you can´t trade in, what you buy you are stuck with. But no, I am not forcing 16 on everyone. I was just overwelmed that 16 felt like 17, and I fell in love with the size.

"Power, Speed, Gaming and GPU"
@hefeglass - Commenting you, I saw on youtube, Jerry Schulze testing 14" M1 MAX vs 16" M1 MAX, and because of the heaviness of processing he ended up buying a 14 inch with M1 Pro instead. He just did not need the screen; nor the high-end processors for video professionals.

To all:
For me, I agree with Jerry Schulze. As a Logic Pro user with many high-end audio sample libraries, I still only need the M1 Pro chip, from what I see. Although I prefer the 16 inch, it might be to costly to me. But I would always recommend the 16 over the 14 because the 16 is a revelation of a machine.

I still do not know if I as a Logic Pro user should upgrade from 8 to 10 cores on the M1 PRO chip.
 
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applemanit

macrumors regular
Apr 27, 2020
124
121
Italy
I can’t decide between the 16 and the 14 inch model. I have already decided for color, cpu, ram, storage but I cant decide the size. I would mostly use it for studying, writing, watching movies, do some amatorial editing or making music with logic. I know probably the best choice would be the macbook air but i don’t like the trackpad feedback, and the screen is a bit small for my tastes. I tried both MBA and 13 ich MBP and the screen resolution is too small.
I have always had 15 inches display. I do not travel a lot, just sometimes, I use my laptops especially at home.
What I found trying both models at apple store is that on the 14 inches MPB is more easy to type, you just need one touch on the trackpad to reach every angle of the screen whereas with the 16 inch u need al least two touches.
 

Buck987

macrumors 65816
Jan 16, 2010
1,268
2,106
I can’t decide between the 16 and the 14 inch model. I have already decided for color, cpu, ram, storage but I cant decide the size. I would mostly use it for studying, writing, watching movies, do some amatorial editing or making music with logic. I know probably the best choice would be the macbook air but i don’t like the trackpad feedback, and the screen is a bit small for my tastes. I tried both MBA and 13 ich MBP and the screen resolution is too small.
I have always had 15 inches display. I do not travel a lot, just sometimes, I use my laptops especially at home.
What I found trying both models at apple store is that on the 14 inches MPB is more easy to type, you just need one touch on the trackpad to reach every angle of the screen whereas with the 16 inch u need al least two touches.
you can't decide but everything you wrote points to the 14"....
 
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RickTaylor

macrumors 6502a
Nov 9, 2013
816
332
I can’t decide between the 16 and the 14 inch model. I have already decided for color, cpu, ram, storage but I cant decide the size. I would mostly use it for studying, writing, watching movies, do some amatorial editing or making music with logic. I know probably the best choice would be the macbook air but i don’t like the trackpad feedback, and the screen is a bit small for my tastes. I tried both MBA and 13 ich MBP and the screen resolution is too small.
I have always had 15 inches display. I do not travel a lot, just sometimes, I use my laptops especially at home.
What I found trying both models at apple store is that on the 14 inches MPB is more easy to type, you just need one touch on the trackpad to reach every angle of the screen whereas with the 16 inch u need al least two touches.
If the 13” is too small, I’d lean towards the 16”. The 14” is only an inch bigger.
 
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RickTaylor

macrumors 6502a
Nov 9, 2013
816
332
I can’t decide between the 16 and the 14 inch model. I have already decided for color, cpu, ram, storage but I cant decide the size. I would mostly use it for studying, writing, watching movies, do some amatorial editing or making music with logic. I know probably the best choice would be the macbook air but i don’t like the trackpad feedback, and the screen is a bit small for my tastes. I tried both MBA and 13 ich MBP and the screen resolution is too small.
I have always had 15 inches display. I do not travel a lot, just sometimes, I use my laptops especially at home.
What I found trying both models at apple store is that on the 14 inches MPB is more easy to type, you just need one touch on the trackpad to reach every angle of the screen whereas with the 16 inch u need al least two touches.

