Any 16" MBP owners who are happy?

[DesertNomad]

I have a 16" MBP 2.4GHz i9, 64GB, 4TB, 5600M hooked to an XDR Display and a 27" Thunderbolt Display. I love it. It seems to run quieter and cooler than my 2014 15" MBP that was hooked to a 30" Apple Cinema Display and 27" Thunderbolt Display.

 

[Rich74]

Perfectly happy with mine.

 

[Fred Zed]

Extremely happy with my stock configuration i9.

 

[TL24]

I didn't even think of the WiFi connectivity but you're absolutely right...it's spectacular in its consistency. It's been implemented extremely well and despite not having the newest WiFi card, it's still fast and it's super power-efficient even during periods of heavy usage. On many other computers, this tanks battery. And on 2.4 GHz WiFi, I've observed that it seems to work well even in environments with large amounts of interference.

I kind of wish they made the 5600M the sole GPU on this system. In super mass production it might bump the price of each unit a hundred bucks or so, but it is such a vast improvement and IMO it turns the system into an actual desktop replacement...as I am sure you have noticed as well, everything on the system simply works better. For desktop class GPUs I've read debates regarding whether or not the benefits of HBM is sufficient enough to justify higher costs, but for laptops and especially this MacBook Pro, this particular GPU is such a great match. Its efficiency on battery is especially notable. Hopefully the next generation 16 inch brings HBM to a more affordable reach, or possibly even becomes a standard throughout the entire product line as it is just a delightful GPU.

Yeah that's one thing that's extremely overlooked, the WiFi performance on the MBP 16 is extremely fast even without WiFi 6.

Also, Bluetooth has been excellent as well, I've had zero issues connecting bluetooth devices to my MBP 16.

I'm extremely happy I got the 5600m GPU, it runs and powers through everything I throw at it on the move!

 

[roxygal9]

So just picked up the i9/16gb ram/1 TB 16 MacBook Pro - what is the typical battery life people are getting on this model? My use would be WhatsApp/messenger, some photo editing, word, web browsing, and music.

I don't need all the power but decided to pick it up for the extra storage down the road (maybe try some video editing since I can), and its hard for me to get a custom i7 model shipped here in Guam.

So far the machine is great! Getting used to the keyboard and MacOS (I switched to windows 4 years ago as I didn't like the direction apple was going with their keyboards, etc).

Appreciate any insight as I have read there are a lot of people having battery issues - not sure if that's with the i9 or i7. Out of the box this was at 50% or so capacity and it lasted about 2.5 hours although it had to update some stuff. Not impressed with that battery life though....

 

[rav3nloft]

Hi guys,
I am also very happy with the 16'' MacBook Pro. I agree with all the positives and negatives. Especially the iGPU issue is very annoying. It helped me a bit by dropping Google Chrome and using MS Edge instead. The stuttering has become less in this case.

One question to all of you: Has no one noticed this weird cursor jittering/jumping when hovering over links when the MacBook is running on the AMD GPU? My cursor jumps forwards and backwards within half a second when I hover over any link in the browser. You can see an animated screenshot here:

Weird cursor behavior

I have come across this weird bug a few moments ago. When the cursor transitions from link mode to normal, it moves to the left for an instant before being displayed in the correct location. This only happens when I have the Automatic graphics switching off (I turned it off to confirm that...

forums.macrumors.com

Is this only happening to a minority of people or does nobody care about the jittering? I was at my local Apple Store and tried out different Macs (iMacs, Mac Pros, MacBook Pros) and anytime it would have an AMD card I would be able to reproduce the issue with the cursor when running on the dGPU. It does not happen when running on the iGPU!
Probably the reason why many people don't notice while they are not editing video but surfing the web on the iGPU.

Cheers!

 

[ThunderSkunk]

I've only been seeing negative reports as of late, and am curious if there's anyone who is happy with their 16"?

No. I bought mine and 3 weeks later (after the return period) opened it up to use it, regretted it instantly, went back to my imac, and the 16 has been sitting on my desk ever since, bc the resale value is crap as well, so I’ll have lost thousands of dollars on this thing that doesn’t work for me and I havent gotten any use out of. even sent it in to Apple to get it looked at regarding the external monitor throttling, and they tested it, replaced it with a new one, that’s exactly the same as the old one and does the exact same thing. Every time I think about it, I wish I made a jerk out of myself by demanding to return it the day I first opened it up. But I shouldn’t have to make myself a worse person in order to get Apple to stand behind their product & make it right. Sticking us with this problem is how you lose a lifelong customer.

