so only SIX months ago i upgraded to the 13 M1 and have loved it ever since. About a week ago I bought the 16 m1 and it has been the most amazing tech purchase I have ever made. My only issue is that I feel like i kind of wasted my money on the 13. They are giving me a $900 trade in on it but sheesh.. Am i the only one lol? Im torn between keeping this thing because it is amazing but also thinking about that $$$...
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Help me! (M1 13 vs M! 16)
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Def! i was thinking more along the lines of maybe taking the 16 back...
Unless you have a prevailing reason to keep the 16" M1 because it does things the M1 MBA can't do for you on a daily basis in regards to necessary workflow, you have your answer. I think you got caught up in the forum purchase fever.
I run my 13" M1 MBP next to my 16" I9 and I love having both of them for different tasks. I manage my stock portfolio for my retirement and it can be hours of boredom mixed with minutes of terror so the 13" runs my stock program while I do research and other work on the 16". If I had to choose between the 2, I would keep the 13" for sure. I love knowing that regardless if I had kept it plugged in or not, if I decide to go out for lunch or coffee, I can grab it without worrying about taking along a charger and I will be fine - I always charge it over night. I know the new 16" has better battery life now too but I still feel the 13" would be my choice for that one reason alone.
Do you use more than one external monitor or do you want to? That would be my biggest question because I think putting synthetic performance benchmarks aside, the biggest differences between the 2020 M1 and the 2021 Pro/Max M1s are:
* Number of external displays: This was actually a really big deal for me because I'm used to being able to use at least two external monitors at once and only having support for one was a problem.
* Port selection: Having 3 TB4 ports, HDMI, SDXC, MagSafe. This might not matter a ton, but if you have lots of stuff you frequently plug in (even if you have dongles and docks), this is really nice
* LED screen: Higher resolution, better HDR, better quality
* Better webcam: You might not use the built-in web cam (I use a DSLR most of the time connected through a CamLink 4K, for instance), but if you do, it is a significant improvement.
I don't know if the performance differences, at least right now, are that compelling, especially if you are looking at the base models. It's the other stuff that for me, makes the new ones better. But to each their own!
My heart wants a 14" MacBook Pro Max, but using my MacBook Pro 13" (15GB/2TB) as a daily driver supported by a large Synology NAS data sink and hooked to a Dell U3818DW I cannot find a logical reason, why I should buy. First Xcode compiles might be faster, but when you work on that most are incremental. Logic Pro runs my projects with aplomb. I will wait.
I would be nice to have 4 T3 ports, but I got a USB-C hub that does the trick.
I would be nice to have 4 T3 ports, but I got a USB-C hub that does the trick.
There is no correct answer but my money is on the 16"! The 13" is great but the new mini led pro motion screen alone is enough to upgrade.
I had a 13" MBP too and I sold it in the summer on Swappa.com and got the best value I could. As soon as the 14" was announced the clock was ticking on resale value for the 13". So the trade in at this point is not too bad. There are sales on the M1 air and MBP 13" so it drops the resale value of your Mac. This is only going to get worse as time goes on.
You could check swappa.com and see what people are selling for and see if the trade in value is good.
I have a 16" base model and I could never go back to the 13". The 16" is a huge upgrade in every way. It is expensive but it is the absolute best laptop you can buy right now. I am debating if I can stick with the base or if I should upgrade the ram to 32gb and to the M1 max 24 core gpu but that is a huge cost upgrade and performance on the base model is amazing. I am just worried about the future because I want to keep this device at least 5 years.
I had a 13" MBP too and I sold it in the summer on Swappa.com and got the best value I could. As soon as the 14" was announced the clock was ticking on resale value for the 13". So the trade in at this point is not too bad. There are sales on the M1 air and MBP 13" so it drops the resale value of your Mac. This is only going to get worse as time goes on.
You could check swappa.com and see what people are selling for and see if the trade in value is good.
I have a 16" base model and I could never go back to the 13". The 16" is a huge upgrade in every way. It is expensive but it is the absolute best laptop you can buy right now. I am debating if I can stick with the base or if I should upgrade the ram to 32gb and to the M1 max 24 core gpu but that is a huge cost upgrade and performance on the base model is amazing. I am just worried about the future because I want to keep this device at least 5 years.
Almost nobody would mention this but can you live with zoomed in view? Or you need a bit more “screen space” by zooming out? If zooming out is needed and your eyes aren’t that great anymore, go with 16”. That one extra tier can save you lots of trouble.
Also this: if you type on the MacBook and you feel your wrist is a bit too painful, consider going for 16". My 13" MacBook Pro cant provide enough palm resting area to not hurt my left wrist while typing a lot.
Also this: if you type on the MacBook and you feel your wrist is a bit too painful, consider going for 16". My 13" MacBook Pro cant provide enough palm resting area to not hurt my left wrist while typing a lot.
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I’m not sure that’s how a retirement fund should work… ?
Yes you are absolutely right about that. I have a small portion I trade some more risky highly leveraged vehicles, love the excitement and occasionally make a few $$.
Damn, if you replaced the "5 years" with "6 years" then I was in the exact same position. Word for word.
I got the 16" base model yesterday. I've been keeping an eye on memory pressure - and can already say, 16 GB is going to work fine. The occasions where that won't be sufficient will definitely be for work, in which case I will use their computers.
If I was a business owner, or freelance developer, I'd buy every upgrade out there. But this is my personal computer.
Also, regarding whether or not this computer is expensive.... I paid $100 more for this thing brand new than I did for a 2016 MBP refurbished. And this one is 10 levels above the 2016 in every way imaginable.
I still use the 2019 15" Intel Mac in my signature--it's my work-issued machine. I still can't believe how much worse the heat, battery, speed, and boot up times are than on my M1 Air. It boggles my mind.
There’s really no right or wrong answer we can give, it’s a very personal decision, based on your needs.
Personally, even leaving aside the performance improvements I’m getting. The 16” screen is one thing making me stick to it over my 13”. It’s really nice having more screen real estate again, and it’s a seriously stunning display.
Then there’s the re-introduction of MagSafe, HDMI, SD, lots of little quality of life improvements I’m glad to have again - though again, that’s me and my personal feeling for the new MacBook Pro, we’re all different.
Personally, even leaving aside the performance improvements I’m getting. The 16” screen is one thing making me stick to it over my 13”. It’s really nice having more screen real estate again, and it’s a seriously stunning display.
Then there’s the re-introduction of MagSafe, HDMI, SD, lots of little quality of life improvements I’m glad to have again - though again, that’s me and my personal feeling for the new MacBook Pro, we’re all different.