Anyone else apprehensive about buying a 16"

[trailmonkey]

Really looking forward to my i9 32Gb 5500 8Gb 1Tb arriving in the next few days. Can't help feel anxious about dropping over £3k on it though, especially if teething problems start flaring up and turn into longer-term issues. Okay, another £400 on AC might soften that blow, but it's another cost and maybe a fair bit of running around.

Will test it as much as I can and see if anything gives. Biggest overhead will be running Win 10 in Parallels (for a couple of mildy intensive dual-core 12-16Gb Win-only apps) alongside non 4k FCP or Davinci and image editing. i9 and 32Gb will give plenty of future proofing for switching up to 4k for sure. Even then, it's probably overkill and I can't see me wanting to keep the same machine beyond 3 years.

So I'm now wondering if a secondhand 2018/19 15" i7 16Gb with AC until say 21/22 would actually be a better choice. Half the cost for example. Keyboard covered already. But 16Gb possibly not quite enough for running everything simultaneously, and 32Gb machines are pretty rare in the UK.

On the flip side, an all-conquering 16" will no doubt make my workflow that little bit better now and no doubt even better 2-3 years down the line. But at double the cost.

Anyone else in a simple quandary?

 

[Ifti]

Yes - I have just ordered the exact same spec as you after selling my 2018 MBP13.
My MBP13 was also a high spec but I just wanted to go back to a slight bigger screen without having to use an external monitor, and the 16" seems like it has solved a lot of issues.

Im a little apprehensive about ghosting issues with the screen though.
The audio popping issue has been confirmed a software bug, which Apple are aware of, so I'm not to fussed about that - I just hope I don't get a screen with extreme ghosting.

I personally do not 'test' a system when I receive it. I use it normally for a while to make sure its doing everything I need it to do (and I also have AppleCare+ to fall back on later if need be).

Lets hope we end up with systems we are both happy with!!!

 

[trailmonkey]

That's the spirit!

without having to use an external monitor,

I forgot about that as I often need my 4k running at 60hz too.

 

[trish99]

I was ready to buy last week - same as your spec except upping to 64gb - now I've completely deflated back to wait mode - i think it was the coil wine scare that finished me. Especially if you want to record music! Very bummed.

 

[Plutonius]

Really looking forward to my i9 32Gb 5500 8Gb 1Tb arriving in the next few days. Can't help feel anxious about dropping over £3k on it though, especially if teething problems start flaring up and turn into longer-term issues. Okay, another £400 on AC might soften that blow, but it's another cost and maybe a fair bit of running around.

Will test it as much as I can and see if anything gives. Biggest overhead will be running Win 10 in Parallels (for a couple of mildy intensive dual-core 12-16Gb Win-only apps) alongside non 4k FCP or Davinci and image editing. i9 and 32Gb will give plenty of future proofing for switching up to 4k for sure. Even then, it's probably overkill and I can't see me wanting to keep the same machine beyond 3 years.

So I'm now wondering if a secondhand 2018/19 15" i7 16Gb with AC until say 21/22 would actually be a better choice. Half the cost for example. Keyboard covered already. But 16Gb possibly not quite enough for running everything simultaneously, and 32Gb machines are pretty rare in the UK.

On the flip side, an all-conquering 16" will no doubt make my workflow that little bit better now and no doubt even better 2-3 years down the line. But at double the cost.

Anyone else in a simple quandary?

I would only be apprehensive if I was an early adopter.

With the state of Apple's MacBook Pros, I think that buying a 16" before waiting at least 4 months after it was released would make me apprehensive.

 

[x-evil-x]

After seeing the new rumors about the next display have micro led display and probably a much larger panel upgrade I wouldn’t want a 16” this year.
I have a 2019 15” and played with a 16” and it feels the same to me. im not worried about my keyboard either on the 2019’s. Seems like a small bump from the 2019 models but nothing I would ever notice as far as speed with what I do. 32gig of ram and Vega 20 is plenty for me and my work. Runs my monitors well also.
now if the 16” had a big upgraded screen I would think about it longer because well it’s the Only thing you look at and improving it would be a huge upgrade to me.
The other upgrades are nice but nothing substantial imo for anyone with a 2018/2019 to get excited about. Id look into getting a 2018 to last you 3 years and upgrade when there’s something more.

 

[SpitUK]

I have got the same model and it is an absolute beast!! You will love it.

 

[Lobwedgephil]

After seeing the new rumors about the next display have micro led display and probably a much larger panel upgrade I wouldn’t want a 16” this year.
I have a 2019 15” and played with a 16” and it feels the same to me. im not worried about my keyboard either on the 2019’s. Seems like a small bump from the 2019 models but nothing I would ever notice as far as speed with what I do. 32gig of ram and Vega 20 is plenty for me and my work. Runs my monitors well also.
now if the 16” had a big upgraded screen I would think about it longer because well it’s the Only thing you look at and improving it would be a huge upgrade to me.
The other upgrades are nice but nothing substantial imo for anyone with a 2018/2019 to get excited about. Id look into getting a 2018 to last you 3 years and upgrade when there’s something more.