If you live in an area where you get a holiday return period, maybe try the 14 inch model for a few weeks and see if it seems big enough?
 

mrLucas

Suspended
Jul 30, 2021
197
80
Not sure you’re in a position to judge what I “need” for a computer. Newsflash - lots of people buy a powerful laptop as their primary computer, even if they don’t need a portable device.
why thou? that seems like a really bad idea
 

arvinsim

macrumors 6502a
May 17, 2018
823
1,143
Aside from the size, I think a lot of people are 2 minds about the 14" and 16" because of the battery life. There are lot of conflicting reports and many configurations that we can't seem to find a definitive conclusion about battery life comparisons
 

Nikhil72

macrumors 68000
Oct 21, 2005
1,620
1,463
Aside from the size, I think a lot of people are 2 minds about the 14" and 16" because of the battery life. There are lot of conflicting reports and many configurations that we can't seem to find a definitive conclusion about battery life comparisons

I have an M1 Pro in each size and battery life is not that different between the two with similar use cases. Maybe 2 hours more on the 16” but both are excellent. M1 Max on the other hand likely benefits from the bigger battery with all else holding equal (bigger battery but bigger screen to drive)
 

bradl

macrumors 603
Jun 16, 2008
5,952
17,447
why thou? that seems like a really bad idea

It gives them the option of portability, plus doesn't tie them to a physical seat in the room where that desktop may reside.

Good example: For the better part of 25 years, my primary computer (browsing, music, news, communications, etc.) has been a Linux box that I built from scratch. Motherboard, memory, CPU, PSU, case, the entire lot. Build it, install my distribution of choice, and off I go. For any gaming (and I really wouldn't call it that; I flightsim), I use a PC that I build from scratch.

Well, you can see where heat can build up, and that tying me to the seat in front of the monitors I use for the entire time I'm using them. Fast forward those 25 years, and we have our first child. Well, sitting in front of a Linux box, compiling everything, including the kernel, all security updates, etc., gets really time consuming, especially when all I want to do is play with my child and be a father. So all the tarballs I've had containing the source code for everything I compiled get archived (in that process I find all of my personal files use 120GB, and that's out of a 12TB Linux box I had), Keep the PC, and drop to a 256GB 13" MBA for my primary desktop.

That gets me a Unix OS (like I had in Linux), a GUI, all my personal files, and gains me portability. I could web surf sync my phone, and work on any paperwork I have for my business, all from my child's room while rocking them to sleep.

So no, not a bad idea, when you gain the portability as well as have it for your main computer.

BL.
 
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Jl006p

macrumors regular
Dec 15, 2019
122
148
I can’t decide between the 16 and the 14 inch model. I have already decided for color, cpu, ram, storage but I cant decide the size. I would mostly use it for studying, writing, watching movies, do some amatorial editing or making music with logic. I know probably the best choice would be the macbook air but i don’t like the trackpad feedback, and the screen is a bit small for my tastes. I tried both MBA and 13 ich MBP and the screen resolution is too small.
I have always had 15 inches display. I do not travel a lot, just sometimes, I use my laptops especially at home.
What I found trying both models at apple store is that on the 14 inches MPB is more easy to type, you just need one touch on the trackpad to reach every angle of the screen whereas with the 16 inch u need al least two touches.
Let's hear it. What configuration have you decided? From there it'll be easier to give you a recco
 

Realityck

macrumors G4
Nov 9, 2015
11,430
17,220
Silicon Valley, CA
I have an M1 Pro in each size and battery life is not that different between the two with similar use cases. Maybe 2 hours more on the 16” but both are excellent. M1 Max on the other hand likely benefits from the bigger battery with all else holding equal (bigger battery but bigger screen to drive)
Concerning your last comment
The HDR display activity will diffidently drain the battery faster. 14" has a 69.9 Wh battery, 16" has a 99.6 Wh battery.

Per notebookcheck.net
Apple M1 Pro 8/14 entry level
  • Playback of an HDR video at max. brightness in full-screen mode only runs for about 4 hours.
  • 15 hours video playback (SDR at 150 nits)
  • Our Wi-Fi test (Safari, windowed, 150 nits) runs for 13.5 hours, but it is only 6.5 hours with the maximum brightness of 500 nits.
16" M1 Pro and Max (separate reviews)
  • HDR video at the maximum brightness ran for about 4.5 hours on our test unit of the MBP 16 with the M1 Max SoC, Pro results missing.
  • 17 hours video playback (SDR at 150 nits) M1 Max, Pro run 17.5 hours.
  • Our Wi-Fi test at an adjusted brightness of 150 nits runs for almost 15 hours and is still around 7 hours at the maximum SDR brightness M1 Max, Pro ran 17 hours, and 8 hours at the maximum SDR brightness.
 
