The Definitive 2017 Macbook Pro 13 inch or 15 inch Thread

[BearDownAZ]

Let me just start by saying that the new 2017 15" is simply a stunning machine! It's gorgeous, this big flat piece of aluminum and for the 2500 dollars that it will end up costing you, you will definitely feel like you bought something worth it. Yes, it surprisingly light and easy to hold in one hand as well. It weirdly feels more balanced and less dense than the 13" actually. Maybe its actually because when you see the 13", you actually expect/imagine the laptop being a lot lighter than it really is. The best thing about the 15" though (dGPU, quad core aside), that gorgeous 15" display. Watching HD/4K videos from the Youtube GoPro channel on the 15" very quickly demonstrates how awesome the display is. It is truly immersive and wow, looking at 2 full page, word documents top to bottom is easy and amazing! People who decide the 15" are going to love it, it is more like workstation because the screen looked bigger than my 2010 but the bezels are smaller. People who go 15" are going to do amazing things with it. That being said........

It's the laptop for me :/

I only needed to spend 2 hours with it to realize that while an amazing machine, it is too overpowered for what I am realistically going to do with it and it is too big. The pictures should tell you plenty - I'm not going to turn this into a "why I don't like the 15" " but I just couldn't imagine carrying that 15" around for the next 4-5 years - in my bag through airports, internationally, at cafes, on my couch, or bed.

I love the display on the 15", I really do but the form factor is too huge - if you look at the keyboard, it just looks like an island in the middle of all that aluminum, it's just too much laptop!

So let me break it down - how thing went. While I was super confused and impulse ordered a custom 15" right after buying a custom 13", just the day or two before the 15" arrived, I had to update my resume since I'm getting ready to apply to jobs! And believe me (trump voice) when I tell you that I'm super OCD when it comes to details. That was probably the first unconscious serious task that I did on the 13" without thinking in the back of my head (oh I'm using 13", let's measure how it feels.) I spent about 5-6 hours editing my resume (with hardly any details to fill in), just moving stuff around, watched some netflix and in that moment, I kind of realized how awesome the 13" was a portable machine. It just feels more intimate. The speakers aren't overly large (fake grills anyway), the trackpad isn't ultra-humongous, and everything feels a lot more proportional. The closest analogy I can think of is this - the 15" is the 13" stretched and that's where these larger speaker grills, large trackpads, the large amounts aluminum, between screen and keyboard and either sides of trackpads, (again, I'm not saying its ugly), just that in the 13", everything flows better, the screen to macbook pro logo, to touchbar, to keyboard to trackpad and everything around it.

I went to sleep that night falling in love with the 13" again, knowing the 15" was on its way.

The 13" just feels amazing to hold and carry around. It is slightly thinner than the 15" and a pound less heavy and I found/find myself carrying it around my room for no reason, just to simply admire how much smaller and portable it is as a machine - this is after all the appeal of the Air and 12" Macbook lines.

I am able to be just as productive if not more and I can honestly say, this is the best mac I've owned to date! If you are on the fence and my experience/words aren't helping, you should just buy both machines and plan to actually get some important work like an assignment for school/task for work done on both machines. I think that will tell you more than posts.

so what happened when the 15" arrived? Well, it only took me 2 hours to know and decide. I returned both the 13" and 15" that same evening the 15" delivered and actually ordered a new custom 13" with more SSD (although I probably won't need it.) The 13" just felt so much better. The only think I really miss about the 15" is the screen size when watching full screen videos. Also, it is indeed true that text is much more easily visible with more screen space at the default resolution of the 15". I can scale the 13" for more space but it makes text a little too small to comfortably ready over long periods of time.

The 13" has not lagged in anyway at all, boots up ultra fast, is snappy for everything I am doing - browsing with 20 plus tabs open in chrome (2 different user sessions), imessage, facetime, files, photo editing in photos.
I really think I was overvaluing the capabilities/benefits of quad core and dGPU for doing most of the tasks that I care about.

Also, I think the reason I was on the fence was because deep down inside - I knew I valued portability more, and cost was a consideration even though I had the money to go all out. Hell, I remember seeing cool, sexy people at coffee shops with space gray 12" macbooks and thinking - damn, I need something like that.

