Can't decide between MBP 13" or 16"

[piecookie]

Hi, I'm trying to make a decsision but I can't.
I work as a Frontend developer doing mostly programming.

Until now I've used an 13" MBP Early 2015 (core i5, 8gb ram) and it still works pretty fine.

But soon I might do some heavier development which will require more juice than that, that's why I'm considering upgrading, also a huge fan of True Tone.

For me portability and ease-of-use is a huge priority for me, I like to flip open the laptop wherever I might be and it should'nt feel bulky.

13" Pros
More portable

13" Cons
Thick bezels and less screen real-estate which might be more tedious for development using multiple windows.

16" Pros/Cons
Opposite of the ones above.

My gut tells me to go with the 13" as a can almost feel how I will think the 16" is too big. But then again, I've never used the 16" before and maybe I'd totally like it?

Can anyone here help me make a good decsision?

 

[marmiteturkey]

I love my 16 and have had 13s in the past; but because you say portability and the ability to flip it open wherever points me towards a well-specced 13.

Everything else in your post says go for the 16, so think hard about how important portability really is, and if it's not THAT high up, think about the 16 instead. I take my 16 everywhere (or used to), but it IS significantly less portable than a 13, esp in more confined spaces.

 

[UnBip]

I have had a 13'' for the past 3 years and been coding on it. it's amazing for its portability, but when I'm traveling and only counting on the screen estate, it's definitely not ideal.
After hesitating a long time, I decided to jump on a 16'' instead of the new 13'' I was waiting for. I can keep you posted with my first impressions once I receive it.

 

[hovscorpion12]

The 13 gives you everything that the 16" would have with the exception of the dedicated GPU. The 13 has the 10th Gen CPU.

 

[0128672]

I tried the 16" last December but returned it for a few reasons, one of which was its size. I couldn't pick it up easily with one hand and it just felt a couple inches too big. (I opted for a Mac Mini and 27" display instead deciding portability wasn't a priority, and primarily for Logic).

What about a 13" with an external display for times you want the extra screen space?

 

[UBS28]

For HTML, CSS and JavaScript, the 13" MBP should be fine as people even use MBA for it

 

[piecookie]

Many thanks for your answers guys, keep em coming!

I have had a 13'' for the past 3 years and been coding on it. it's amazing for its portability, but when I'm traveling and only counting on the screen estate, it's definitely not ideal.
After hesitating a long time, I decided to jump on a 16'' instead of the new 13'' I was waiting for. I can keep you posted with my first impressions once I receive it.

That would be awesome, thank you!
[automerge]1589897128[/automerge]

I tried the 16" last December but returned it for a few reasons, one of which was its size. I couldn't pick it up easily with one hand and it just felt a couple inches too big. (I opted for a Mac Mini and 27" display instead deciding portability wasn't a priority, and primarily for Logic).

What about a 13" with an external display for times you want the extra screen space?

Yeah I was thinking about that, maybe even plug an ipad to it and use that as an external monitor.

 

[Qedty]

Dunno how much help I am but I'll weigh in my experience as I'm similar to you, and a chronic returner lol.

I've had the 16 inch and the new 13 inch 2020. Coming from a 16 inch the 13 is noticeably smaller, and very easy to compare the huge loss of screen real estate, having it in the same room or side by side didn't help the 13 at all.

But we adapt to either of them, might just take a little period of adjustment.

With lockdowns the 16 is absolutely amazing to have, huge screen, best in class speakers, powerhouse of a computer that doesn't feel cramped at all. So maybe consider how long you won't be actually portable for.

That being said if things were normal now i would totally of switched to the 13 with ease, and I'd most likely be spending less time on my laptop and more time outside and doing things.

So I am typing this on the awesome 16, that doesn't feel too large now.

Though I wish I didn't know so much about specs and dedicated or integrated graphics, because I could blindly go for the 13. And that price differential, it's $1699 for the 13 inch 4 port base and $2099 for the base 16 (on most sites and can be price matched by best buy), that's only a very small price differential for a much bigger and more powerful computer.

However if you truly are portable now and you did mention how important that is to you, go for the 13 and don't look back.

