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nquinn

macrumors 6502a
Jun 25, 2020
829
621
I connect 16" under a big display but I find that I look at the 16" as main and dislike turning my head to look at monitors. My conclusion is that only a 24" is practical or any single screen while sing spaces since I get tired looking around to read off screens. I want to say that 16" is ideal for around the house use but a joke if you travel on airplanes and want to use it there.
I did use a 15" for 6 months travel 100% of the time. different hotel every 3 days and it was ok to use.

I want to say that ideally you need 2 laptops. 16" for home/office use and a 12" for on the go and airplanes. I tested both for travel over 3 years and the 12" was a must for on the go. 16 is nice to have at home. Big screens are not really all that practical for general use. too much looking around to find things on screen. My brain wants to look straight. 14" felt kinda small to me compared to the bigger one at the store.

What about 14" for travel and at home using it only in clamshell mode with a big monitor though? Then you don't have the "looking around" issue and just a nice big 30" or so screen in front of you. Avoid buying a second laptop, but of course adds a monitor ($500-$1200), keyboard with touchID ($150), and wireless mouse.
 

Realityck

macrumors G4
Nov 9, 2015
11,419
17,212
Silicon Valley, CA
I see most of the in store inventory in Silicon Valley has been reduced to mostly low end 14" and 16" models. Hope they get more in stock in the next week or so.
 
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Groovemaster17

macrumors member
Aug 7, 2012
73
51
I had a 16" on order, after the seeing the reviews and the bulk of the thing I think the extra thickness and heft is noticeable. I cancelled it and ordered a 14" 64GB 4TB -- now have to wait until early December for that, but I'll be happier with the 14" I think.
I did the same, but got lucky with an in stock model. Maxed out 14, but with 2TB
 

Shadow Puppets

macrumors regular
Nov 28, 2016
153
78
Bought a 14” yesterday in the Apple store… M1 Max, 32GPU, 32GB ram, 2TB hard drive.

Been downloading all of my apps over the last day, including the massive Logic instrument library. Messed with Final Cut and some test renders.

Battery life appears fantastic so far. I was working on it for 2 hours this morning and the battery life dropped 5%.

Screen size is perfect…much much better than the old 13”. The 16” is obviously better but I chose portability.

Haven’t heard any fan noise at all yet, but haven’t really done anything particularly intensive. My old 16” intel MBP would have been whirring away by now though.

Old mild complaint…and it’s more of an ergonomic thing… while the speakers sound amazing, with the smaller footprint of the 14” (coming from the old 16”), I find my hands slightly blocking them and blocking some of the sound while typing. Not a major issue, but just an observation.
 

bdawwg

macrumors member
Oct 23, 2021
39
47
I find my hands slightly blocking them and blocking some of the sound while typing. Not a major issue, but just an observation.

Are you a giant? I can't fathom how that is possible, haha.

I agree 14" is such a great size. I don't feel like I'm lacking real estate in my browsing/academic activities coming from a 15" and it won't be obnoxiously large when you're in a meeting/class/traveling etc. I didn't like my 15" in class because I felt like Wilson from Home Improvement.

Image and sound quality are a noticeable step up for me, I'm stoked.

Notch is underrated, imo.
 

flapflapflap

macrumors 6502a
Dec 13, 2013
768
439
Are you a giant? I can't fathom how that is possible, haha.

I agree 14" is such a great size. I don't feel like I'm lacking real estate in my browsing/academic activities coming from a 15" and it won't be obnoxiously large when you're in a meeting/class/traveling etc. I didn't like my 15" in class because I felt like Wilson from Home Improvement.

Image and sound quality are a noticeable step up for me, I'm stoked.

Notch is underrated, imo.
How's the battery life of the 14?
 

beach bum

macrumors demi-goddess
Oct 6, 2011
8,800
30,969
Philly
That's kind of my point. If you're not using clamshell mode, I think most people still end up doing a lot of their primary work on the laptop even if a large monitor is attached just because it's RIGHT in front of you.