However, I'm obviously caught up in the "spec world" and thinking about value for money, and those things were in conflict. The 13" is the best compromise between power and portability and if you lean more portable, then get this anyway until the 12" is powerful enough and if you are on the power hunry side, go for the 15".

Some other things for people to consider who might be weighing this based on display size and the dGPU. It is true that you could always connect your 13"/15" to an external and get essentially whatever size display you wanted. Hell, I used to connect my mid 2010 15" to my 55" SAMSUNG TV for streaming or displaying PPTs or pictures of a trip so really, that's not much a limitation. I dock my work computer to 2 displays at work and I am really glad I have them as opposed to just the laptop screen (whatever size it may be.)

In terms of DGPU, keep in mind that with metal 2, apple is adding functionality for external dGPUs. It is very possible that third parties will design for this market, introducing sleep "external drive like" GPU units with fancy chasis that are small, sleek and may even have multiple bays for multiple GPUs (AMD/NVid). The left side of the 13" USB/thunderbolt ports will have support for that. SO maybe you don't need that power when traveling but when you come back to your desk and when you do, maybe you just hook up to the dGPU on the left, the external displays on the right and vola!

If you are conflicted, just get both machines as I keep saying and play with both in the comfort of your home and you will have a pretty good idea which one to keep.

Again, as many videos like the first one I posted as well as people on this forum have pointed out, 90% of folks will be just fine with a 13", highly unlikely me or others are in the 10% that understand their needs very well in which case, they aren't conflicted.

Do I wish Apple had put a quad core in this 13" sure. Do I wish a dGPU existed inside the 13"? sure. On a side note, I don't think I have heard the fan at all over the entire week that I have been using this 13". Is it ever going to come on? not even during video playback.

I think the reason that some of you are conflicted to begin with might be a strong indicator that you too probably value portability and so you just need to pop the bubble about the assumed noticeable benefits to you that a 15" might bring, in which case - again - ideally, buy both machines, together, or start with the 13", if you're not happy, go to a store and buy the base 15" a week later, and compare and then return one.

I am finally SO SO happy with my choice and very confident that I won't be changing my mind. I'm glad I went through the painful exercise of figuring out which one, using data, soliciting feedback and real world experimentation/simulation.

Which brings me to my final point - I think part of what made this difficult was the price difference. It just seems a little crazy to me that the most powerful 13" is only $300 cheaper than the most powerful 15", granted both laptops are $2000+

I think Apple might have a price signaling problem (probably on the 13 which is too overpriced) and I'm talking education discount prices.

I got it $200 or cheap and plus free beats solo3 wireless headphones, and I'm "pretty rich/fortunate and come from a wealthy family." This must be much harder for people that are more cash strapped but still want to enjoy apple products and get the best value for their money.

I think I could have been ok if the 13" maxxed out at $2000 and the 15" at $2700-$3000 (taxes included)

I also still think a 14" form factor would be interesting.

To come full circle, I think the video at the start of the thread summarized it well honestly. Unless you LOVE LOVE editing 4k video and enjoy bigger screens, you should just get the 13" (weirdly he has a video where he showed a 12" macbook editing 4k video in FCP, importing and exporting and compared to a windows with dGPU- I think)

The rest of you will be just fine with the 13", more than fine, you will love the portability.

Both will of course fit easy into a backpack but the 13" will feel way better. I've ordered a fancy sleeve for mine. Will be awesome to just carry your 13" in a sleeve, your phone and your wallet, to class or a cafe, or to work, or to visit a friends house or to a park or a brewery.

I will probably keep this one until a redesign happens. Some of you with newer laptops may want to wait until coffee lake which is promising some crazy gains.

Also, I should say - I really believe in Apple's wireless future. These wireless headphones are pretty awesome. I'm thinking this and a wireless magic mouse and that will make this 13" the perfect machine and combo to travel and do work with at home. Someday, even wireless charging for the macbook may become a thing.

I wouldn't be surprised if we see a day where there's only one USB port on a "Pro" machine. Also, curious why I can't already just use airplay to mirror my display onto a display like the LG ultra-fine. Why should I need an Apple TV. I would think Apple could throw in a Chip to make it happen and to sell their wireless future.