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mrLucas

Suspended
Jul 30, 2021
197
80
It gives them the option of portability, plus doesn't tie them to a physical seat in the room where that desktop may reside.

Good example: For the better part of 25 years, my primary computer (browsing, music, news, communications, etc.) has been a Linux box that I built from scratch. Motherboard, memory, CPU, PSU, case, the entire lot. Build it, install my distribution of choice, and off I go. For any gaming (and I really wouldn't call it that; I flightsim), I use a PC that I build from scratch.

Well, you can see where heat can build up, and that tying me to the seat in front of the monitors I use for the entire time I'm using them. Fast forward those 25 years, and we have our first child. Well, sitting in front of a Linux box, compiling everything, including the kernel, all security updates, etc., gets really time consuming, especially when all I want to do is play with my child and be a father. So all the tarballs I've had containing the source code for everything I compiled get archived (in that process I find all of my personal files use 120GB, and that's out of a 12TB Linux box I had), Keep the PC, and drop to a 256GB 13" MBA for my primary desktop.

That gets me a Unix OS (like I had in Linux), a GUI, all my personal files, and gains me portability. I could web surf sync my phone, and work on any paperwork I have for my business, all from my child's room while rocking them to sleep.

So no, not a bad idea, when you gain the portability as well as have it for your main computer.

BL.
I like your story.

In a very simmilar way, albeit different, I got to my iPad. Its nice when things “just work”
 

nquinn

macrumors 6502a
Jun 25, 2020
829
621
After much torment I decided to go with the 16" because I love the screen. Oddly talking to my mom helped make this decision:

She asked if I actually would ever want to travel long term with a $2500+ laptop like the 14", and I was like no, if I was doing that I'd just get a cheaper M1 Air or ipad+keyboard, and then it all made a lot of sense. Theft is just way too high when traveling and I wouldn't want that expensive of a laptop with me for most of my use cases. Will keep the 16" around home as my "house laptop" and for occasionaly coffee shops, and maybe later pickup a cheap/used air model for travel or ipad.

I also still feel I WAY overbought (16"/24 core MAX/32gb/1tb). At a minimum should have dropped to the Pro, but it was only $200 difference. 32gb vs 16gb I think is still debatable.
 
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Pokolasko

macrumors member
Nov 9, 2021
77
36
After a long decision, I was set to 14 ". He even showed up at the local store in exactly the configuration I wanted. I had it reserved and I was able to pick it up today.

But I couldn't resist and went to the store after a week to look at 16 and 14 ". I can't help but 16" is just amazing. 16 "is like an old love that you know is not the right. 14" is like replacing a lost love, even though it suits your needs in many ways.

As I wrote before. 14 "is a practical choice. 16" is the thing I want.

I canceled the reservation for 14 ".
 

hefeglass

macrumors 6502a
Apr 21, 2009
760
423
I am back on a 14in (this time 32 core m1 max 32gb ram)..after spending 15 days on the 16" m1 pro. This machine definitely stays warm when in use, even just watching youtube, its slightly warm to the touch. Obviously there is a different going from the m1 pro in a 16in chassis to the m1 max in a 14in chassis...but I really find it so much easier to get around and even use the 14in over the 16in. I will miss the better speakers and larger screen and great battery life, but I need portability.
even while im typing this I am still not fully decided. I miss the 16 already..but I missed the 14 when I had the 16. I dont think ill be completely happy with either machine..
 

nashstruck

macrumors newbie
Jun 25, 2011
22
4
I have an M1 Pro in each size and battery life is not that different between the two with similar use cases. Maybe 2 hours more on the 16” but both are excellent. M1 Max on the other hand likely benefits from the bigger battery with all else holding equal (bigger battery but bigger screen to drive)
What configurations did you get?
 

KarmaRocket

macrumors 6502
Jan 4, 2009
292
244
Brooklyn, NY
I was going back and forth and just decided to go with the 16" M1 Max 64GB 2TB model. I know I probably won't need the RAM, but I've always maxed out RAM with my MacBook Pro purchases. It just makes me feel uneasy going with 32GB. Force of habit and the price wasn't too bad with trading in my 2018 MacBook Pro and an employee discount.

I think my future needs will change if Apple ever comes out with a Mac Mini Pro. I'll just hook it up to a monitor at home, and if I need the power, I can easily carry it with me. The rumors of what the Mac Mini may become are interesting. Especially the dual M1 Max.

For portability I would then pick up a M2 MacBook Air. But I would really prefer it had LTE/5G.

