Can't Decide Between 14" and 16"

[hamiltonDSi]

After 10 years of owning 15" MacBook Pro's as my main work computers I switched to the 14" for a breath of fresh air, something different. This decision was easier to make this year since my 14" has the same specs as a larger 16".

At first, the 14" seemed indeed a little small compared to my 15" TouchBar and 15" Retina Unibody however I adjusted just fine to the new size and I still have my old 15" at my desk if I miss the larger screen.

I do work from home but I travel once a month or every 2 months with my computer and I already took my new laptop on a trip - the smaller size is indeed nicer for backpacks.

I will keep the 14".

 

[darngooddesign]

Congratulations! Which spec you got?
Yeah 16 looks chunky but it is kind of airy - it looks bigger than it weighs and feels.

I got the base 16. I've been using a 13" MBP for the past seven years and honestly the 16 feels about the same; it really doesn't look any chunkier to me because the previous tapered/curved design, which everyone thinks is slimming, makes it look fatter to me than the current flat top. The new design and slightly larger size only have positives for me.

 

[Macrumorsss]

I went from the 13" MBP to the 14" MBP and I immediately saw the differences. It felt like a new computer. The display is amazing and the retina 2x scaling makes the difference even bigger, so I do not understand how you could not see the difference. With this kind of thinking, if you had a 16" MBP before and got a new M1 16" laptop, you wouldn't see any difference..
Anyway, I understand the benefits of the bigger laptop and I think it all depends on usage scenario. People that have bigger displays to work with are better off with a 14" MBP. People that don't have bigger display should really be getting the 16" model.

Think about it this way. If you buy a Honda CRV you will see the difference between it and a BMW X3. However, at the end of the day are you able to fit more people in what a Midsize is? It will get you to the same place at the same time except the carriage is different and flashier and has a lot more bells and whistles. If that is the type of change you are looking for then by all means you would see the change, for me the change was just not there and I needed something bigger I needed the BMW X5 to feel the difference and it loads up a lot more people it is just an obvious difference. Enjoy your 14 inch.

 

[madat42]

I went from the 13" MBP to the 14" MBP and I immediately saw the differences. It felt like a new computer. The display is amazing and the retina 2x scaling makes the difference even bigger, so I do not understand how you could not see the difference. With this kind of thinking, if you had a 16" MBP before and got a new M1 16" laptop, you wouldn't see any difference..

Well yes on first glance it felt like a new computer and its XDR display is quite amazing, but after several visits and playing around with the 14" at the store, it still kind of felt like using my trusty 13" MBP. And with the demo 13" sitting right next to the 14" it just convinced me that the 16" would actually feel like a true upgrade. Just my opinion, to each their own.

And just knowing this of myself - if I already had the previous 16" version, I most likely would have not gotten the new 16".

 

[nquinn]

Well yes on first glance it felt like a new computer and its XDR display is quite amazing, but after several visits and playing around with the 14" at the store, it still kind of felt like using my trusty 13" MBP. And with the demo 13" sitting right next to the 14" it just convinced me that the 16" would actually feel like a true upgrade. Just my opinion, to each their own.

And just knowing this of myself - if I already had the previous 16" version, I most likely would have not gotten the new 16".

Yup, a 13" air and 14" pro in store side-by-side just looked insanely similar to me. Even the promotion screen on the 14" I didn't find that much different.

 

[arvinsim]

And just knowing this of myself - if I already had the previous 16" version, I most likely would have not gotten the new 16".

I had the previous 16" and I went 14"

 

[MisterSavage]

After having some time to try it out I am thrilled with my 14" M1 Pro. Damn this screen and speaker combo is awesome. When it's connected to my monitor the size doesn't matter at all. It's a little tight when I've got two windows open in Xcode, but nothing I can't live with. I watched the MaxTech video that mentioned the thermals of the 14" but so far it's been a non-issue with my workload. If the fans have spun up I haven't heard them.

 

[norwaypianoman]

I might have 5 use cases. Which Macbook do I need ?

Heavy orchestrator: I will use orchestral samples, maybe from two different producers: Spitfire Audio and East West Soundsonline, 100-130 tracks.

Heavy live digital orchestra: I would also love to play complicated strings live, with Mainstage.

Professional Music Producer: And if I get a small project to compose for film/tv - I hope to do that too.

Part time Music Video Editor: And also, I might edit some 4K video maybe every second month, for my own music videos.

