The Definitive 2017 Macbook Pro 13 inch or 15 inch Thread

[tomdwan]

Awesome thread, I have revisited this multiple times, some really good entries.

Sadly, I still haven't been able to make up my mind between 13'' and 15'', so it would be great to get your guys' input.

So first, let's start with the context

A) Use Cases
I am kind of a consultant, so main uses are Office, PowerPoint with large files >1 GB, client presentations (where there can be no hiccups), browsing with 30-50 Tabs, occasional video streaming, occasional video editing (mostly 1080p, but want to keep 4K option open).

During my workshops, I typically switch back and forth between PowerPoint, Excel files, maybe some videos and Google chrome with lots of tabs.

I know that these are very light use cases, but my goal is to do these as fast and professionally as possible

B) Budget considerations and other devices I own.
Budget is not the main concern here, not because I am super rich, but because I just like gadgets and want to maximize performance for my use cases.
I already own a 27'' iMac 5k and a 10.5 iPad Pro with a Smartkeyboard, so you could argue that I have both the power and portability case covered, but when I am traveling, I still need a powerful laptop.

I also have a 2015 12'' MacBook, but this one is definitely too slow, even for my light use case.

I work mostly from home and travel maybe 1 day a week for client workshops and presentations (where everything has to go super smoothly). But even at home, I don't want to be stuck at my desk with the iMac but want to be able to move anywhere in the house.

C) My considerations so far

Pros 15'':
-future proofing in case I want to make this my only computer in the future and get rid of my iMac and the ability to drive two 5k displays
-future proofing in case I want to do more demanding stuff with it in the future (video editing in 4K, some programming or work with data)
-more productive because I can use split view and work with two apps at the same time

Cons 15'':
-portability: I am afraid it will be so bulky that I won't enjoy using it on my lap/bed/couch/hotel lobby/plane/train. Is it really that bad?
-usability: have never worked for any extensive period of time on a 15'' before, but the keyboard layout compared to the rest of the body just seems weird to me, with the huge areas where you would rest your hands. Is the overall typing experience nicer on the 13'' or 15''? All other considerations aside, is it more enjoyable to sit at a desk and work on a sigle document using the 15'' with a larger screen or the 13'' with the more natural keyboard (in my opinion)

Right now, I am torn between the following configurations

-13 '', Touchbar, base CPU, 512 GB, 16 GB RAM
-15'', Touchbar, base CPU, 512 GB, 16 GB RAM, 4 GB graphics card

Would really love to hear from people who have similar use cases and/or considerations to share their thoughts and experiences!
@OSXCrusader @lobo1978 would love to hear your takes


THANKS in advance!

 

[Fthree]

one thing I've wondered is why are there 30-50 tabs open on some of your macs? Most I've ever had is probably 6-7 (unknowingly)

 

[Abaganov]

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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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.

This is gold , thank you so much for this update

 

[doitdada]

one thing I've wondered is why are there 30-50 tabs open on some of your macs? Most I've ever had is probably 6-7 (unknowingly)

Happens from time to time with multiple windows, screens etc. You just drag the tab out and you could add another row of tabs in browser window. repeat until one of us passes the f%ck out.

 

[Abaganov]

Hi OSXCrusader,

I also tend to over analyze and over think these sorts of decisions, so I can sympathize with the struggle. How about approaching this decision from a different perspective by breaking the choice down into desires vs practicality?

Most decisions and purchases are made based on desire and emotion. Part of your conundrum could be that you desire both the smallest laptop possible and the most powerful laptop possible. I share your desire, but these two desires are in conflict, as more power requires larger processors, larger cooling systems, larger power supplies, and an overall larger chassis/platform. Just look at PC gaming laptops that include more powerful GPUs and are setup for extended usage, they are massive in both size and weight.

Unfortunately, the laptop market isn’t like the supercar market, and we don’t have hundreds of exotic brands and models to choose from. Instead, the laptop market is consumer driven with mass-appeal designs optimized for high-volume production. I would love a 13-inch model that exchanged smaller speakers, smaller trackpad, and no TouchBar for a more powerful CPU/GPU setup that rivals the 15-inch, but that probably isn’t going to happen with Apple (maybe Razer at some point in the future).

