2018 15" vs 13" battery life and other questions

[tsukeyomi]

After years of watching MacBooks without buying i feel that i am ready to make this step (currently a Windows/Linux user). Since this will be a huge expense for me I'd like to make the right purchase. I will use this machine to code software and web apps (both backend and fronted stuff) and for my day to day tasks (but mostly for coding and developing software). I have some questions:

1) I am really debated over the 13" vs 15" matter. I really like the portability of the 13" but I'm afraid that for my use the 15" is a better screen size. So which one has the better battery life? That might help me decide, I'm talking about 2018 models of course.

2) I know that 13" is very portable, does the 15" feel too big to carry around everywhere and use on laps sometimes? I would also like to use it on the sofa or the bed sometimes (but not my typical usage, that would be on my desk with possibly an external monitor).

3) Is there any other reason I should consider while choosing between the 13" or 15" one based on my main usage? My main usage is coding and programming software.

 

[1096bimu]

1. 13"
2. yes
3. The 13" screen is rather small for anything that isn't full-screen.

 

[macloverHK]

1) 13"
2) I don't think so. I once owned 13" (2015) and now I'm using 15" (2018). Might be heavy to carry around but I get used to it quickly.
3) I do a lot of coding, too, and I prefer 15" since it gives me sufficient window areas.

 

[tsukeyomi]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I have some more questions:

1) Is it true that macbooks have international warranty? Is there an apple page saying that?

2) Should I worry about T2 chips kernel panics?

3) Is the keyboard finally fixed in the 2018 models or are there still issues with stuck keys?

4) if you could find the base 13" at around 1700€ and base 15" at around 2000€ (both 2018, brand new), which one would you choose and why?

 

[jsamuels]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I have some more questions:

1) Is it true that macbooks have international warranty? Is there an apple page saying that?

2) Should I worry about T2 chips kernel panics?

3) Is the keyboard finally fixed in the 2018 models or are there still issues with stuck keys?

4) if you could find the base 13" at around 1700€ and base 15" at around 2000€ (both 2018, brand new), which one would you choose and why?

I recently purchased a 13" MBP with TB. Here's my take:

1) yes
2) I haven't had any issue
3) I haven't had any issue
4) I went with 13" for portability. I switched from a 13" MBA for was already comfortable with the screen size.

 

[macloverHK]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I have some more questions:

1) Is it true that macbooks have international warranty? Is there an apple page saying that?

2) Should I worry about T2 chips kernel panics?

3) Is the keyboard finally fixed in the 2018 models or are there still issues with stuck keys?

4) if you could find the base 13" at around 1700€ and base 15" at around 2000€ (both 2018, brand new), which one would you choose and why?

1) Yes, as long as there's Apple Store in that country.
2) I once had this problem, but it was just once so I wasn't bothered to do anything. However the FaceTime camera of that machine had image distortion, I was able to get a brand new one as replacement even after two months. With this replacement machine running for over a month now, I haven't encountered a single kernel panic. But if you need it for mission critical uses, I suggest you skip any device with T2 chip.
3) This will probably take a year for the problem to surface. Can't tell you that now.
4) Not sure which country you're in, so I assume you're talking about base models and not BTO. The 13" has 8 GB RAM and 15" has 16 GB RAM, so you should go for 15" because your main use is coding. IDEs take a lot of memory, typically. You might also need to run virtual machines at some point. That 300€ is worth it.
Btw, the CPU for 13" is 4C8T while 15" is 6C12T, so you may also want to take that into consideration.