Professional Streamer: Digital Concerts. Being able to hold instrumental concert, or synth + 1 vocal concert with one computer (or maybe an extra mac)

 

[chrismu]

I still love my 14 inch, as explained here a few pages ago. It just feels right, and sometimes, I feel like that is just how you have to decide. It is such a great computer, I love the design, performance, display, keyboard, pretty much everything about it. The thing is though, I think I would've said the same about the 16 inch if I'd kept that. The reason why this decision is so hard for some of us is that both of them have balanced advantages and disadvantages and are great options, which makes it hard to choose.

 

[geta]

I might have 5 use cases. Which Macbook do I need ?

Heavy orchestrator: I will use orchestral samples, maybe from two different producers: Spitfire Audio and East West Soundsonline, 100-130 tracks.

Heavy live digital orchestra: I would also love to play complicated strings live, with Mainstage.

Professional Music Producer: And if I get a small project to compose for film/tv - I hope to do that too.

Part time Music Video Editor: And also, I might edit some 4K video maybe every second month, for my own music videos.

Professional Streamer: Digital Concerts. Being able to hold instrumental concert, or synth + 1 vocal concert with one computer (or maybe an extra mac)

M1 Max with 24 GPU, 64GB ram and 2TB or 4TB SSD.
As for the size, if you planning to connect it to external monitor, i would go with the 14” for extra portability.

 

[Toonartist]

I had the 15" dual graphics card Macbook pro some time back. I liked the computer but it did take up a bit of space when traveling. I then moved to a 13" Macbook pro and loved the size... I just wanted the power of the 15".

I have the 14" 10/16/16 16gb 1TB version at the moment... although I have a Max 32gb 14" on order as well. Probably go with that but, the 10/16/16 16gb is incredibly fast so we'll see.

I love the 14" size for it's portability and that when I'm sat on the sofa it doesn't block either my or my better half's view to the TV. I use it shut with a Cintiq 27" and Eizo 27" monitor and it performs amazingly well. Don't really want anything bigger really.

 

[bradl]

M1 Max with 24 GPU, 64GB ram and 2TB or 4TB SSD.
As for the size, if you planning to connect it to external monitor, i would go with the 14” for extra portability.

The heat and thermals will hurt here, especially for something that powerful... and that is a lot to sacrifice for portability. For something that much, it may be better to go 16".

BL.

 

[norwaypianoman]

The heat and thermals will hurt here, especially for something that powerful... and that is a lot to sacrifice for portability. For something that much, it may be better to go 16".

BL.

The price difference is so small, that when I pay in 12 parts, it makes no sense to have the 14 inch.

Also, my own experience with having a 13 inch on stage, next to a grand piano - was horrible. I will never make use of a screen that small on stage. So for me it is 16 inch.

 

[bradl]

The price difference is so small, that when I pay in 12 parts, it makes no sense to have the 14 inch.

Also, my own experience with having a 13 inch on stage, next to a grand piano - was horrible. I will never make use of a screen that small on stage. So for me it is 16 inch.

Exactly. For what I'm looking at, it's only a $200 difference between the models, so I'm only looking at one last thing before making my decision.

BL.

 

[Toonartist]

I think it is obvious at this point, that there is no right or wrong size, it comes down to individual needs and preferences... which is why it's so good that Apple have made it possible to have the same power specs in either the 14 or 16" models.

Lets face it, when buying the 14", more often than not it isn't a decision based on saving £££s. It's only £200 more for a 16" for the same spec, which is nothing in the greater scheme of things. No, it's about what you like and how you use it. Which is why the only person who can help you decide which to go for is yourself!

For me, you could make the 16" £200 cheaper and I'd still go for the 14"... it fits in with the way I work and travel etc.

 

[geta]

The heat and thermals will hurt here, especially for something that powerful... and that is a lot to sacrifice for portability. For something that much, it may be better to go 16".

BL.

The only reason for this configuration was the 64gb, the base M1 Pro will do the job for his needs, but with huge sample library, 32gb is on the border… as for the size, its personal preference.

 

[ctjack]

Lets face it, when buying the 14", more often than not it isn't a decision based on saving £££s. It's only £200 more for a 16" for the same spec, which is nothing in the greater scheme of things.

In my opinion $500 difference between the base 14 and 16 is a great selling point of base 14. You get the same 16/512 with 16 either, it is the savings of $500 that make the base incredible - some fill fall on it because they would rather save $500, some would pick it because it is not any worse than 16 for $500 less, others don't have that $500 to put down at all, one could also spend that money on 1tb+32GB of RAM and be $100 more than base 16.