Within the Apple ecosystem the MacBook Pro line offers the best performance, and both the 13-inch and 15-inch models pretty much offer the most performance for a given thickness, size and weight. That was Apple’s goal with the new 2016/2017 platform, and if you are in that market then you have excellent options to choose from. If you want more power than the 13-inch, then the 15-inch is the next smallest platform possible. However, if the 15-inch is too large, then you can rest assured that you are pretty much getting the best performance possible within the 13-inch platform.

Does that help make the 13-inch or the 15-inch more appealing?

No, then how about this: Is your desire to have the most powerful laptop in the smallest platform stronger than the desire to have the best regardless of other factors? If so, then that is easy because a new maxed out 13-inch Pro is likely the best laptop per inch/pound available. If not, and you need to have the best-of-the-best from Apple, then get the 15-inch.

Feeling like there’s a winner now?

No, then try this exercise: Imagine pulling out your new laptop from its case, will the cool factor be higher if it is an ultra slim and sleek 13-inch? Or will your pulse race knowing it is a 15-inch rocket ship, the baddest machine in the place? That might sound silly, but since money and usage are not huge variable, you should go with whatever pulls on your heart strings the most.

Okay, so you know which laptop you want now, right?

No, well lets take a look at the practical side of the decision: For starters, consider that the 2017 15-inch model is so much thinner, smaller and lighter compared to your 2010 15-inch model that it offers a reduction even compared to 2010 13-inch models. Basically, it’s a win-win with a new 15-inch that is thinner, smaller and lighter for mobile usage, plus infinitely more powerful than your old laptop.

There you go, 15-inch for power, all good?

No, well then get go for a 13-inch and still get a performance upgrade but in a radically thinner, smaller and lighter platform because based on your usage, the 13-inch is the laptop model I would recommend. I usually recommend a 13-inch over the 15-inch unless running high-demand applications for extended periods of time (gaming, photo/video editing, 3D model work/rendering, virtual machines, data processing, etc) or using multiple 4/5K external displays. An eGPU will help to mitigate some of those issues in the future, but it’s still not clear how well it will be implement and when it will become a simple off-the-shelf plug-and-play user experience.

Based on your usage, you are a good candidate for a 13-inch over 15-inch. You can save some money, space and weight by going 13-inch, but you can save even more money by going 1TB. I recommend adding up your current storage requirements and doubling it to future proof and allow plenty of room for travel photo downloads. If money is less of an issue, and you want to keep older archived data on your laptop, then 2TB is a good option.

So there you go, some additional thoughts and recommendations from someone who also over analyzes and over thinks these sorts of things. Whatever your choice, you will be in for a serious treat with overall experience when moving to either the 2012-2015 Retina generation or 2016-2017 Touch Bar generation MacBook Pros. Enjoy the upgrade!

Amazing post there, thank you.

 

[tim1000]

Awesome thread, I have revisited this multiple times, some really good entries.

Sadly, I still haven't been able to make up my mind between 13'' and 15'', so it would be great to get your guys' input.

So first, let's start with the context

A) Use Cases
I am kind of a consultant, so main uses are Office, PowerPoint with large files >1 GB, client presentations (where there can be no hiccups), browsing with 30-50 Tabs, occasional video streaming, occasional video editing (mostly 1080p, but want to keep 4K option open).

During my workshops, I typically switch back and forth between PowerPoint, Excel files, maybe some videos and Google chrome with lots of tabs.

I know that these are very light use cases, but my goal is to do these as fast and professionally as possible

B) Budget considerations and other devices I own.
Budget is not the main concern here, not because I am super rich, but because I just like gadgets and want to maximize performance for my use cases.
I already own a 27'' iMac 5k and a 10.5 iPad Pro with a Smartkeyboard, so you could argue that I have both the power and portability case covered, but when I am traveling, I still need a powerful laptop.

I also have a 2015 12'' MacBook, but this one is definitely too slow, even for my light use case.

I work mostly from home and travel maybe 1 day a week for client workshops and presentations (where everything has to go super smoothly). But even at home, I don't want to be stuck at my desk with the iMac but want to be able to move anywhere in the house.