Lastly, remember guys: This is just a computer, LOL. Yes, its important to make an informed decision especially for this kind of money but don't agonize over it like I did. This is a long repeatable game and this will probably not be the last macbook you own, you can also always sell and re-buy 2 years down the line vs 4-5 or 7 like me. There are way better things to go spend your time thinking about or your money on.

Wow! What a crazy ride - ordered 3 custom MBPs in one month lol! I hope no one else has to do what I did but hey, I'm finally happy!

Thanks for the thorough review! I'm debating between the two models myself. How was battery life on the 2 models you tested? Which one was better?

 

[lobo1978]

I am super happy that you finally arrived at the solution that is suiting your needs. Enjoy!

I am sure anybody else fighting between 13"/15" will benefit from this thread. I think all angles/aspects owning 13" and 15-incher have been hyper-analysed here.
[doublepost=1502126925][/doublepost]

How was battery life on the 2 models you tested? Which one was better?

I have both - 15" battery is better. Mind, that I compare 13" 2016 vs 15" 2017. It is +1-2 hrs in favour of 15" (unless I don't use dGPU). Both 13" and 15" are enough to get me through the business day.

 

[OSXCrusader]

Damn was hoping you'd say that you preferred the 15" MBP

I'm still undecided as I will be using the MBP as a desktop replacement and won't take it out and about too often so the 13" MBP's portability is not essential but I also don't need the dGPU/faster processor of the 15".

Damn, I figured this might be helpful. It's a difficult decision for sure but at some point, you need to put money down on a machine and at some point, 14 day return periods end. Like I mentioned, if this thread hasn't helped, buy both and use both over 14 days and return. Simulate your use case, set up both machines, with all your custom settings. See which one you can live with.

If portability isn't an issue, then I would say go the 15" route because the price difference at least in education pricing is only $200 or so and you will get the free wireless headphones which is decent value and will offset the cost. However, as you said with desktop replacement, do you plan to attach an external monitor? That might change the balance.. As you said, you don't really need dGPU. I don't at all for now.

Also, see my response to next post.
[doublepost=1502148138][/doublepost]

I think all angles/aspects owning 13" and 15-incher have been hyper-analysed here.

Haha, Thanks. Indeed, I feel we have compared the 2 models really well for common users AKA Not Pros, LOL.
[doublepost=1502149145][/doublepost]

Well, I prefer the 15" MBP, but that's more because it's easier on my eyes for reading, and with Xcode, the more screen space, the better.

I think the quad core is also more future-proofed for powering our new AI overlords, LOL.

ARKit and CoreML are the only things that have made my first gen 12.9" iPad Pro heat up the back casing. I now know where the CPU package is located inside my iPP. I think this heat output will be a surprise for some people.

Don't blame you at all and 100% agree. When I had both word and PDF versions of my 1 page resume open on the 15", I was able to read both of them very clearly from a far/nominal distance and both files displayed fully top to bottom without any/much zooming out and close to how they would look if they were printed.

Also, agree 100% on quad core and dGPU being suited to AR/VR applications.

The most important thing is that you know clearly what your preference is and are happy with your purchasing decision/investment.

Let's just clarify that from a specs point of view, the 15" really is the BETTER computer. Bigger screen, better legibility, quad core CPU and a dGPU make it a beast.

However, There is a "value" to portability too, one that can't be priced or quantified even though we mention dimensions and weight.

I took just couldn't fathom spending $2200+ on a machine with just dual core and no dGPU when the quad core and dGPU plus 15" screen was only $200 more. I think the 13" should be cheaper but this is Apple. Oh well, as a shareholder, I am not complaining.

What I wasn't anticipating was that I would love the portability so much! After all, there are people still buying Airs and the 12" Macbook with 480p cams. They probably aren't too exhilarated by the specs but they love, love the portability of those machines. You can still be very productive - creating docs, charts, spreadsheets and browsing the internet (not like on iPad/iPhone) on those machines.

Therefore, the 13" was a very good compromise. Power and portability. It's a new form factor, one that most of my college friends and colleagues and people on the go/at cafes and places that I frequent have so I'm excited about how this will work out for me.

Citing the poll here, 60% of macrumors readers who viewed this thread still would have gone the 15" route but there are plenty of 13" lovers too.

I don't know if/when it will ever happen but if Apple ever decided to consolidate the MBP lines and came out with a 14", getting rid of 13" and 15", bringing even more superior portability, making it razor thin while maintaining performance, 32 GB of RAM, I would be super interested. I think they could sell a lot of macs too if they dropped prices a bit and didn't have so many darn variants of macbooks.