Money here is a big differentiator, otherwise Apple would offer it with 10/16 and price it $200 less than base 16, making it effectively "no big deal".

 

[Fomalhaut]

The heat and thermals will hurt here, especially for something that powerful... and that is a lot to sacrifice for portability. For something that much, it may be better to go 16".

BL.

I have a MBP14 with 24-core M1 Max, and haven't found the heat to an issue at all, even when pushed hard. I did have an Intel i9 MBP16 before, so I know what heat and fan noise is all about!

I don't know how hard @norwaypianoman 's apps will push the M1 Max, but one issue might be fan noise if he needs to use it in a studio environment. The only time I even notice the fans on mine are during heavy video editing jobs (rendering/exporting/ dealing with highly compressed codecs). They need to get to over 2800rpm to be audible in most office environments, but in a quiet studio this might be a problem.

 

[Eugr]

I’ve been using my 14-inch Max for almost two months now, and I’d say I’m very happy I went with this size. Despite coming from 16-inch Intel one, I didn’t really miss the larger screen as I mostly use it docked anyway. However I really appreciate the size when moving around the house and when traveling. And it is actually usable when flying Economy!

 

[Toonartist]

I have a MBP14 with 24-core M1 Max, and haven't found the heat to an issue at all, even when pushed hard. I did have an Intel i9 MBP16 before, so I know what heat and fan noise is all about!

I don't know how hard @norwaypianoman 's apps will push the M1 Max, but one issue might be fan noise if he needs to use it in a studio environment. The only time I even notice the fans on mine are during heavy video editing jobs (rendering/exporting/ dealing with highly compressed codecs). They need to get to over 2800rpm to be audible in most office environments, but in a quiet studio this might be a problem.

When my max 10/24/16 32GB turns up I'll be testing it compared to the 10/16/16 16gb and fan noise and heat will be one of the things I'll be looking out for.

So far under normal use, a bit of Motion 5 & FCPx with Capture 1 Pro and Photoshop use and I'm yet to see the fans come on with this model. In fact, it rarely even gets that warm on it's base. This is one of my favourite features coming from a Mac mini 2018 i7 and a Macbook pro 13" i7.

If the 10/24/16 32gb did become noisy I'd stick with the one I have. It does most things really well... only want the extra headroom for motion 5 graphics production... the dual encoder etc. But as I've seen very little swap usage so far so I could get by without it. We'll see. I'd prefer a little more breathing space but not at the expense of the silence ?

 

[Mitchdoc]

Kept my 16 inch. Love it! But sometimes have doubts and winner if the 14 inch would have made more sense.
But I don't use it sucked and every time I open the the 16 that screen remind me why I chose it.
The 14 is sexier because it is smaller. But if you aren't docking or traveling with it daily I think you are missing out on the experience of that screen and speakers.

 

[MisterSavage]

I have a MBP14 with 24-core M1 Max, and haven't found the heat to an issue at all, even when pushed hard. I did have an Intel i9 MBP16 before, so I know what heat and fan noise is all about!

Same. I was SO tired of hearing fan noise on my Intel machine. So far my 14" has been quiet with my workload.

 

[nquinn]

Same. I was SO tired of hearing fan noise on my Intel machine. So far my 14" has been quiet with my workload.

Seriously - while the performance of the new MBPs is amazing, for me the silence/coolness is why I love them the most.

Will be really awesome to see what they can do with 4nm, 3nm, and below.

 

[Toonartist]

Same. I was SO tired of hearing fan noise on my Intel machine. So far my 14" has been quiet with my workload.

Yeah... I had been using the 14" for a while and was amazed that even after working on some larger 2gb PS files and C1 Pro, the base was still fairly cool to touch... no fans have come on over the 10days I've had it. I booted up my 13" i7 Macbook to make sure I'd shifted evetrything over and just the act of turning it on had the fans goint full tilt and the base getting quite warm. The Apple Silicon is a radically different approach and for me, that is one of it's biggest selling points. No more looks from the better half at night when I'm trying to do some extra work... with the Macbook sounding like a 747 about to taking off!

 

[bradl]

Now comes the hard part.. waiting for benchmarks on M2, or pull the trigger on a Silicon Mac now... Seeing that there may be some possible benchmarks on it, and that we are now 4 months into the cycle, would it be better off to wait another 8 months for the next iteration?

BL.