C) My considerations so far

Pros 15'':
-future proofing in case I want to make this my only computer in the future and get rid of my iMac and the ability to drive two 5k displays
-future proofing in case I want to do more demanding stuff with it in the future (video editing in 4K, some programming or work with data)
-more productive because I can use split view and work with two apps at the same time

Cons 15'':
-portability: I am afraid it will be so bulky that I won't enjoy using it on my lap/bed/couch/hotel lobby/plane/train. Is it really that bad?
-usability: have never worked for any extensive period of time on a 15'' before, but the keyboard layout compared to the rest of the body just seems weird to me, with the huge areas where you would rest your hands. Is the overall typing experience nicer on the 13'' or 15''? All other considerations aside, is it more enjoyable to sit at a desk and work on a sigle document using the 15'' with a larger screen or the 13'' with the more natural keyboard (in my opinion)

Right now, I am torn between the following configurations

-13 '', Touchbar, base CPU, 512 GB, 16 GB RAM
-15'', Touchbar, base CPU, 512 GB, 16 GB RAM, 4 GB graphics card

Would really love to hear from people who have similar use cases and/or considerations to share their thoughts and experiences!
@OSXCrusader @lobo1978 would love to hear your takes


THANKS in advance!

good post.

 

[lobo1978]

Awesome thread, I have revisited this multiple times, some really good entries.

Sadly, I still haven't been able to make up my mind between 13'' and 15'', so it would be great to get your guys' input.

So first, let's start with the context

A) Use Cases
I am kind of a consultant, so main uses are Office, PowerPoint with large files >1 GB, client presentations (where there can be no hiccups), browsing with 30-50 Tabs, occasional video streaming, occasional video editing (mostly 1080p, but want to keep 4K option open).

During my workshops, I typically switch back and forth between PowerPoint, Excel files, maybe some videos and Google chrome with lots of tabs.

I know that these are very light use cases, but my goal is to do these as fast and professionally as possible

B) Budget considerations and other devices I own.
Budget is not the main concern here, not because I am super rich, but because I just like gadgets and want to maximize performance for my use cases.
I already own a 27'' iMac 5k and a 10.5 iPad Pro with a Smartkeyboard, so you could argue that I have both the power and portability case covered, but when I am traveling, I still need a powerful laptop.

I also have a 2015 12'' MacBook, but this one is definitely too slow, even for my light use case.

I work mostly from home and travel maybe 1 day a week for client workshops and presentations (where everything has to go super smoothly). But even at home, I don't want to be stuck at my desk with the iMac but want to be able to move anywhere in the house.

C) My considerations so far

Pros 15'':
-future proofing in case I want to make this my only computer in the future and get rid of my iMac and the ability to drive two 5k displays
-future proofing in case I want to do more demanding stuff with it in the future (video editing in 4K, some programming or work with data)
-more productive because I can use split view and work with two apps at the same time

Cons 15'':
-portability: I am afraid it will be so bulky that I won't enjoy using it on my lap/bed/couch/hotel lobby/plane/train. Is it really that bad?
-usability: have never worked for any extensive period of time on a 15'' before, but the keyboard layout compared to the rest of the body just seems weird to me, with the huge areas where you would rest your hands. Is the overall typing experience nicer on the 13'' or 15''? All other considerations aside, is it more enjoyable to sit at a desk and work on a sigle document using the 15'' with a larger screen or the 13'' with the more natural keyboard (in my opinion)

Right now, I am torn between the following configurations

-13 '', Touchbar, base CPU, 512 GB, 16 GB RAM
-15'', Touchbar, base CPU, 512 GB, 16 GB RAM, 4 GB graphics card

Would really love to hear from people who have similar use cases and/or considerations to share their thoughts and experiences!
@OSXCrusader @lobo1978 would love to hear your takes


THANKS in advance!

Hi @tomdwan , after reading your post on how you use the laptop, it seems that you are almost matching my case. I switched from 13" rMBP (Touchbar version 2016) to 15" rMBP (i7 3.1, 16 GB, 512 GB, Radeon 560 4GB VRAM).

I do not use the car now and commute by bike (I am abroad on a contract for next 2-4 years). I have to carry my stuff in a backpack so I was worried about weight and safety of my stuff. Macbook become my only work machine (main reason to switch to 13"), I left iMac 5k back home.

Long story short - after a couple of months I still have zero regrets picking up 15". (<- period)

Notes:
- Forget to work with this computer on a plane in economy class. I have a big iPad Pro to serve me. On short flights, I just chill (it was difficult as I am workaholic with minor ADD symptoms )
- Airports, trains, coffee shops are more than ok for me
- I have no problems handling this computer on my lap. I do love its size and sturdiness.
- I do not like sitting in front of a big monitor in one place (as you do). I am most productive in "ninja" mode. I move around and I get this beautiful piece of hardware with me all the time ready to pick whatever I throw at it... L O V E it.
- Battery life is decent but not fantastic - when discrete GPU kicks in you will have 3-4 hrs on full charge - do not expect more. It is ok for me though. Because of USB-C (best decision ever by Apple), I can charge this machine from external battery (if needed - I will definitely pick up Mophie powerstation USB-C XXL)
- I do not use dongles because I am all wireless and/or converted to USB-C already. Love USB-C!
- I was worried about typing experience on 15" - no issues whatsoever. It is super comfortable, no problems with trackpad too. Just works - flawlessly - all the time.

