Should I buy 2015 13 inch MBP or 2016 13 inch(non-touchbar).

[anuj11]

I am planning to buy macbook pro. I have 2 options either buy 2015 13 inch or 2016(non-touchbar) 13 inch.

1st choice- 2015 MBP 13 inch with price $1299. As 2015 model is still under production I will have 5 years before it become vintage and discontinued. I want to do following updates to it:

a. Processor update from i5 to i7. Upgrade cost = $300.

b. RAM upgrade from 8 GB to 16 GB. Upgrade cost = $200.

c. SSD upgrade from 128 GB to 512 GB. Upgrade cost = $400.

Final cost of MBP = $1299+$300+$200+$400=$2199.

Pros I see in this model is performance wise it is similar to 2016 non-touch version and it has USB and other ports are available.
Compared with 2016 model only negative point I see is it is using 5th gen broadwell processor as compared with 2016 skylake processor.


2nd choice- 2016 MBP 13 inch non-touch bar version with price $1499. Similar upgrade as above for Processer, RAM and SSD. Final cost of MBP = $1499+$300+$200+$200=$2199. After doing upgrades its price is similar to 2015 model with similar upgrades.

Pros in this model - it is using skylake CPU so it has better processing than 2015 model.
Cons - Ports are removed. I need to buy dongles., there are lot of negative reviews for 2016 model on internet and no magsafe.

3rd choice- I have early 2011 13 inch model. I wanted to upgarde its RAM and SSD and use it instead of buying new MBP. But its battery cycle count is 1060 and since apple has discontiued the product I can not get battery replaced with apple manufactured battery and I am not sure about non-apple battery if they will work or not.

Please suggest should I go for 2015 13 inch or 2016(non-touchbar) 13 inch model.

 

[maflynn]

What will you be using it for and what's your budget?

 

[anuj11]

I will be using it for programming like java, android, ios etc. I can buy $2199 MBP after upgrades of processor, RAM and ssd as mentioned in post. As per me these upgrades will future proof MBP and it should work for atleast 5-6 years without any future requirement of increase in processor speed or RAM.

 

[khabboub]

honestly, buy the 2016 model. I recently picked one of the base nonTB models and its fantastic.

I was on reddit earlier and I was reading one post of a guy who had a 2015 model, but was jealous of his girlfriends 2016 model because it made his look outdated. now maybe I don't agree with everything that he said, but the 2016 laptops are honestly fantastic. they are VERY beautiful machines. I even enjoy the keyboard on the new laptops more than the old laptops.

I haven't noticed the adapters being to much of an issue honestly. I used to have to carry adapters for the old laptop. the only one that I use often is the usb-a to usb-c one. I don't actually consider the ports as a con. the are a huge step in the right direction, and I cannot wait for all of industry to transition.

 

[Another Day]

Get the newer one.

Why buy dated tech from 2015? THATS 2 YEARS AGO.

 

[Winterfibre]

I was in your boat i bought the 2015 model.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Same price better CPU and iGPU, newer tech, better brighter screen, fantastic I/O, slimmer lighter and smaller the 2016 is a no brainer for the same price.

Don't bother with the i7 upgrade that extra 3-5% performance will not be noticed unless you are maxing out your computer constantly, in which case you probably should buy the 15 inch for the quad-core CPU and the bigger screen.

 

[reserves]

Go 2016 for sure, if you're sticking with 13" the base processor is fine.

Personally I'd upgrade the RAM to 16GB and SSD to 512GB and leave it at that.

Non touch bar vs touch bar is your choice.

Finally, buy a refurbished one direct from Apple, there's no reason not too. The savings will probably 'pay' for the touch bar, which whilst most consider useless has Touch ID (which is good), as a side benefit you get 4 full speed USB-C ports + faster RAM.