 

[coffeeplease]

What heavier development are you thinking of? Based on what you said, I would go with 13" because of portability and frontend development doesn't require the power of 16".

 

[Madhatter32]

I would go for the 16 inch for the extra screen space -- especially if you are coding. For me, the screen space is very important and I do not need to travel much with the machine. But if portability is the primary concern, go with the smaller form factor. It is easier to travel witht the 13 inch (or an iPad).

 

[ascender]

I love my 16 and have had 13s in the past; but because you say portability and the ability to flip it open wherever points me towards a well-specced 13.

Everything else in your post says go for the 16, so think hard about how important portability really is, and if it's not THAT high up, think about the 16 instead. I take my 16 everywhere (or used to), but it IS significantly less portable than a 13, esp in more confined spaces.

The first reply nails it.

 

[bill-p]

Yeah, just to weigh in (pun intended):

16" is bulky and tanky. I don't think there's any other way to put it.

13" is far lighter and more portable.

If you are mostly stationary and don't have to plop the MacBook open in confined spaces, I'd say the 16" is better. Otherwise the 13" is the easier machine to plop open. But having said that... I have been on flights where the table is barely big enough to hold my Nintendo Switch... so something like the 13" MacBook is obviously not going to fit at all. If the 12" MacBook was still around, it'd barely fit.

 

[duanepatrick]

Big screen is always good for me and yes 16" is frikkin heavy so I only use it at home but it may depend on the actual use. You can always add an additional screen if you opt for 13" tho.

If you are always on the go, I suggest opting for 13".

 

[cardsdoc]

I have a 15" mid 2012 rMBP. It has been a great machine and I appreciate the screen real estate when at a desk but the heft has been an annoyance even on my lap. That model has fairly similar dimensions and weigh to the 16". My wife has a 13" MBP and I really like that form factor better. Just much easier to handle. Call me wimpy but that's how I feel. The smaller screen doesn't bother me too much as the screen quality is still so good. I now have a 2020 13" MBP on the way as I don't need the extra horsepower of the 16". Obviously this is a highly personalized decision but that's my 2 cents.

 

[clairmyk]

I just moved from a 13" MBA to a 16"... To me, the screen size is worth the lack of portability since I am often in a space where I can't connect a monitor and I'm constantly scrolling through the spreadsheets. (I know, boring and lame

If you don't need the screen space, stick to 13". I second @Namara's suggestion on going 13" with a monitor.

 

[1rottenapple]

I’m moving from a 13 to a 16. I’ve always used smaller laptop screens except when I bought a 15 inch years ago. More than a decade. Since I don’t really bring my laptop outside I thought a 16 inch would be a great upgrade. Can’t wait. Getting 1tb. Going to this size ssd from a 128gb sad in my MacBook.

 

[maerz001]

If you don’t have the option to extend your desktop to an external monitor buy 16”.
All coders in my company use 2 monitors

 

[Rigtee]

A 16" will get you more bang for your buck, that is certain even if it came out last year. A well-specced 13" might be the right solution but it comes at a cost.

I personally switched from a 15" in the past to a 13" (both being from the butterfly generation) and I really like the portability of the 13", you can take it everywhere you want and plug it to a screen once home. If you don't need a dGPU, I'll go for the 13" as you'll find the 16" too bulky and even leave it at home because of its size.

However, if by any chance you also own an iPad, you could use it as a light and portable machine on the go for simple tasks and take the 16" MBP only for more intensive work.

 

[piecookie]

Thanks for all answers guys. Still haven't decided... But I'm still leaning towards the 13" because it really looks gorgeous and it feels more "me".

Damn why is this so hard... a lot of money I guess

 

[LFC2020]

You only live once, go for the hamburger with the lot 16"

Joking 😂

Cant go wrong with either 13" or 16"

Apple has a 14 day return policy, no questions asked.

Wouldn't hurt giving the 16" a test run, if it's not your cup of tea you can always return it and get a 13".

 

[iRun26.2]

Thanks for all answers guys. Still haven't decided... But I'm still leaning towards the 13" because it really looks gorgeous and it feels more "me".