I really wanted to wait for the release of the Mac Mini and M2 MacBook Air. But the trade in value of my 2018 MacBook Pro keeps dropping and I have a limited window with the employee discount.
 
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nquinn

macrumors 6502a
Jun 25, 2020
829
621
I was going back and forth and just decided to go with the 16" M1 Max 64GB 2TB model. I know I probably won't need the RAM, but I've always maxed out RAM with my MacBook Pro purchases. It just makes me feel uneasy going with 32GB. Force of habit and the price wasn't too bad with trading in my 2018 MacBook Pro and an employee discount.

I think my future needs will change if Apple ever comes out with a Mac Mini Pro. I'll just hook it up to a monitor at home, and if I need the power, I can easily carry it with me. The rumors of what the Mac Mini may become are interesting. Especially the dual M1 Max.

For portability I would then pick up a M2 MacBook Air. But I would really prefer it had LTE/5G.

I really wanted to wait for the release of the Mac Mini and M2 MacBook Air. But the trade in value if my 2018 MacBook Pro keeps dropping and I have a limited window with the employee discount.
Ya I think my long-term portable plan will be to get the M3 Macbook Air when it comes out. The A14 -> A15 upgrade was just too small for this to be a good upgrade most likely.

Hoping for something like a 2023 A16 based Air with cell capability.
 

Nikhil72

macrumors 68000
Oct 21, 2005
1,620
1,463
What configurations did you get?
Both are M1 Pro. The 14” is 32gb ram and 2tb ssd and then 16 is 16gb/1tb


Finally decided to keep the 14”; with the M1 Pro I’m getting over 10 hours battery with moderate use which is solid and the size is great for city living and moving. The 16” is mesmerizing but gets unwieldy if I’m on my feet a ton (I’ve walked over 10 miles on a single day at times)
 
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Jl006p

macrumors regular
Dec 15, 2019
122
148
I was going back and forth and just decided to go with the 16" M1 Max 64GB 2TB model. I know I probably won't need the RAM, but I've always maxed out RAM with my MacBook Pro purchases. It just makes me feel uneasy going with 32GB. Force of habit and the price wasn't too bad with trading in my 2018 MacBook Pro and an employee discount.

I think my future needs will change if Apple ever comes out with a Mac Mini Pro. I'll just hook it up to a monitor at home, and if I need the power, I can easily carry it with me. The rumors of what the Mac Mini may become are interesting. Especially the dual M1 Max.

For portability I would then pick up a M2 MacBook Air. But I would really prefer it had LTE/5G.

I really wanted to wait for the release of the Mac Mini and M2 MacBook Air. But the trade in value of my 2018 MacBook Pro keeps dropping and I have a limited window with the employee discount.
I always wondered why they offer 5G on iPad but not MacBook?

I originally used my EPP+ 2 years ago with the 16" MBP. Now that it reset I know what you mean about the window.

I feel like I could survive another year with my 2019 16" but with the trade in value ($1420) plus the discount and the extra $500 I'm basically getting a free upgrade.

But I feel like maybe I should wait to see what apple does with the 27" iMac...
 
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KarmaRocket

macrumors 6502
Jan 4, 2009
292
244
Brooklyn, NY
I always wondered why they offer 5G on iPad but not MacBook?

I originally used my EPP+ 2 years ago with the 16" MBP. Now that it reset I know what you mean about the window.

I feel like I could survive another year with my 2019 16" but with the trade in value ($1420) plus the discount and the extra $500 I'm basically getting a free upgrade.

But I feel like maybe I should wait to see what apple does with the 27" iMac...
5G on the MacBook would be a killer feature. I guess they are waiting until they come out with their own LTE/5G cellular chip so they don't rely on Qualcomm anymore.

My work gives us some money back (up to $500) when we purchase personal computers, but that program is ending this year since they are giving all employees Surface laptops and MacBook Pros.

27" iMac should be interesting as well, but I want something without a monitor and takes up little space on my desk.
 

kallyq

macrumors 6502
Apr 12, 2010
273
79
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.
 

dtakias

macrumors member
Jun 3, 2008
88
61
UK
I've been trying to use the 16" as a desktop replacement and i am having lots of fun with it especially consuming media content.

The problem is that once you get used to the 16" immersive screen anything smaller feels too small and limited.

The 16" is like that curvy girlfriend that may be uncomfortable to carry around but once you engage with her, it's the best thing you've ever had.
 
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