Now to the most important factor in my choice:

- It was uber important for me to have smooth operations during the presentations for clients and training (as you do) - I do lots of workshops on-site and online, handling lots of - really lots of different data (1-10 GB) + 4-5 demanding apps + 1 or 2 VM at the same time + Samsung T5 (1 TB external repository) + connected to 4K or high res monitor (+60").
CONCLUSION:
13" was NOT cutting this job right - it was too slow -- I was getting distracted during the presentation by my sluggish laptop and trying to compensate (waiting after clicking, handling lags etc.) -- instead of focusing on delivering. Forget about getting more RAM or GHz for TWO Cores i5/i7. For my use-case, it was just NOT enough. I have to have reliability 100% of a time. I couldn't tolerate that 13" could do the job 80% of a time.

In my opinion, Apple designed 15" version first and then they downscaled it to 13" removing powerful CPU/GPU because of a smaller cooling envelope.

I hope it will help you make final decision in favour of 15"

At this point (and after actually owning 13" rMBP 2016 with and without TB) if I was to pick up 13" version for this or other reason I will get base 13" rMBP without TB. You will not notice speed difference but you will get better battery life.


Cheers!

 

[Uncle_Smith]

Firstly, what a great post; this has to be the most definitive 13” vs 15” discussion on the net. Nice one OSXCrusader!

It was a good read and was nice to know that others have been through the same ‘journey’ when deciding how to invest - which was both a logical and an emotional decision!

Anyway I thought I would contribute as my situation was slightly different; my main use of the machine is for Lightroom and Photoshop.

I initially bought a fully spec’d (3.5GHz, 16Gb) 2017 13” MBP touchbar due to its size and weight. I loved the idea of sitting on the sofa/bed working, or in a coffee shop looking cool etc. etc. And after buying it I instantly fell in love with it.

However, I couldn’t help feeling disappointed with the performance in Lightroom which led me to do more research; I just had to know what the dGPU was like in the 15”..

So I ended up with both and had the chance to run them side by side (a base model 15” 2.9GHz touchbar). After much testing I determined the 15” was quicker in virtually (but not) all tasks, not by much, but noticeable. It opens and closes apps quicker, but in Lightroom it flicks between photos quicker in the Develop module - that’s useful for me.

I really would have been happy with the speed of the 13” but it was the size of the screen that tipped the balance, the 15” was clearly better for my needs (even though the 13” resolution is better).

Having both side by side made me realise that the extra pixels on the screen of the 15 outweighed the portability of the 13. I simply preferred the bigger screen and even with it on my lap on the sofa the 15” was fine. The only thing making me want to keep the 13 was that it was cooler! It really is a sexy machine..!

So I reluctantly packed up the 13” and sent it back to Apple and am living happily ever after with my 15”. The End!

 

[smallcoffee]

Firstly, what a great post; this has to be the most definitive 13” vs 15” discussion on the net. Nice one OSXCrusader!

It was a good read and was nice to know that others have been through the same ‘journey’ when deciding how to invest - which was both a logical and an emotional decision!

I think something that everybody should keep in mind here is that the purchase of a computer - any computer - is not an investment. The reason I say this is because sometimes I think we look at a nice laptop (and I'm guilty of this too) and think of it as an investment and therefore help to give ourselves justification to purchase it even if we may not have the funds or something along those lines.

 

[Melbourne Park]

I had (in fact I through it out only 11 months ago but hadn't used it for years) a Titanium 15" macbook pro. However despite Titanium being fatigue free, it did not have enough titanium in it (too thin) and the case flexed over the top of the CD drawer. The following aluminium ones I think were stronger although heavier. Much later Apple discovered the machining of alloy concept which changed the game and made alloy notebooks rigid.

I thought the 15" would replace a desktop, but it couldn't. However now I use a 13" for a lot of things and it now seems big enough.