Damn why is this so hard... a lot of money I guess

I am in the exact same situation. I would like to get the 16" and be satisfied with the extra power and better display. However, in the long run, I think I"d be happier with the portability of the 13.3" (especially considering that I already have a nice 32" 4K monitor). The trouble is that I am currently working on a project where I could really use the extra processing power of the 16". So, at this very time, I would prefer to have the 16". Once that project is complete I bet I will be wishing i had the 13.3" instead. Maybe I would even be happy now to have the 13.3" since it would still be much faster than my old machine (yet not as fast as the 16"). Processing power does come at a cost of size and weight.

I'm tempted to buy the entry level 16' and use it for my power-hungry project as a test. If I like it then I would sell it and upgrade to the new 16" (with higher than entry level specs) when the mini LED screen is released (hopefully by then they would have also refined some of the overheating issues people have been discussed). If I don't like it I would sell it and buy the new 14" MBP when it is finally released with a mini LED screen.

 

[maflynn]

I think the 13" is a more stable product and a better buy, and given your leanings towards a smaller form factor, listen to your gut and get the 13"

 

[malkovich87]

Hi, I'm trying to make a decsision but I can't.
I work as a Frontend developer doing mostly programming.

Until now I've used an 13" MBP Early 2015 (core i5, 8gb ram) and it still works pretty fine.

But soon I might do some heavier development which will require more juice than that, that's why I'm considering upgrading, also a huge fan of True Tone.

For me portability and ease-of-use is a huge priority for me, I like to flip open the laptop wherever I might be and it should'nt feel bulky.

13" Pros
More portable

13" Cons
Thick bezels and less screen real-estate which might be more tedious for development using multiple windows.

16" Pros/Cons
Opposite of the ones above.

My gut tells me to go with the 13" as a can almost feel how I will think the 16" is too big. But then again, I've never used the 16" before and maybe I'd totally like it?

Can anyone here help me make a good decsision?

the 16" is certainly not bulky, but if you carry your laptop around all day and need to be able to work on a bench in the park, I'd probably go with the 13". Especially since you're already used to a 13" model.

Perhaps you could just go to a shop and try out the 16" model?


For me personally it's a no-brainer. I need to carry it to work about 3-4 days a week but it rarely leaves my desk there, so the additional screen real-estate and the power (one of my two jobs is photographer) make sense to me.

 

[DoM-i-NiC]

The 16" MBP weighs 2.0kg/4.3lb compared to your current 13" MBP (1.58kg - including a wider variety of ports). The 2015 15" MBP is 40g (1.5 oz) heavier than the current 16" MBP.

The 16" MBP comes with the extra benefits of more CPU cores with better cooling; a higher RAM threshold (64GB) - although unless u are running umpteen VMs or IDEs, you wouldn't need that much RAM; and a dedicated GPU. That said, the extra cores would be more helpful for development. If you are using external monitors, the dedicated GPU would offload some of the TDP of the CPU and would allow for better cooling of the CPU when doing intensive workloads over a sustained period of time than using just the integrated graphics with the CPU at once.

If you feel that the current 13" MBP (1.4kg) is fast enough - those using the 10th gen Intel CPUs and faster RAM (3733MHz v 2666MHz in the 16" MBP) and will handle 1-2 external monitors easily, then that may be your best option.

Another possible option would be to buy a bluetooth/smart keyboard for an iPad (that you would already have) and using it to access your new laptop (13"/16" MBP) when you are away from your main computer (by tethering from a mobile phone) - this would allow for more portability. The iPad could be used as a second screen or to test any applications that you are working on when you are at your main desk with your main computer. You can even test this by buying a cheap keyboard case for a current iPad that you own to access the 2015 MBP that you already have and see how that works out for you. You can always buy the new laptop (13"/16" MBP) in a few days/a week later once you have made a more informed decision. Here is an example of keyboard cases for 9.7 inch models

Using the Apple refurb store would save a few bucks - which can go towards a dock for more ports or an external display.

Good luck in your choice.

 

[drxcm]

I need to carry mine every day and was faced with a similar dilemma.

I ordered a 13, and bought an LG 4k monitor and a mouse and keyboard for it as a ‘workstation’.

Had a good session on my friends 16” the other evening. It’s awesome but simply too big for me for daily carry.