I have a 14" M1 Pro as my personal machine and a 16" Intel I9 was my work machine. The biggest reason I have the 16" for work is the screen. When I am away from a docking station for hours at a time I need the larger screen for my older eyes. The only reason that I have not upgraded to a 16" for my personal system is that I don't need my personal system away from my desk that often.
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Can't Decide Between 14" and 16"
- Thread starter StoneCold X
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I have a 14" M1 Pro as my personal machine and a 16" Intel I9 was my work machine. The biggest reason I have the 16" for work is the screen. When I am away from a docking station for hours at a time I need the larger screen for my older eyes. The only reason that I have not upgraded to a 16" for my personal system is that I don't need my personal system away from my desk that often.
I think you need to put that in perspective. The battery on the 14" is not as good as the 16" but it still has plenty of battery life. 18 hours versus 22 hours is a difference but either will give you all day power.
I've been deciding between the 14" and 16" because my use cases are mixed (both mobile audio/video production and more routine tasks.)
Would a 14" with an external monitor like the UPERFECT UGame J5 or Espresso 17 Pro be a solid "best of both worlds" setup?
I went with the 16" for two important reasons. 1) Unless you get the Apple Studio Display $1600.00 any external monitor is not going to look as nice as your Macbook display. I was not ready to spend that amount of money right now after dropping $3500.00 on the Base 16" inch M3 Max. The other reason was Heat. Bigger case and Bigger fans means better cooling. So It should work for me until someday when I want to splurge on a Studio Display. My Macbook stays at home 85% of the time on my desk so that works good for me.
In my case, I have an M2 Pro Mac mini as my desktop, so the MBP would be only for mobile use.
Well in your case 14" for portability sounds good just be aware that the M3 Max in the 14" inch is a real heater and you don't have take my word for it. Plenty of people posting about this. I was originally going to get the 14" inch M3 Pro myself with 36gb ram and 2 tb ssd. But I cancelled my order the next day and went with the 16 inch M3 Max base because I wanted a middle ground between the Pro and Full Max.
The heat issue in the 14" has actually been a consistent issue since the M1. You'll see that throughout this thread, and was the issue I went with the 16" M1 Pro over anything in the 14". Ever since turning this beast on it hasn't been hot, nor have I even heard the fans really come on; however as this is my daily driver, I also specced this out for longevity; for me at the time, anything would have been an improvement as I was coming from the mid-2011 13" MBA, and if that little guy lasted me 11 years, I am expecting my M1 Pro to last me just as long.
Something else to consider: If he has the M2 Mac Mini there wouldn't be much difference in performance, so I wonder if getting the 14" M2 from the refurb site would be a better option, at least price wise.
BL.
The "heat" issue on the 14" is only on the Max processors. I have yet to hear the fans on my M1 Pro (the one with the upgrade 2 extra performance cores) and I pretty much run all the time Windows (Parallels) + Sonoma back 2 back.
It's simple, you want portability, you go 14. I had the 11 Air, 13 Pro etc, 14 is by far my favorite of all time due to the 16:10 aspect ratio. Feels like a "smaller 15 inch laptop" than a bigger 13.3" if that makes sense.
If you do video/photo a lot, go 16". Keep in mind it's a huge difference, I can see it my backpacks. A 16 would certainly not fit in there, especially if you carry other things as well.
Also, 14" is much stealthier/not attracting attention in coffee shops/libraries etc. At home I connect it to a display.
The only advantage of the 16 would be the much bigger battery in the Pro only version and maybe gaming/better cooling, but I suspect not as much of a difference like in the Intel days.
It's simple, you want portability, you go 14. I had the 11 Air, 13 Pro etc, 14 is by far my favorite of all time due to the 16:10 aspect ratio. Feels like a "smaller 15 inch laptop" than a bigger 13.3" if that makes sense.
If you do video/photo a lot, go 16". Keep in mind it's a huge difference, I can see it my backpacks. A 16 would certainly not fit in there, especially if you carry other things as well.
Also, 14" is much stealthier/not attracting attention in coffee shops/libraries etc. At home I connect it to a display.
The only advantage of the 16 would be the much bigger battery in the Pro only version and maybe gaming/better cooling, but I suspect not as much of a difference like in the Intel days.
Would the M3 Max 14" be uncomfortably hot under load? I've seen some YouTube videos where they show the 14" Max getting much warmer (50C) under load like Andrew Marc David's video.