I'm hoping the 15" I'm getting will be small enough to handle. I'm looking forward to the GPU as I've been renovating and the Air is to slow for Light Up which gives realistic colour etc to Sketchup, the Cad tool I've been using. Could be fun for video and photoshop too. But I doubt the touch bar will be useful for me, as for instance, I have Photoshop CS6 which was the last version you could purchase. It won't be touch bar friendly. I don't want to have to pay for software every year, so I'm sticking with CS6. I can't run CS6 on my desktop and my notebook though (I think) and while the 15" will be fast enough, for photo work I would use the calibrated monitor on my PowerMac, so I doubt I'll be able to use CS6 on this new machine. Shame about that really. So while its powerful I doubt I'll be able to really take advantage of the power.

 

[JeroenDebruyne]

I had both the 13" & 15" 2017 models.

I heard the fan on the 15", on the 13" the fan is either silent or has never come on.

Is this correct that the fan on the 13" touchbar is not turning on in IDLE / light use? Since it also has 2 fans compare to the 15 " ?

I am also trying to decide for getting the 15" or 13 " .

My usage: alot of email, browsing, remote support, photoshop, web development etc... 70% of the time the laptop will be hooked to one external monitor. The other 30% I take the laptop with me to clients.

I also use windows 10 vm .

Even though the way I see it the 13" touchbar is more than enough for my needs. But I am really wondering on those fans. I thought on both models with touchbar they ran 1200 RPM in idle all the time.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

Supposedly the 13” MBP fans don’t wind up until needed (start at 0 RPM). The 15” MBP fans run at roughly 2K RPM from startup. The 15” CPU outputs ~20W more heat than the 13” MBP w/touchbar and also has a dGPU so cooling needs are higher with the 15” MBP.

 

[JeroenDebruyne]

Supposedly the 13” MBP fans don’t wind up until needed (start at 0 RPM). The 15” MBP fans run at roughly 2K RPM from startup. The 15” CPU outputs ~20W more heat than the 13” MBP w/touchbar and also has a dGPU so cooling needs are higher with the 15” MBP.

Even the fans on the 13" touchbar version or only the non touchbar ?

I think for what I need to do the 13" is more than fine.

 

[tomdwan]

Hi @tomdwan , after reading your post on how you use the laptop, it seems that you are almost matching my case. I switched from 13" rMBP (Touchbar version 2016) to 15" rMBP (i7 3.1, 16 GB, 512 GB, Radeon 560 4GB VRAM).

I do not use the car now and commute by bike (I am abroad on a contract for next 2-4 years). I have to carry my stuff in a backpack so I was worried about weight and safety of my stuff. Macbook become my only work machine (main reason to switch to 13"), I left iMac 5k back home.

Long story short - after a couple of months I still have zero regrets picking up 15". (<- period)

Notes:
- Forget to work with this computer on a plane in economy class. I have a big iPad Pro to serve me. On short flights, I just chill (it was difficult as I am workaholic with minor ADD symptoms )
- Airports, trains, coffee shops are more than ok for me
- I have no problems handling this computer on my lap. I do love its size and sturdiness.
- I do not like sitting in front of a big monitor in one place (as you do). I am most productive in "ninja" mode. I move around and I get this beautiful piece of hardware with me all the time ready to pick whatever I throw at it... L O V E it.
- Battery life is decent but not fantastic - when discrete GPU kicks in you will have 3-4 hrs on full charge - do not expect more. It is ok for me though. Because of USB-C (best decision ever by Apple), I can charge this machine from external battery (if needed - I will definitely pick up Mophie powerstation USB-C XXL)
- I do not use dongles because I am all wireless and/or converted to USB-C already. Love USB-C!
- I was worried about typing experience on 15" - no issues whatsoever. It is super comfortable, no problems with trackpad too. Just works - flawlessly - all the time.

Now to the most important factor in my choice:

- It was uber important for me to have smooth operations during the presentations for clients and training (as you do) - I do lots of workshops on-site and online, handling lots of - really lots of different data (1-10 GB) + 4-5 demanding apps + 1 or 2 VM at the same time + Samsung T5 (1 TB external repository) + connected to 4K or high res monitor (+60").
CONCLUSION:
13" was NOT cutting this job right - it was too slow -- I was getting distracted during the presentation by my sluggish laptop and trying to compensate (waiting after clicking, handling lags etc.) -- instead of focusing on delivering. Forget about getting more RAM or GHz for TWO Cores i5/i7. For my use-case, it was just NOT enough. I have to have reliability 100% of a time. I couldn't tolerate that 13" could do the job 80% of a time.

