Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

2016 vs 2017 Macbook Pro

T

tmoney468

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 13, 2007
590
86
Looking for some quick advice. There's a really good deal on the late 2016 MBPs, looking to get one for my wife. She has a 2011 MBP, so this will be quite an upgrade.

Is it worth it to pay extra $$ for the 2017 vs the 2016? The laptop probably won't be used for more than social media, some web stuff, and photo editing. From the looks now its about $600 cheaper for the 2016 with a faster processor.
 
They're under warranty for a year, so if/when there is a problem it will be covered.

Are you looking at the base model for $1799, the 2.9/460 for $1899, or the middle 2.7/512/455 for $2055?
 
If it's just for web browsing and photo editing I would definitely get the 2016 and save the 600. No brainer
 
the 2.9/460 for $1899 - the 2017's with similar specs are on sale for $2599 IIRC.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking, makes sense to get the 2016. I also get double the warranty on my credit card as well so if the keyboard becomes and issue outside of warranty I should still be good.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Elcompa
Yeah all you're really missing out on is hardware transcoding of 4K stuff. Get the 2016 (Base) and save that cash, no doubt you'll need to consider the cost of accessories such as a case and a few USB-C cables. At that price difference though it's an easy buy.
 
I've had both (bought a 2016, returned it when the 2017 was released) and they are mostly identical.
Performance might be a little better on the 2017 (2.9ghz vs 2.7ghz), but GPU performance is about the same (460 vs 560). The only thing I noticed was different right away was the keyboard. There have been some silent updates on the keyboard on the 2017's. It's quieter, and it isn't prone to the loud snappy noise as I got on the 2016.

Also, I've had far less issues with streaming music over bluetooth on the 2017. On the 2016 I had a lot of bluetooth interference by comparison. The 2017 also seems like it stays cooler and quieter when under heavy load (gaming, encoding, exporting photos).
 
I loved the design of the 2016 MacBook Pro Lineup except the ports when Apple announced it, I am usually all over the latest and greatest. Something told me to hold off for the next generation on this one though, and I am glad I did.

Look through the long list of complaints on the 2016 vs how much more quiet the forum is on the 2017. With how quickly they released the 2017 after the 2016, this version fixed a lot of the issues people complained about. D the research, and ultimately get what you are most comfortable with.

So far <knock wood> I am very happy with my decision.
 
We have a 2016 (2.0) ntb MBP and the 2017 (2.3) ntb MBP in the house. Both are 8/256 configuratuon. Gotta say, I dont see a huge dfference other than the 2017 keyboard may have the slightest bit more spring to it. I only use them for internet, MS office, Outlook mail, yahoo mail, streaming movies, iPhoto, a business phone program and SKype calls, so I dont really tax either of them. I think, if you have light usage, like I do, and you dont want to spend the money, the 2016 is perfectly fine. If money is not an issue, get the 2017 for perhaps the slightly better keyboard. And if you are even the slightest bit worried about the keyboard or general design (which you really shouldnt be), get AppleCare and it will get sorted out. JMHO
 
DougFNJ said:
I loved the design of the 2016 MacBook Pro Lineup except the ports when Apple announced it, I am usually all over the latest and greatest. Something told me to hold off for the next generation on this one though, and I am glad I did.

Look through the long list of complaints on the 2016 vs how much more quiet the forum is on the 2017. With how quickly they released the 2017 after the 2016, this version fixed a lot of the issues people complained about. D the research, and ultimately get what you are most comfortable with.

So far <knock wood> I am very happy with my decision.
Click to expand...
I'm not 100% sure about that - the complaints were mainly due to the lack of ports, the Touch Bar being under-utilised, the keyboard having shallower travel, no 32GB RAM option, the high price, no upgradeability, etc.

I don't doubt that the 2017 is a better machine by virtue of having Kaby Lake, but Apple (as one would expect) didn't backtrack on any major decision they made about the 2016 MBP.

The reason there are less complaints about the 2017 is that it was less of a shock second time around. Both are great computers, but at a $600 price difference I think it's a no brainer to just go for the 2016 model.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Elcompa
I was making the same decision and it eventually dawned on me it was a no-brainer - I got the 2.9/460 for 1899.

I held off adding Applecare+ at time of purchase though - still not sure. I'm mostly worried about the keyboard, but I also used a credit card that adds 24mo of warranty, so technically I'm covered on the keyboard issue for 3 years. And I really do think Apple will eventually do something about the keyboards because people running out of warranty are going to be very displeased paying $800 to have a design defect remedied.

Also have a toddler so the accident coverage may be a good idea...379 + 99 or 299 for an accident ain't cheap though.
 
The performance difference is negligible, but the 2017 models have far fewer heat-related keyboard issues.

I went through two top case replacements on my 2016 15" and all three keyboards made high pitched sounds when the computer was hot. They finally gave me a 2017 and it's been perfect even since.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 0837990, Elcompa and Naimfan
Weelious225 said:
The performance difference is negligible, but the 2017 models have far fewer heat-related keyboard issues.

I went through two top case replacements on my 2016 15" and all three keyboards made high pitched sounds when the computer was hot. They finally gave me a 2017 and it's been perfect even since.
Click to expand...

I experienced exactly the same. Two 2016 units with faulty keyboards, then the 2017 was released and I was within my refund period. Got the 2017, and no problems with the snappy keyboard sounds. Otherwise I don't really notice a difference between the two, except that the 2017 also seems to offer more stable bluetooth connection to my speakers and headphones, and it seems to run slightly cooler when I'm doing CPU/GPU intensive stuff like FCPX rendering, exporting a lot of images, transcoding video or playing games.
 
I just purchased a MBP nTB 16/512GB 2.0ghz refurb @Apple Online come with new 2017 type keyboard and no keyboard issue.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Elcompa
I might end up returning the laptop I got - I took a quick glance at the wife's laptop today and I added a 500GB SSD to it and she's using more than the 256GB the new one has so that's a huge issue.

Now to find a deal with 512GB...will probably lean to a 2017 now since a lot of the 2017s are sold out after the holiday blitz
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back