So I'm mostly now researching how well clamshell mode works to try to justify downgrading to the 14" (but also having to spend $ on an extra keyboard and mouse)
I just setup my 16” to work in clamshell mode this morning with 2 24“ monitors. I works perfectly. The only thing that I haven’t been able to figure out is how to ‘sleep’ the MBP Pro. Until I can figure out how to get that to work—if it’s even possible, I just power off the monitors.
 

bdawwg

macrumors member
Oct 23, 2021
39
47
How's the battery life of the 14?
I can't give you a great answer on batter yet, I haven't done an objective test, but it seems better than what I was getting on my 2018 MBP. The higher battery life on the 16" was tempting, but I wasn't letting that have much weight in my decision- it's like, simply because there's a bigger number of hours on the 16 gives the illusion that the 14" is somehow inferior when it's actually quite good.

Biggest factor for me was portability, but some people can still do their style of portability with a 16". I simulated the 14" screen size on my 15" for a week or two to make sure it would be workable. With how close my face is to the screen, the smaller screen lets me see everything at once better than the bigger screen.
 

Shadow Puppets

macrumors regular
Nov 28, 2016
153
78
How's the battery life of the 14?
See my post above. It’s excellent. I was working solidly on it for 2 hours this morning and it dropped to 95%.

It has been on running all day downloading apps and content (my internet speeds aren’t great), and it’s currently sat at 23% battery. It’s been on for approximately 10 hours so far.
 
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flapflapflap

macrumors 6502a
Dec 13, 2013
768
439
See my post above. It’s excellent. I was working solidly on it for 2 hours this morning and it dropped to 95%.

It has been on running all day downloading apps and content (my internet speeds aren’t great), and it’s currently sat at 23% battery. It’s been on for approximately 10 hours so far.
Have you experienced the 16? The screen is very immersive and you really take full advantage of ProMotion and all this wonderful screen tech in the 16. Don't get me wrong, the 14's screen is wonderful but it feels wasteful to not go with the larger screen especially when the price difference is a few hundred.
 

DHagan4755

macrumors 68020
Jul 18, 2002
2,266
6,148
Massachusetts
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
^ That’s what she said ?

I know that joke is getting old. But the real joke is you’re saying you can’t hold the 16” in one hand? You can’t hold 4.7 pounds on one hand? Seriously you need to get to the gym. ?
 

DHagan4755

macrumors 68020
Jul 18, 2002
2,266
6,148
Massachusetts
Have you experienced the 16? The screen is very immersive and you really take full advantage of ProMotion and all this wonderful screen tech in the 16. Don't get me wrong, the 14's screen is wonderful but it feels wasteful to not go with the larger screen especially when the price difference is a few hundred.
That’s exactly what I was thinking. I have a large screen bias coming from a 2019 16” & having used a 17” MacBook Pro for years & a 17” PowerBook for years back in the mid 2000s. I really like both 14” & 16”. Honestly thought about keeping both but the 16” is awesome!
 
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marinersaptcomplex

macrumors 6502
Sep 20, 2021
428
555
My first laptop ever was the 15" non-retina 2012 MacBook Pro (why I felt the need to spend money on that at age 13 is beyond me). It lasted me up until last year when I switched to the 13" M1.

I figure if I could lug a giant 15" CD-drive, HDD, 10000 port laptop around high school and college, I'll be able to handle a 16" while working mainly from home.

I do wish I hadn't bought an external monitor a few months ago though. It seems like a shame using the 16" pro with promotion in clamshell mode.
 

nquinn

macrumors 6502a
Jun 25, 2020
829
621
I do wish I hadn't bought an external monitor a few months ago though. It seems like a shame using the 16" pro with promotion in clamshell mode.
This is something I hadn't really thought about much. Mostly have been looking forward to cool/quiet operation, but using clamshell on any of these loses a gorgeous screen. Researching good monitors too is showing how expensive they are.
 