In my opinion, Apple designed 15" version first and then they downscaled it to 13" removing powerful CPU/GPU because of a smaller cooling envelope.

I hope it will help you make final decision in favour of 15"

At this point (and after actually owning 13" rMBP 2016 with and without TB) if I was to pick up 13" version for this or other reason I will get base 13" rMBP without TB. You will not notice speed difference but you will get better battery life.


Cheers!

@lobo1978 thanks for your answer.
-Great to hear from someone with similar uses cases and to hear that there IS a performance improvement with the 15''
-Most people would just dismiss it outright that only VR developers or 4k filmmakers would benefit from the 15''.

-I hate the feeling of being nervous about possible (or actual) lags during presentation, it really makes me uncomfortable and makes work less enjoyable.

-also good to hear that it's neither too bulky nor too difficult to type on.

-good point also about the 13'' nTB. I feel like with apple, you either buy the cheapest or the most expensive model, everything in between feels kind of meh and is still expensive...

I think I'll wait if there is any spec bump when the iMac Pro is released in December and then I'll get the 15".

Thanks again for your input!

 

[Melbourne Park]

Yeh Photoshop likes multi threads and the GPU also I think; a 4GB GPU would assist a large screen too I'd have though but I don't know. I've not heard may 15" fans turn on yet, but I should do some CAD work and find out.

 

[808Guy]

Went e swith the 13" after almost ten years with my 17" MBP. I was quite upset with the discontinuance of the 17" MBP to say the least, which is why I put off buying another MBP for so long. After a decade of graphic design and post production for TV/movies, it now sits at home relegated to use as a jukebox, and extra machine in case I need to have someone assist on a project for me in the studio. To say that I got maximum use out of it is a understatement. AS I was wrapping up my new purchase, a few of techs at the local Apple Store even came out to say it was one the best taken care of laptops they had ever seen and they loved working on it, not a mark or scratch on it.

My needs are different now, and since I use a pair of external monitors at home, at work, and at some of my client's locations, my need for the extra on board real estate has dwindled significantly. The few times I have used the 13 as a stand alone, like now post ting this, it works great for me.

 

[JeroenDebruyne]

I opted and bought the 13 inch touchbar with 512GB SSD and 16gb.

For my needs its more than fine, light photoshop, remote support, win 10 VM or bootcamp if needed .

Will be connected to external monitor most of the time. And I like something like to take with me aswell.

If I need more power I will just buy an iMac or other desktop.

 

[CyberMew]

I'm also having issues picking between 13 (touch bar and non touchbar) and 15. I've been debating internally for a few days now. I am worried about the big hand rest area on the 15 not being comfortable, about the battery usage being drained quickly (less usage hours), being noisy and less performing as compared to the 13.

I'm planning to get 16GB ram and 512GB SSD.

So far my research (please correct me if I am wrong) has led me to believe that:

13" non touch bar
Slower wifi chip
More battery life due to bigger battery size and no power needed to drive the touch bar
2 USB c ports only
Smaller and sleek, easier to manhandle and put in my man purse if I have one

13" touch bar
Slower wifi chip
Decent battery life but still lose to the non touch bar due to powering the touch bar and smaller battery
4 USB c ports but only the left 2 are performing fully (not a big issue)

13" in general
Smaller profile - more reason to bring it everywhere easily and hand rest size is smaller so maybe easier to type for a longer time?
Silent most of the time
Relatively performant for its size but unfortunately it is 2 core. (Wished they had waited till now to upgrade it to 8th generation)

15" touch bar
Poorer battery life but that is to be expected with the discrete graphics card and the touchbar
Large form factor
Noise?
4 USB c ports but I will most likely be using a dongle anyway

My main usages are mostly server Java ee development running eclipse, Xcode, database like mongoDB as well as running chat clients and of course browser with lots of tabs (but that don't matter because the memory size is fixed and we are on SSD), all running at the same time. In my free time I develop/publish in Unity (mostly mobile type, but we always need to run a few clients and a server to test multiplayer networking) and of course VS Code, as well as playing steam games like Civ 6 or left 4 dead 2 with friends occasionally. I'm also planning to work on web stuff in the future but I don't think that would be too much on the machine. I'm also planning to learn some video editing with davinci resolve to edit some of my GoPro videos (of course I won't be running everything concurrently but the browser tabs is always on )