We shall see. The 13" is sexy and sleek as hell though and like many people have tried to tell me on this thread, I just don't need the power today or in the foreseeable future. If/When AR/VR applications mature and come to the Mac, i'm sure Apple will ensure the hardware including the base and lower end models will be able to access the features like with the iPhone and if they don't, sure I will upgrade.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

I meant my post to be more tongue-in-cheek reply to the guy that wanted you to pick the 15" model MBP.

Plus, my eyes really are getting useless for looking at smaller laptop screens (he says, posting on his iPhone LOL).

 

[OSXCrusader]

I am super happy that you finally arrived at the solution that is suiting your needs. Enjoy!

Thanks Lobo and Pallimore and everyone else for regularly re-visiting the thread with me. I am pretty happy, haha! That feeling wasn't quite there when I first ordered the 13 or 15 inch. I was sort of stuck in my head.

I am a little annoyed that the decision was that difficult and its still up for debate whether that was a "ME" thing or whether Apple could have marketed, segmented and priced these 2 machines better.

One one hand, I can't blame them for giving us choice. Most consumers are buying 15" laptops and so it seems that amount of portability is sufficient but it really is going to be a big machine to use in a classroom/lecture hall or in a cafe, which is how Apple of courses showcases its products - people out and about doing awesome things with their devices vs sitting on a couch/bed in their underwear on macrumors - which is me, mostly! lol

If I need to go 15" down the line, I"ll accept it, be happy that I spent time with the 13" and move on. When the Plus versions of the iPhones first came out, I didn't just go out and upgrade. I think I waited 2 generations until I really liked the idea of a bigger screen and the camera in the 7 plus was significantly better - which is something I definitely use!

So it was a compelling upgrade. I think the 15" will have to do the same for me moving forward. The 13" was an exercise in doing the opposite - understanding which device feels best and understanding/anticipating my needs best currently and into the near future.

I say that as someone who did go and buy a 15" in 2010 and maxxed out specs without even thinking twice.

I think a good quote here might be highly applicable - less is more!

Can't emphasize this enough so I"ll continue to repeat this occasionally when I chime in on the thread but please, please people - go from the start of this thread all the way to the latest! Lots of valuable input from lots of awesome people, watch the videos, see the pics, read people's examples and perspectives and their purchasing decisions.

In the end, it probably doesn't matter which one you end up picking but all you can do is do your best to do the homework and make a decision and then - life goes on!

I can't believe I'm saying this - because its so cheesy and doesn't help shift the balance but you really can't go wrong with either - the 13" is an amazing portable powerhouse (sort of like a iPad Air) while the 15" is a nuclear plant (like the large iPad Pro). Both Machines have very compelling reasons to own them.

 

[throAU]

Go to store.

try both.
Evaluate whether or not you do any "heavy" type workload that must be done on a portable machine.
choose the size you like

/end





edit:
13" for me. 15s are just a noisy (when doing anything strenuous), underpowered desktop. I have desktops for that.

 

[kindaichi81]

I would go for MacBook Pro 13-inch and iMac 27-inch

1) MacBook Pro 13 - really portable as a laptop which a laptop should be and can really be used everywhere.

2) iMac 27-inch - really big screen for all the screen real estate needed and really powerful for all the tasks you can throw at it for even gaming.

 

[mripadmini]

i would get the 15 inch since it would likely be my main computer and i am used to a quad core cpu and dedicated gpu and the 13 inch is too small of screen for me.

 

[andrewtm]

Kind of in the same boat. I had a 2017 13" w/ TB but returned it to get the 15 inch. I'm in school minoring in graphics/design so I thought the extra spec boost would be helpful. The extra screen size is nice sometimes but using it as a laptop is kind of tedious. The 13" I found just sat naturally in my lap but this one feels like a bit much for a laptop. I also have it hooked up to an external monitor for when I need the extra screen size. I've also noticed much better battery life on the 15 inch.

As a college student I definitely value portability, but seeing as I'll be in college only for another year I feel like I should be making an investment for the future.

I've got until Saturday to make up my mind before the 2 week return period ends, but I'm still kinda torn.

