Swapping New 13" MPB for 16"?

[thomasec]

I am receiving a new, maxed-out 13" MacBook Pro as a replacement for my 2018 MBP that has had 5 top case replacements since I initially bought it. Since I will be working from home for the foreseeable future, I am considering swapping/selling it, and getting the 16" model. Apple said I can't pay the difference to get a 16" machine, since that is not considered a comparable replacement - totally understandable.

Anyway, I guess my question is two part:

1. Should I keep the 13" for the next few months, and see if a new 16" is released? I have an older iMac that I can use if I really need the additional screen real estate.
2. If I do use the 13" for the next few months, will the resale be significantly less than if I were to sell it brand new?

Thank you in advance!

 

[velocityg4]

1. That's up to you. The current 16" is a fine machine now and will be just as good as it is now when the new one comes out. Presumably, the next one will just be better.
2. Once you open it. It is no longer new. I can't imagine it would affect the resale value much if it has been used for a week or three months. Condition is more important. The longer you have it. The greater the chances of marking, scratching or dinging it.

 

[Grohowiak]

Battery cycles are a major contributor to price when reselling laptops (just like shutter count in mirrorless cameras)
If you don't plan on keeping it for long I would sell it now brand new for top dollar return.

 

[benredacted]

If your replacement is unopened, it would probably fetch a price very close to retail, if not more. I'm not sure what you mean by "maxed out" but there are some significant shipping lead times on build-to-order models direct from Apple, so a particularly impatient person may be willing to pay above retail to get it sooner. Keep in mind unless you sell locally for cash, places like eBay will take their cut (10% in the case of eBay).

In regards to upgrading to the 16"... I assume you were previously using a 13", so do you need something with a dedicated GPU? You mentioned teleworking for the foreseeable future, so have you considered buying an external monitor for the 13" instead of getting the 16"? That would get you considerably more real estate, but preserve the portability of the 13" when someday (hopefully) we are back to traveling again.