My first and foremost worry about getting the 15" is throttling. That means losing peformance (because the cpu slows down) and being noisy (fan spins up to dissipate the heat) at almost the same time. That would be irritating say in a quiet work environment or if someone is sleeping nearby or if we were in a library. So far I've read a few accounts of 15 losing to 13 (with touchbar or not) or even to older MacBooks (there's a YouTube video on this)! If getting the 15 means lesser sustained performance then would 13 be a better pick? I'm not so worried if I can use it in coffeeshop or on planes. The laptop is usually from one stationary point to another. It's never used on the go. So battery isn't a big problem for me since I'm usually not outside for like 4-5 hours in one sitting, and more than that I'll always be carrying the charger or power bank just in case. Another reason is that when we are developing stuff intensively we usually will be focused for a couple hours, so pulling out the 15" in a coffeeshop or on-the-lap flight environment is really not conducive for me at least. One can argue that they can always sit in a corner and put on their headphones.. but I digress. Screen estate is always good (programmers like to see lots of text), so for my cases where an external monitor is not possible, I feel that the larger screen would be more handy to have. I will most likely be putting it in a laptop sleeve to carry it around either by hand or inside a backpack.

I would've gone with the iMac since it's cheaper and comes with a bigger screen and accessories but unfortunately I need to carry it around on occasion and my previous laptop has died almost a year ago. I have used Mac minis at work but not owned any macbook laptop products before.

Ok I think I have said too much and maybe even be repeating myself, but currently I'm looking at either the 15 TB upgraded to 4GB vram or get the default highest configuration (their only difference is the 0.1Ghz slight bump in cpu clock for like $50 more?). Can someone dispel my 15" worries so that I can proceed with my order? Or should I stick with 13 instead?

 

[tomdwan]

I'm also having issues picking between 13 (touch bar and non touchbar) and 15. I've been debating internally for a few days now. I am worried about the big hand rest area on the 15 not being comfortable, about the battery usage being drained quickly (less usage hours), being noisy and less performing as compared to the 13.

I'm planning to get 16GB ram and 512GB SSD.

So far my research (please correct me if I am wrong) has led me to believe that:

13" non touch bar
Slower wifi chip
More battery life due to bigger battery size and no power needed to drive the touch bar
2 USB c ports only
Smaller and sleek, easier to manhandle and put in my man purse if I have one

13" touch bar
Slower wifi chip
Decent battery life but still lose to the non touch bar due to powering the touch bar and smaller battery
4 USB c ports but only the left 2 are performing fully (not a big issue)

13" in general
Smaller profile - more reason to bring it everywhere easily and hand rest size is smaller so maybe easier to type for a longer time?
Silent most of the time
Relatively performant for its size but unfortunately it is 2 core. (Wished they had waited till now to upgrade it to 8th generation)

15" touch bar
Poorer battery life but that is to be expected with the discrete graphics card and the touchbar
Large form factor
Noise?
4 USB c ports but I will most likely be using a dongle anyway

My main usages are mostly server Java ee development running eclipse, Xcode, database like mongoDB as well as running chat clients and of course browser with lots of tabs (but that don't matter because the memory size is fixed and we are on SSD), all running at the same time. In my free time I develop/publish in Unity (mostly mobile type, but we always need to run a few clients and a server to test multiplayer networking) and of course VS Code, as well as playing steam games like Civ 6 or left 4 dead 2 with friends occasionally. I'm also planning to work on web stuff in the future but I don't think that would be too much on the machine. I'm also planning to learn some video editing with davinci resolve to edit some of my GoPro videos (of course I won't be running everything concurrently but the browser tabs is always on )

My first and foremost worry about getting the 15" is throttling. That means losing peformance (because the cpu slows down) and being noisy (fan spins up to dissipate the heat) at almost the same time. That would be irritating say in a quiet work environment or if someone is sleeping nearby or if we were in a library. So far I've read a few accounts of 15 losing to 13 (with touchbar or not) or even to older MacBooks (there's a YouTube video on this)! If getting the 15 means lesser sustained performance then would 13 be a better pick? I'm not so worried if I can use it in coffeeshop or on planes. The laptop is usually from one stationary point to another. It's never used on the go. So battery isn't a big problem for me since I'm usually not outside for like 4-5 hours in one sitting, and more than that I'll always be carrying the charger or power bank just in case. Another reason is that when we are developing stuff intensively we usually will be focused for a couple hours, so pulling out the 15" in a coffeeshop or on-the-lap flight environment is really not conducive for me at least. One can argue that they can always sit in a corner and put on their headphones.. but I digress. Screen estate is always good (programmers like to see lots of text), so for my cases where an external monitor is not possible, I feel that the larger screen would be more handy to have. I will most likely be putting it in a laptop sleeve to carry it around either by hand or inside a backpack.