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Shadow Puppets

macrumors regular
Nov 28, 2016
153
78
Have you experienced the 16? The screen is very immersive and you really take full advantage of ProMotion and all this wonderful screen tech in the 16. Don't get me wrong, the 14's screen is wonderful but it feels wasteful to not go with the larger screen especially when the price difference is a few hundred.
Yes I’ve seen the 16”, and my colleague has just bought one. The screen tech doesn’t bother me in the slightest…the screen is fantastic on the 14” and plenty big enough for my uses. I may at some point get a large external monitor for home use, and then I’ll have best of both worlds.
 
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Danny82

macrumors member
Jul 1, 2020
50
25
Any video editor using final cut pro and using the 14"? My question is, without an external monitor, do u find it a pain to be working on the small screen real estate or is it fine with u..?
 

Abbas

macrumors regular
Jul 9, 2008
176
48
Dubai
My 16-inch stock model (1TB) arrived a couple of days back. Went to the store and played with the 14-inch and loved it. The size is just perfect. Going to return the 16-inch and get the base 14-inch. Will save some money and the based 14-inch has plenty of power for me. I do occasional video editing on FCPX and should be good enough for me
 

justinf77

macrumors 6502a
May 18, 2003
643
568
How much more screen real estate do you really get on the 16” vs the 14”?

(Please don’t say 2”.)

I have both and I thought the difference would be more drastic. As it turned out, I can see maybe another two columns on a spreadsheet, and 5 more lines of code in a text editor.

Even with the 16” I need to connect it to an external if I really need more space.
 

hululu

macrumors member
Sep 17, 2016
74
19
My experience :

Went from 16" 2019 MBP -> 13" M1 MBA (base model) -> 14" MBP (base)

All used as a laptop, but also clamshell mode to a 144HZ 27" monitor.
Loved all of those machines, but the old 16" was horrendous in battery/heat/noise/crashes department.

For my use case, an M1 machine is more than enough.

Upgraded to the new MBP 2021 because i wanted : more ports, bigger screen.



Was initially debating between getting the new 16" vs 14". (both at base models)

Heres what made me go for the 14" :

- Portability/smaller foot print/lower weight
- The 14" screen makes it almost feel like the old 15" ( i also use the scale resolution to get more space) got more than enough screen real estate doing that
- Battery life is very good, maybe not as impressive as the M1 Air, but still more than enough for me
- PRICE!!!! it's almost 700$ in difference between the 14" vs 16" (in Canada, tax in)
- Money saved went into an iPad Pro M1 11" (for travel etc)


Ultimately, the only benefit in my use case to get the 16", was the bigger screen (which is a want, not a need)

For an extra 700$, that absolutely wasn't worth it for me

For pretty much the same price i got the 14" MBP + iPad Pro 11" M1
 

flapflapflap

macrumors 6502a
Dec 13, 2013
768
439
How much more screen real estate do you really get on the 16” vs the 14”?

(Please don’t say 2”.)

I have both and I thought the difference would be more drastic. As it turned out, I can see maybe another two columns on a spreadsheet, and 5 more lines of code in a text editor.

Even with the 16” I need to connect it to an external if I really need more space.
Likewise, I'll be connecting the 16 to my monitor. It is not large for my daily tasks.
 

cardfan

macrumors 601
Mar 23, 2012
4,431
5,627
Likewise, I'll be connecting the 16 to my monitor. It is not large for my daily tasks.

If it’s not big enough and you need to hook up then may as well get 14. Heck I’d argue to stay cheap with m1 air and wait for an iMac. Not like you’re using the screen, getting the promotion or mini led benefits, or webcam when it’s in clamshell mode.

Still at 200 difference it just feels like you’re screwing yourself if you don’t get the 16. I have a backpack that fit old 16 and never really had an issue traveling with it. Then again I’m more used to having dealt with bigger laptops over the years. This is nothing.
 
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