 

[cp1160]

Had mine since the release and continue to like it. Keyboard is a blessing compared to the terrible keyboards we endured. I don't have the issues other have complained about like coil whine. Battery life could be better, but mine is a top end unit and I use it fully for movie editing and photography processing and like its ability to handle those tasks.

Just bought a Canon R5 which shoots 8K. Don't need 8K but I am sure it will throttle my MBP 16 and every other device I can edit with at this time.

Laptops are another of the water glass measures of life....and there are the half full and half empty folks in all things I guess. Posters though tend to dwell on the negatives often since it is their chance to take a shot.

Kind of taking a shot with a post like this one.

 

[jerryk]

Mine works great. A lot of people come to forums to complain or when they have an issue. For each one of those, there are thousands just silently using their systems to do their work.

Go to car forums and you would think every car is a POS.

 

[throAU]

I love my 16 inch as well. The keyboard is great, screen is nice, just runs hotter than what I would like it to be at. I use the fan controller software to keep it at a good temp.

I wonder if, like the 2020 Air, it has a critical heatsink screw up and could do with a shim/re-paste to either the CPU, GPU or both.

 

[MrGimper]

I bought mine in May from the UK apple refurb store. It was to replace a 2014 13" and be a machine to last years as I have no interest in Apple Silicon Macs at the moment. I saved ~£750 on RRP and love everything about it. It gets hot on the rare occasions I use an external monitor, but to be fair, I don't insist on licking the metal chassis just below the MacBook logo so it doesn't bother me. Yes the fans spin up sometimes, but I don't sit in total silence so it doesn't bother me.

I just, erm, use it.

 

[MrGimper]

I wonder if, like the 2020 Air, it has a critical heatsink screw up and could do with a shim/re-paste to either the CPU, GPU or both.

I was tempted to re-paste mine, but I've just watched a vid on YouTube and you have to remove the logic board as the heatsink has retaining screws/mountings on the underside of the board.... grrrrrrr.

 

[Fuchal]

I love my 16" MBP, no complaints based on the way that I use it. Beats the pants off my 2015 15" that I replaced.

 

[chrfr]

I'm totally satisfied with my work computer, 2.3 8-core, 4GB 5500M, 32GB RAM. It's by far the best laptop I've ever used.

 

[Grohowiak]

Absolutely, it's really awesome. I'm using mine A LOT and it is a joy.
Just doesn't like external monitors very much.

 

[rav3nloft]

What I would really like to understand though is why no-one of you is experiencing this weird cursor jump when hovering over links whie using the dGPU. I like the MacBook as well. It is only this cursor jittering that is driving me crazy. I found another thread that mentions the issue. You can see a gif of the issue here. https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/393951/jittery-macos-mouse-cursor-when-hovering-over-links
Really no-one else here? I would love to understand what is different in my case...
Thanks guys!

 

[Skullbussa]

Coming from 6mo (personal, still have) Lenovo X1 Carbon, I got my work 16" MBP in February. Used them a lot side-by-side until I got a new job and new employer gave me 13 " MBP instead. So I've had 3 top-tier laptops in the last year and here are my thoughts on the 16 MBP:

• Trackpad, speakers, screen all outstanding
• Battery life is OK - I'd give it a C+. Outlets generally available everywhere these days, no?
• Weight and size: my biggest complaint. It's just too big and heavy. Feels ridiculous on the lap and I'm 6'2" male. Consumes way too much space in my backpack.
• Performance is not there. Task vs task, it was slower than my (high spec) X1 Carbon.
• Fan noise. Someone did not do their job at Apple on thermal. Constantly throttling up which I don't get on my 13 MBP.
• Keyboard is meh...B, cannot hold a candle to the Lenovo keyboard but that's the best one money can buy in a laptop so perhaps unfair comparison.

And then there is the MBP 13...which I think is the best of all 3 laptops. It has nearly all the pluses of the 16, very few of its faults. I would only consider the 16" if you rarely port your laptop around, do a ton of video work, and absolutely positively need every last bit of horsepower over the 13.

 

[panzer06]

I love mine . I don't use it connected to an external monitor, just the built-in screen. I purchased mine In late May, received in early June 2020. FWIW, folks who are generally happy, don't say much. So most of the noise comes from folks that are having issues, so you shouldn't assume that it means that most folks have issues. There has been an issue posted recently where someone gets a brand-new 16" MBP, and won't power on or charge, right out of the box. Those folks ended up having to exchange it, some multiple times, to get it to work. Good luck!

