2015 rMB refurb or go with 2016 brand new rMB

[Eggtastic]

So the WWDS brought nothing along the lines of the MBP. I honestly don't even need the pro so figured the rMB would be best. My tasks are light, so I could get away with the low end of the bunch to save money.

However, that "extra hour" of battery life is tempting as that is important to me. Also, wondering if refurbs batteries are new or do the have the previous owners cycles on it which would make it worse over time?

What would you do in my position? Go with a refurb 2015 rMB (higher spec because of decreased price) or go 2016 rMB m3 256gb? I believe price difference is about $200+.

Benefits of refurb:
Better price
Able to get higher storage option for less

Benefits of new :
Only person to use it
Latest chip set (though my tasks are not processor heavy).
Better battery

 

[KPOM]

Refurbished devices have new batteries and the case is reconditioned as necessary. It is basically as good as new. The 2015 "m5" was my Mac for the past year. It is very good and I doubt you'd notice much difference between it and the 2016 m3.

 

[Hellhammer]

Do you need the extra storage? I think that's the main question as the 2016 model is otherwise better (longer battery life, faster storage...).

 

[Trey M]

Yeah I think the most important question here is how important the SSD size is for you. If you need or even strongly prefer 512GB, to me the 2015 option is a no-brainer, especially considering the cheaper price.

However, if the SSD size really isn't a big priority for you (you can always use cloud or external storage), I'd definitely suggest the 2016 model. $200 isn't a huge difference in price: the 2016 is just overall more refined than the 2015 and, in my opinion, it fixed some of the build quality issues of the 2015 model. The battery increase alone could justify the price difference.

If it were me, I'd definitely take the 2015 refurb as SSD storage is a big priority for me. I'll never buy another computer with less than 512GB. I also strongly believe Apple refurbs roughly equal the quality/longevity of a retail model, based on personal experience and this forum. But for most people, many whom don't even utilize 128GB storage, I'd argue the 2016 is the better buy.

 

[Dunbar]

I was considering a 2016 M7 Macbook but ended up getting a base 12" 2015 refurb. For $929 vs. $1549 I couldn't justify the price difference. Even comparing base model 2015 to 2016 base model the same critique applies in my case. My plan is to keep the 2015 model for 2-3 years and upgrade to a new Macbook when I feel it packs enough performance/features to last my 5 years.

 

[Eggtastic]

I was considering a 2016 M7 Macbook but ended up getting a base 12" 2015 refurb. For $929 vs. $1549 I couldn't justify the price difference. Even comparing base model 2015 to 2016 base model the same critique applies in my case. My plan is to keep the 2015 model for 2-3 years and upgrade to a new Macbook when I feel it packs enough performance/features to last my 5 years.

That is actually a good idea. I normally keep my computers for 5+ years but may try this route for the next 2-3 and go from there. Thanks for the input.