(Most of my work will be audio and IT related.)
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I don't know if this is forbidden because of self-promotion, I read the forum rules but am not quite sure if this falls under it, since I have already contributed to this thread a bunch of times in the past. If it is against the rules, please delete this post, but I've recently produced a YouTube video on why I decided to sell my 16" MacBook Pro after a year of use and switched to a 14". I think this could be helpful to some people still on the fence, so here it is, hope it helps any of you that are undecided:
I bought the 14" M1 MacBook Pro when it came out, and have been happy with it. At the time, I had a gut reaction that the 16" was too big and bulky for me, and the 14" was perfect.
Over time, I was a little disappointed in the battery life of the 14". While it was fine on its own, when I used it connected to my iPad over Zoom for teaching it lasted just over an hour.
I decided to give the 16" a try, being a refurbished M1 unit. It's been a week and a half, an I find I really like it. The size doesn't bother me after all, I like the large screen, and I appreciate being able to take it to work, and not having to worry about plugging it in, or it dying on me if I don't. The return period is nearly up, but I think I'll continue to use it.
Over time, I was a little disappointed in the battery life of the 14". While it was fine on its own, when I used it connected to my iPad over Zoom for teaching it lasted just over an hour.
I decided to give the 16" a try, being a refurbished M1 unit. It's been a week and a half, an I find I really like it. The size doesn't bother me after all, I like the large screen, and I appreciate being able to take it to work, and not having to worry about plugging it in, or it dying on me if I don't. The return period is nearly up, but I think I'll continue to use it.
I have the 14" m3 max and no issues with heat. when I'm on the coach etc it's nice and cool. When docked at my desk is where I do all of my heavy work and the fans are not too loud and I don't really notice as I have light music playing.
I recently bought a 14" M3 Max (the 14/30-core version) which replaces my 14" M1 Pro 10/16-core. It's my only Mac (though I do have a mini in the basement running as a HomeBridge server which doesn't count) so I wanted to balance the performance, portability, heat and battery life. Most of the time, my MBP will sit on my desk docked to my three external monitors, external SSD, ethernet, keyboard & mouse, so performance is important. But when I take it with me, I definitely prefer portability, so I ruled out the 16" model. But I needed to stick with the Max version of the M3 (versus the M3 Pro) as I want to connect more than two external displays.
To balance heat, battery and performance, I went with the 14-core M3 Max over the 16-core M3 Max. The small performance difference wasn't important for my workflow and should help cut down on heat & fan noise, plus won't be has harsh on the battery as the full 16/40-core model would be. I know it won't be as good as the M3 Pro insofar as battery life, but since I ruled out the M3 Pro anyway, the 14/30-core version was the best option for me, I think.
I've yet to really hear any fan noise sitting at my desk -- essentially as silent as my 14" M1 Pro was. And just to keep things a little cooler, I've got TG Pro running to give a little extra fan boost. CPU & GPU temps are under 50°C when just doing office-type stuff with 10-25% on the fans, which is still basically inaudible. That's about 5-8°C cooler than normal. And when I take it with me, I'll likely return the fans to default system control so battery life doesn't suffer with extra fan current.
To balance heat, battery and performance, I went with the 14-core M3 Max over the 16-core M3 Max. The small performance difference wasn't important for my workflow and should help cut down on heat & fan noise, plus won't be has harsh on the battery as the full 16/40-core model would be. I know it won't be as good as the M3 Pro insofar as battery life, but since I ruled out the M3 Pro anyway, the 14/30-core version was the best option for me, I think.
I've yet to really hear any fan noise sitting at my desk -- essentially as silent as my 14" M1 Pro was. And just to keep things a little cooler, I've got TG Pro running to give a little extra fan boost. CPU & GPU temps are under 50°C when just doing office-type stuff with 10-25% on the fans, which is still basically inaudible. That's about 5-8°C cooler than normal. And when I take it with me, I'll likely return the fans to default system control so battery life doesn't suffer with extra fan current.
The 16” screen is so big and beautiful and I’d love it to be my main machine, but I’ve tried it a few times and just found it pretty unwieldy on my lap on a couch or chair. I think the weight is not the issue so much as the bulk/footprint.
But more worrisome for me was the fact that the thick edge of the case tends to dig into your wrists when your palms are rested and if you’re doing a lot of word processing this gets uncomfortable quickly.