 

[Frankfurt]

All very subjective in the end, but:
I have been owning a 13" 2008 Macbook for 9 years which was 90% stationary. As I switched to the new MBPs, I was naturally leaning towards another 13", especially because of my memory of the previous 15" being so bulky.

As I tried out the different sizes at the Apple Store, I realized how much smaller the footprint of the 15" had become and how much lighter it is vs. previous versions. While I will be traveling more now with the laptop, I still expect it to be stationary on a (rain) stand for about 70% of the time operated with a BT mouse and KB.

Hence, I went for the 15" given the screen size, better speakers and all around higher spec. it weighs less than my 2008 Macbook, too.

 

[alias99]

Is anyone able to provide an image of a 2015 13in placed over a 16/17 15in?

Intrigued to see how much difference there is in size. Only seem to be able to find 16/17 13 vs 15

 

[Hayden99]

Thanks for this thread OP. I have been lurking for a while.

I had a dilemma where I felt I was being short changed if I went for the 13inch. Two less cores and no dGPU. But all I do on my laptop is email and office. I even have a spare monitor at work. I agree with you, best not to get caught up in the spec race, and pulled the plug on a 13 TB with 16gb RAM and 512gb.

This thread really helped. as someone who often uses a mac in the back of a taxi, trains and planes... I needed portability. I actually think the 12 rMB would be great if just had a TB3 port.

But alas, just wanted to say thanks for the thread...

 

[OTACORB]

Sounds to me like with what you are doing going to a quad core is't going to be that noticeable for you. I did the 15" MacBook, but I travel weekly... My laptop goes with me and I wanted light and the 13" has been the sweet spot. These new 2017 models are both lighter, but the 13" is incredible light, the new processor and built in graphics are perfect. It really just all boils down to your daily use. Mine is absolute portability all the way. If it stayed on my desk most of the time, then I'd strongly consider the 15". Hope you enjoy whichever you opt to roll with.

 

[wgr73]

It really just all boils down to your daily use. Mine is absolute portability all the way. If it stayed on my desk most of the time, then I'd strongly consider the 15". .

This x100.

I am the exact same way. I'd love a 15" but it's not realistic for what I use it for.

 

[kindaichi81]

Thanks for this thread OP. I have been lurking for a while.

I had a dilemma where I felt I was being short changed if I went for the 13inch. Two less cores and no dGPU. But all I do on my laptop is email and office. I even have a spare monitor at work. I agree with you, best not to get caught up in the spec race, and pulled the plug on a 13 TB with 16gb RAM and 512gb.

This thread really helped. as someone who often uses a mac in the back of a taxi, trains and planes... I needed portability. I actually think the 12 rMB would be great if just had a TB3 port.

But alas, just wanted to say thanks for the thread...

u will not regret for not getting 12 rMB, because the lightly extra weight for 13 MBP but better processing power and graphic do more wonders in long run.

 

[lax28]

Thanks everyone who contributed to this. I found myself in similar dilemma, totally maxed out 13" or the 15".

I just pulled the trigger and ordered the 13" MBP fully maxed out. (3.5 i7, 16GB ram, 1TB SSD). Yeatersay I beginning to actually lean the other way and go with the 15" (4GB dGPU and 1TB SSD) but when I got up this morning the 13" 2017 model I ordered was on the refurbished Apple Store. I'll take the 15% savings and given I still do have the 14 day return policy should I not like it or think it is too small coming from my old 15" 2012 rMBP.

 

[Abaganov]

this is one of the best posts on macrumors.

@OSXCrusader thank you so much for creating this epic post , I feel like i went on a journey with you , a journey of confusion, happiness ,remorse, self discovery and finally redemption.

and he lived happily ever after with his 13" macbook pro.

 

[smallcoffee]

Given that the only advantage of the 13" is portability, and given that their is not much of a difference anymore between the 13" and 15" in that aspect this is a no-brained. The 15" is superior in every meaningful way. You get the 15".

 

[Riviera122]

Thanks for this thread, very interesting. I bought a maxed out 15" and had second thoughts due to the price difference, so looked to this thread, but decided that for my uses (mostly light work but some graphic design and music production) it was necessary to have the dedicated gpu/quad core processor. I couldn't see myself downgrading from my mid 2012 MBP, which I would have had for many more years but sadly dropped and smashed the screen. I also travel a lot, but don't tend to use my laptop on flights and when I do I have enough room for a 15". I make it work! I'm also in a different position portability-wise as I also have a 2013 11" MacBook Air which I can grab for meetings, throwing in a backpack, train journeys, or economy flights.