I would've gone with the iMac since it's cheaper and comes with a bigger screen and accessories but unfortunately I need to carry it around on occasion and my previous laptop has died almost a year ago. I have used Mac minis at work but not owned any macbook laptop products before.

Ok I think I have said too much and maybe even be repeating myself, but currently I'm looking at either the 15 TB upgraded to 4GB vram or get the default highest configuration (their only difference is the 0.1Ghz slight bump in cpu clock for like $50 more?). Can someone dispel my 15" worries so that I can proceed with my order? Or should I stick with 13 instead?

I've been back and forth on this myself, but in the end, the 15'' will always give you more performance and more options down the line, and for a 3k investment, I would future-proof it as much as possible and take the 15''

 

[CyberMew]

I'm still worried it not increasing the peformance much as compared to a 13. The advantages going from 13 to 15 is not as much. It is like 13 has reach a certain bar, and that bar fits a lot of people. 15 is only slightly higher in terms of the bar for a bigger effort (which is this case is a bulkier profile, an upgraded wifi chipset and more USB c ports and slightly bigger screen size and maybe even peformance. But as I mentioned the performance is even poorer than 13 in some cases). It is not as if the SSD used is a faster one or if the memory is bigger between the models. Why would I go with 15 if the peformance sustain is worse than a 13? Maybe for that few seconds while the laptop is cool that peformance is faster than 13 for sure but with all the heat quickly generate we got to say bye bye to performance... Someone please correct me if am wrong!

 

[calexandre]

one thing I've wondered is why are there 30-50 tabs open on some of your macs? Most I've ever had is probably 6-7 (unknowingly)

I almost always have that many open, and sometimes more. I'm an academic, and a lot of times doing historical research and writing requires having umpteen academic articles or historical newspaper sources open at the same time so that I can shift amongst them and cross-reference in order to develop a multi-source picture of what was happening during whatever time period I'm examining. Friends in other fields (or those who simply work differently) are always wide-eyed at my squished-up row of dozens of tabs, but it's how I do my best work.

 

[newellj]

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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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.

Nice post. I used (and carried) a 15" for a while. It was awesome, but I came to the conclusion that at least for me it was more of a desktop replacement, and I didn't need it to be a desktop replacement. It felt light and compact (the 2016 and 2017 rMBPs are even more so), until you compared it to a 13". That was really the deciding factor for my uses and I went back to the 13" machines.

 

[rukind2]

Alright, here it is : The ultimate "Should I buy the 2017 13" or 15" Macbook Pro" thread.

I'm interested in people that sit and work at coffee shops with their 15" and look across and see someone with a 12" and think - oh, my macbook pro is so much more powerful but those folks have so much more space for their phones, keys, coffee on the table, are probably doing the same things on their machines that I am but are just as happy but spent less.

This is not intended to be a thread highjack, but a factor touched on in several posts (where do I use the laptop?) is the keyboard sound. I have a 2016 13" and a 2015 15". Initially, the 15" functioned as my desk top; the 13" traveled with me. The 13" keyboard was so much more noisy (clickity) then the 15" pre butterfly keyboard that I was unable to use the 13" in meetings or in places where there was little ambient noise. It's just too damned noisy. So now I trudge around with the 15", but it's worthwhile from the keyboard sound perspective.

 

[Dave245]

Those that have purchased the 13” with Touch Bar are you impressed with it? Also how is the 8GB model compared to getting the 16GB? Asking for when I upgrade from my 2011 MacBook Pro, that may be this year or next year not sure yet.

 

[tim1000]

Nice post. I used (and carried) a 15" for a while. It was awesome, but I came to the conclusion that at least for me it was more of a desktop replacement, and I didn't need it to be a desktop replacement. It felt light and compact (the 2016 and 2017 rMBPs are even more so), until you compared it to a 13". That was really the deciding factor for my uses and I went back to the 13" machines.

did you miss the extra screen size?

I am surprised the pool results are so much in favor of the 15.