Mine replaced my 2015 iMac so it's wonderful, always connected to my 27" Dell 4K displace and I haven't had an issue. It's basically always plugged in so there's that

 

[Redneck1089]

I just purchased a new 16" 2.4 Ghz, 64GB RAM, 2 TB SSD, with a 5600M. It's my first new laptop in years. So far, I am really loving it.

 

[terminator-jq]

I just acquired my 16" for work over the summer. The screen is nice, and the keyboard is amazing - way better than the butterfly for me. Battery life is good, but I don't use it too mobile, I usually am connected to a plug or monitor. Overall, this computer and the 12" MacBook are the best computers I've owned since my champion 2011 13" MBA.

The only downside with the 16" has been the screen brightness. It seems really dim and I use it on 90% brightness most days, as 50-75% is just too dark for me. 80% is comfortable and 90% is typical.

Not to hijack, but any others with that issue?

I have the same issue although I must say that issue is not unique to the 16” MBP as I’ve had the same experience on a 13” and 15”. Hopefully next generation MacBooks will have a brighter screen with better anti-reflection.

Overall I am very happy with my purchase. Coming from a 15” the slightly larger screen is awesome, the speakers are outrageously good and the specs even for the entry level model are actually usable for “pro” level work. I personally do 3D modeling, rendering, app development and music production and my base model 16” chews through it all without an issue.

That being said, I will definitely be upgrading when the in-house ARM chipped 16” comes out.

 

[higgalls]

I love mine. I got it with the upgraded 5600 graphics, and it isn't hot or noisy unless I am doing something intensive such as rendering a video. Most of the time it is connected to a CalDigit TB3 Dock and 4K monitor (with laptop open and screen on as well). Sometimes at home I use it on my lap and I haven't had any issues. My old 2015 MBP got hotter than this, and was louder. I don't hear any noise coming from mine, unless again I am doing something intensive. But from reading posts on here a while ago, it seemed like the 5600 graphics was much better (regarding heat and noise) than the lower spec'd ones.

 

[Mac128guy]

Love mine. Fabulous keyboard. Great screen. Awesome sound (how in the world does Apple get such incredible sound out of a laptop?).

Not happy with the fact that it runs really hot, fans kick on fairly often and battery life is mediocre.

 

[mofunk]

I'm about 50/50 on it. I knew I had to add a bunch of dongles but dang. I haven't gotten around to my heavy apps yet. So far just spending close to $200 for dongles. First I got a 7in1 USBC thingy. The salesman at the Apple Store in Best Buy said it would work with the Disc Drive. Well it didn't so I picked up a USB to USBC just to burn disc. Yeah I still use them plus I like having copies of the physical (Software) disc. Printing or Scanning takes some dongles and prayers lol It's a good thing my 2008 MBP still works. The 2014 MBP missed the cutoff for the keyboard issue, so that one isn't used much.

My gripe is, I guess, like those who have been using a G4 Powerbook and several MBP. This is lighter and battery life is cool. The touchpad I don't get. When I first started using Macs, I liked that you didn't have to click on so many windows. Now I click click CLICK click just to do one task. lol Sidecar isn't perfect. I remember they had something similar to this with my PB that was a lot smoother. USBC to power your MBP looks hazardous. I mean I can see myself snagging it and it breaks off. So now I try to unplug it before moving. I'll used to using the previous MagSafe power chords.

 

[Chevysales]

I've only been seeing negative reports as of late, and am curious if there's anyone who is happy with their 16"?

Curious? Wouldn't any of the numerous threads on this fill your curiosity?
I've been totally happy since last Jan. (2.4/32gb/8/gb/2tb/space grey...) no problems here except for Catalina at times but laptop hardware nah no issue much better than my late 2013 loaded 15" I sold.

 

[richinaus]

I have the same issue although I must say that issue is not unique to the 16” MBP as I’ve had the same experience on a 13” and 15”. Hopefully next generation MacBooks will have a brighter screen with better anti-reflection.

Overall I am very happy with my purchase. Coming from a 15” the slightly larger screen is awesome, the speakers are outrageously good and the specs even for the entry level model are actually usable for “pro” level work. I personally do 3D modeling, rendering, app development and music production and my base model 16” chews through it all without an issue.

That being said, I will definitely be upgrading when the in-house ARM chipped 16” comes out.

Do you mind telling me what apps you are using for 3D modelling and rendering? C4D? Cheers.
Reason I ask is I am leaving apple because of how poor the 16” is for 3D [in comparison to windows].