 

[Fthree]

Love the content in this thread. I just received a maxed out 13 inch. I have a 2015 15 maxed out computer but noticed that it's not as portable as a 13 thus would try to work as much as I could on a iPad Pro (which is essentially limited in a lot of ways) I think one thing that is extremely undervalued and probably baked into the higher price of these new macs is the availability of Apple care +. I have apple care on my 2015 however it does not cover accidental damage (which was a little bit of my issue with taking out the 15) I literally talked to the associate at the Apple Store at nausea about all the accidental ways I could possibly break a new one and every one of those ways was covered.

 

[JPizzzle]

I'm in the return period of my maxed 13" and debating the value point. Especially since I'm hoping to get back into photography and would prob benefit from the graphics card and quad core when editing raw. However, last night I was laying on the couch and had the MBP comfortably on my chest/stomach area, and then hough there is no way that I can do this with the 15". This isn't a deal breaker, but the portability of the 13" is on a different level compared to the 15".

 

[Ryan0751]

I'm in the return period of my maxed 13" and debating the value point. Especially since I'm hoping to get back into photography and would prob benefit from the graphics card and quad core when editing raw. However, last night I was laying on the couch and had the MBP comfortably on my chest/stomach area, and then hough there is no way that I can do this with the 15". This isn't a deal breaker, but the portability of the 13" is on a different level compared to the 15".

Same situation with me! Had a maxed out 13" for the past 2 weeks, and am coming from a 15". I keep feeling "concern" about running Capture One and doing raw photo editing on it, but it seems to be handling it just fine.

I think we tend to build up in our heads all this "need for speed" when our actual requirements are less given how powerful these machines are.

The size of the new 13"'s is really quite something, it's so light and compact I don't see the need to go any smaller. I can even fit the 13" in my ONA camera bag designed for a tablet!

 

[kindaichi81]

Love the content in this thread. I just received a maxed out 13 inch. I have a 2015 15 maxed out computer but noticed that it's not as portable as a 13 thus would try to work as much as I could on a iPad Pro (which is essentially limited in a lot of ways) I think one thing that is extremely undervalued and probably baked into the higher price of these new macs is the availability of Apple care +. I have apple care on my 2015 however it does not cover accidental damage (which was a little bit of my issue with taking out the 15) I literally talked to the associate at the Apple Store at nausea about all the accidental ways I could possibly break a new one and every one of those ways was covered.

2015 is certainly NOT portable at all, i owned it before. less than a year i sold it away as it is too hard for me to bring around.

 

[reardear]

Looking to upgrade from my stock mid-2010 13" MBP.

- Price: not a big deal, going to use it for at least a few years, but also want good value (which upgrades are worth it?)
- Usage: general, browsing with many tabs, streaming, Office, occasional Photoshop, occasional Parallels/Boot Camp
- Weight: all of the new models weigh less than my current 2010 MBP, so they're all an upgrade
- Screen size: I've only ever used a 13", and for the most part, it's been okay, but sometimes I wished it was bigger. Only concern about a 15" is that apparently they're not portable and people would only get it if it sat at home?
- Portability: not sure what people mean about portability - weight or unwieldy size? Weight and thinness would be an upgrade from my current MBP, but it would be wider (but still fit in my backpack).
- F keys: mostly use the volume/brightness keys, and I have to look anyways; may do some programming in the future
- Storage: no video editing so storage has been fine

Concerns: I hear the keyboard always gets stuck and that the fan is always on.

 

[OSXCrusader]

this is one of the best posts on macrumors.

@OSXCrusader thank you so much for creating this epic post , I feel like i went on a journey with you , a journey of confusion, happiness ,remorse, self discovery and finally redemption.

and he lived happily ever after with his 13" macbook pro.

OSXCrusader / OP back with some updates! I became a little too busy with work and life for a bit so I apologize for not following up with many of you sooner!

First of all, Thanks Abaganov and many others that have complimented this thread! I really want to thank the active community for contributing to the discussion. That's wonderful - a journey of confusion, happiness ,remorse, self discovery and finally redemption, I'm loving the phrasing here! That pretty much sums it up.