The 14” is a nearly perfect balance of size, power, and portability imho.
But more worrisome for me was the fact that the thick edge of the case tends to dig into your wrists when your palms are rested and if you’re doing a lot of word processing this gets uncomfortable quickly.
The 14” is a nearly perfect balance of size, power, and portability imho.
I was in the shop yesterday getting a family's 13" MBA M2 keycap fix. The tech was really cool about it.
Anyway, I've beeen meaning to get a new laptop and expected to pick up the 14 MBP pro.
I walk in, there's nothing on the table to tell me the size and so the one that draws me in was the 16".
The sales guy points over to the 14" ... I give it a quick look and my head immediately goes back to the 16".
But then I pick it up. It's too much and looks a bit ridiculous, the keyboard to machine size...
The 14" is built so (so!) nicely but it's just not enough screen space for comfort.
Then I see the 15" MBA M3 and it looks so good, apart from not being in Space Black.
Having read the comments here the last few pages, and the fact that this thread has been running for years.... gives me hope they'll make a MBP around the size of the 15" MBA. I want the extra ports, build quality, screen refresh, power ... and size that's just right.
The 14" looks too similar to the 13" MBA M2, and that was just too small for serious portable work.
It's the same complaints from everyone, 16 too big, 14 too small.... feel like theres an obvious solution there.
I'm not interested in how it compares with their past models, I'm talking about right now, between the options available, it's an uncomfortable compromise.
Anyway, I've beeen meaning to get a new laptop and expected to pick up the 14 MBP pro.
I walk in, there's nothing on the table to tell me the size and so the one that draws me in was the 16".
The sales guy points over to the 14" ... I give it a quick look and my head immediately goes back to the 16".
But then I pick it up. It's too much and looks a bit ridiculous, the keyboard to machine size...
The 14" is built so (so!) nicely but it's just not enough screen space for comfort.
Then I see the 15" MBA M3 and it looks so good, apart from not being in Space Black.
Having read the comments here the last few pages, and the fact that this thread has been running for years.... gives me hope they'll make a MBP around the size of the 15" MBA. I want the extra ports, build quality, screen refresh, power ... and size that's just right.
The 14" looks too similar to the 13" MBA M2, and that was just too small for serious portable work.
It's the same complaints from everyone, 16 too big, 14 too small.... feel like theres an obvious solution there.
I'm not interested in how it compares with their past models, I'm talking about right now, between the options available, it's an uncomfortable compromise.
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The current 16" MBP is roughly the same overall size as the older 15" models, primarily due to the shrinking of the bezels around the display.
As far as the 16" vs. 14" discussion goes, I've been running my 14" (M2 Max) through the wringer since I bought it in January of last year, and I haven't had any issues with battery life or heat. The warmest the machine has ever gotten was when I was using the Game Porting Toolkit to test Cyberpunk 2077 on the Mac, and even then it was just a slight warming around the 6, T and Y keys. For coding, video editing, etc. the machine really doesn't get warm enough to be concerned about. Battery life is noticeably shorter when either connecting to an external monitor or doing a lot of data transfers to/from an external drive when not on AC power, but that's been the case regardless of laptop manufacturer for years.
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If only Apple would put in the mini-LED ProMotion display on the 15" Air with an SD card slot & HDMI on the right side. Oh and hopefully Apple adds additional external monitor support. That would be very close to a perfect computer for the general populace.
This will never happen in Tim Cook’s Apple as it will cannibalise the sales of the Pro model
Our best chance is probably a new updated thinner and lighter Pro platform
In Best Buy this morning, I picked up the 15 inch MBA, the small MBP, and the 16 MBP. The 16 is definitely heftier feeling, but I don't know that it would stop me from buying it. The 15 MBA is lighter and obviously much cheaper. I'd be hard pressed to want to spend the extra cash to move up to a 16 MBP from the 15 MBA for just the screen size.
Edit: I did not compare screen quality. Just size and weight.
Edit: I did not compare screen quality. Just size and weight.
As I type this on my 16" MacBook Pro M1, there have been occasions where something smaller would be nice. I'm just not sure the 14" is really what I'm after in those situations. The displays on the MacBook Air don't bother me. But it seems like Apple could up its game on the MacBook Air line.
For me the driving factors to go from the 15 MBA -> 16 MBP would be in the quality of the screen (ProMotion, mini-LED, etc.), rather than the size. And the speakers / ports.