The internet really can be a wonderful place! Not just trolls and haters, lol. I randomly signed in the other day and was delighted to see so many notifications (comments and likes!) Haha, think about what we could do if we evaluated all the problems in the world like this - systematically and respectively adding our inputs and listening to each other, and I really found everyone's opinion useful, regardless of where they live, race, religion, gender etc...etc. Haha, ok maybe I've overstating all of this but truly, I hope all of you can take some pleasure in knowing you helped a real person make a real decision, helped in solving my little dilemma and spending my money wisely. Not to mention all the lurkers that have probably read this thread end to end and have found it super useful!

Aright, onto business:

So, I've had some time now with my new 13" and obviously, a lot has happened since then (all these hurricanes, apples september event.)

One of them actually caused me to evacuate to Seattle for 9 days on which, I took my new 13". I wasn't near my old 2010 15" at all (hard to avoid normally) which meant I exclusively spent time on the new 13". Tragedy of hurricanes aside, this was honestly an awesome scenario to test my "typical" use case with travel/heavy useage combined.

So let me just set up the scene for you:

I recently finally decided to get TSA Precheck since I travel so much and so tired of undressing, taking off shoes, belt, laptops (work and personal) etc etc.

So here I am, TSA approved, escaping a hurricane, decided to fly to seattle last minute the night the hurricane made landfall. Also, had a date lined up literally when I was going to land in Seattle. Buy a one way ticket last minute, get to airport, super well dressed like an executive, breeze through TSA (finally felt like the OLD DAYS), keep all my clothes on, and first things first - my backpack with 2 laptops in it has never felt lighter in the last 7 years! Gosh, it was really amazing and this is with 2 laptops!

Keep in mind, I also bought a one way ticket since I wasn't sure when I'd be able to go back with all the flooding.

In Seattle, I totally hustled with this laptop. Driving around town, quickly parking outside starbucks, going in, sitting on high tables etc etc, opening up the 13" to book another night, another night of hotel etc, reading the news, sending emails, watching videos, netflix and chilling, sending a ton of imesseages/regulat texts, communicating with loved ones and colleagues.

I really pushed this laptop in Seattle - its pretty much everything I do, researching cool things to do in Seattle - places to eat, drink, party, short trips, extending rental cars and hotels at least 4 times.

In reality, nothing you can't actually do with just an iPhone or laptop but honestly, when you're looking at so much information and all at once - websites, thrillist, reviews, hotel, car and flight searches and messages, it's just so much easier on a laptop.

I guess what I'm really getting at is - the portability is amazing. You really feel it, wherever you use it, in my hotel room, on the bed, moving it around and especially in my bag! For people that are travelers, this really is an ideal form factor. I first thought of the 13" as a compromise for portability. Now, I really see it as a BIG selling point.

Seriously, I have been highly satisfied with the 13", its everything I imagined and the portability shines through in all the moments/cases where I imagined it being helpful! Sometimes, I think its easy to dream up "typical use cases" and scenarios where you think something might be helpful. For me, this actually worked and I just think its the consequence of recognizing the awesome portability of the 13" and understanding your lifestyle etc. The 13" is definitely a machine that easily convinces you to take it, open it and use it everywhere you could imagine yourself. Seattle has some amazing coffee houses, with great views, spaces and it was just nice to have this light, stylish, sleek and yet fairly powerful machine.

In my hotel room or hotel room lobby, I would pull it up and was able to get more serious work done too! I had plenty of time where 30+ browser tabs were open and not a hiccup!

Let me just say right away, that in terms of power, I really don't feel any shortcomings/compromises at all. The 13" is a fine machine! I am also a typical user just like 90%-95 or 99%. I think as mac/computer fans, we can sometimes get carried away with specs etc but the truth is, most of us are and will be fairly light users in terms of computations power etc. In my research, the biggest things I have found is are you a gamer/do you do video editing? Those might change equation but again, I have also seen youtube videos where people edit 4k video using 12" macbook in final cut pro so...
there's a tendency to overestimate what you really need.

Again, can't overstate the amazing portability of the 13" form factor. I really am LOVING it guys! I'm happy and satisfied with my purchase.

a few other things - I do seem to have a few accidental wrong key hits - can't tell if its just because I'm still adjusting to new keyboard or the broader 15" to 13" form factor, but its not the biggest deal.

I think everything on the 13" is just more well proportioned - size of trackpad, speaker grills etc.

The one thing to point out though is when you come back to the 15" after spending a lot of time on the 13", the thing feels SO HUMONGOUS! Seriously, not just weight or size but literally, the screen space seems so much larger. I still use the 15" more often when I'm doing random tasks like just netflix/streaming from shady websites. So yeah, there's a fairly decent size perception difference between the 13" and 15". That might be something for some people to think about but again, during my 9 days when getting on my 15" wasn't an option, I didn't really notice and was just as happy. So part of his whole decision process (especially when going with a 13") is just picking one and sticking with it and trusting you will be happy.

I also edited my resume completely on the 13" (the period where I was inside the 14 day trial period) and had no issues.

Lastly, battery life - I wasn't too worried about this and personally did not compare as metric - lots of people online/on youtube can do that for you but with the 13" being super portable and being in seattle 9 days, I managed totally fine! Battery life was great and I could often use my 13" two days in a row multiple times (long sessions) between charging.
I tend to just keep power connected unless I really need to use battery, even in coffee shops etc but the 13" did great.

So yeah guys, I'm really happy! happy with purchase, satisfied and at ease. Looking back, yeah, the 13" does seem like an expensive purchase in general for a laptop but we already knew that with apple.

I maxxed out everything but maybe I would have been just fine with the base processor? maybe even base RAM too but I prefer to maxx out RAM for future proofing etc.

I think I'm going to stay with the 13" form factor now for a long time!

Maybe I should do this thread every year/whenever the 13" and 15" gets refreshed! I'm sure there will be lots of switchers between the 13" and 15" lines too.

I am planning on retiring the old 15" at some point here and then, I will exclusively be using the 13", I can post an update then too!

I spent some good dough and bought a custom made german felt sleeve for my 13" too.

Honestly, in the end, with my pre TSA, thinner, slim, portable laptop in gorgeous super simple sleeve, traveling, using in different cities and doing all sorts of things, the 13" just feels really SEXY, sleek. It fits perfectly into my young, adult life - the way I imagined/wanted it to. I highly recommend the 13" for most college kids, people travel a lot for work/pleasure and just in general too. Moving with this laptop on the couch and bed is just awesome! It's so much better when the device just fits exactly/perfectly to your needs - a lot like good fitting clothes, no bulk and light.

The 15" obviously has a market and will suit some people!

If you're still on the fence about 13", just do it!

And let's be real here: we can always reverse this decision - in a year or two or 4. If you're really unhappy with a 13", you will know it (in most cases pretty early) but I feel like a lot of people should really at least try the 13", not just in a store but order one and play with for 14 days or more.

Alright, that's all for now guys! 13" doing well and doing what I wanted it to!

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Looking to upgrade from my stock mid-2010 13" MBP.

Concerns: I hear the keyboard always gets stuck and that the fan is always on.

Hey, glad to know people are still utilizing this thread!

I can help here - on the 13" and presumably 15", I have had no issues using the 13" keyboard except a few incorrect strikes/user error because how acclimated I am to using the 15" 2010.

In terms of the fan, the new 13" is certainly the quietest laptop/machine I have ever owned. I have never even heard the fan - don't even know what it sounds like. Maybe it did turn but I never even noticed. I can't say what that's like on the 15". I'm presuming with the quad core and discreet card, it would be on more often but how loud and would it be annoying - I can't say.

The 13" might as well not have a fan like the 12" and keep in mind, I'm using the maxxed out version and did have 30+ tabs open in browser at many points.

Since you have owned the 13 before, I think you would be just fine. You're right, even the base 13" or any of the new machines would be a significant upgrade - screen, speakers, keyboard, space gray finish, super thin and light.

Why don't you just order the 13" and see how you feel over the 14 day return period. You can come back and tell us your thoughts etc.

I feel like you will get great value on the 13" itself. Owning a 2010 15" and regularly switching between 13" and 15", I do get the wishing screen was bigger sometimes - especially when watching youtube/netflix but that's about it. I definitely love the portability of the 13" so that out favors these small things.

You should also look at all the pictures I posted and read my update post above.