Mini LED, not micro, which is a big difference. And yes, it should be a significant display improvement, but then you also run into the issues with the first generation display technologies, etc. For me, that is not a reason to wait for that, but I understand those who want to. I would rather have the 16 now, which all of the improvements over the previous model, and wait for the display technology a few years. Think Micro LED is a long way off.

 

[BigBoy2018]

I would agree with others here that it wouldn't hurt to wait a couple months and make sure there's no other issues that pop up.

I personally never have bought applecare and have never regretted it, and you wouldn't need applecare for a systemic issue that would have to be fixed under regular warranty anyway.

 

[x-evil-x]

Mini LED, not micro, which is a big difference. And yes, it should be a significant display improvement, but then you also run into the issues with the first generation display technologies, etc. For me, that is not a reason to wait for that, but I understand those who want to. I would rather have the 16 now, which all of the improvements over the previous model, and wait for the display technology a few years. Think Micro LED is a long way off.

Yes mini sorry. Still though the rumored 10,000 led’s I’m assuming has a large amount of zones. It will make the display a big upgrade for contrast and black levels. This isn’t a small upgrade from an edge lit lcd panel. It’s a big big change.

 

[dead flag blues]

I didn’t think twice about it. I’m already putting my new MBP to work, and I’m not disappointed in the least.

 

[mightyjabba]

The 16” is a fantastic machine and to be honest I am having a hard time reconciling my own experiences as an owner of one with what I’m reading here. If I had never visited this forum I would never have considered there to be any substantive issues with the machine. This is not to dismiss any problems that individual people might be having, but I do think think this whole thing is overblown.

Admittedly, Catalina is still kind of a buggy mess, but that will get better.

 

[texasmac76]

I have a new 16" i7 32 gb 1TB arriving in the next few days. I have used a 2014 15" at my office since it was new and a 2013 15" at home since new. I have never had a problem with either and after visiting a store and trying the new 16" I ordered without reservation. I have used many apple products as work tools and never had a problem. Not one. I cant say that about very many of the windows laptops . I have programmed and used many many other computers since 1981. I trust the Apple brand more than others and I am willing to jump regardless of the nay sayers on this forum. I know that people have real issues and I am not disqualifying those when I read posts on here but as others have pointed out, sometimes those are from extremely anal folks. Again each person has their own experience. I expect an equally good user experience with the new macbook. I agree that Catalina has still a few bugs but compared to my experiences in windows..... .

 

[xraydoc]

The base model 6-core machine would be exactly what I need/want, though I'm a bit apprehensive about another laptop that size.

I had a 2016 MBP 15.4" quad-core i7 and decided it was just a bit too big to carry around daily (for me, at least).

Needed a similar level of performance but in a smaller package, so ended up switching to a Microsoft Surface Book 2 13.5" (quad i7/nVidia 1050) -- virtually identical benchmarks to the 15" 2016 MBP I had. Smaller form-factor for sure, but still weighs about the same... Apple didn't make a quad-core 13" at the time.

Now, Apple of course makes a quad-core 13" laptop -- still doesn't have a dedicated GPU, but I can add an eGPU when necessary.

So debating on replacing the Surface Book 2, which works great, by the way, it's just a bit heavy to carry constantly, with a 13" MBP + eGPU when at my desk, a 16" MBP and just dealing with the size, or keeping the 13.5" SB2 and adding a Mac mini at my desk (but still having to switch to the SB2 when I need to use my GPU-accelerated apps).

The apps I need GPU acceleration for, BTW, all run on Windows and would need to reboot the Mac into BootCamp/Win10, hence the Surface Book 2 purchase.

 

[redheeler]

After seeing the new rumors about the next display have micro led display and probably a much larger panel upgrade I wouldn’t want a 16” this year.
I have a 2019 15” and played with a 16” and it feels the same to me. im not worried about my keyboard either on the 2019’s. Seems like a small bump from the 2019 models but nothing I would ever notice as far as speed with what I do. 32gig of ram and Vega 20 is plenty for me and my work. Runs my monitors well also.
now if the 16” had a big upgraded screen I would think about it longer because well it’s the Only thing you look at and improving it would be a huge upgrade to me.
The other upgrades are nice but nothing substantial imo for anyone with a 2018/2019 to get excited about. Id look into getting a 2018 to last you 3 years and upgrade when there’s something more.

With a 2019 15" you shouldn't be anywhere near considering an upgrade yet. Mine is a 2012 so it is older and due for an upgrade, but you're right about the outdated display, and it is the only reason I am a bit apprehensive about getting a new 16".

The keyboard is a big reason to be apprehensive about getting a 2018 or 2019 15" now, however. I do not want to mess with the Butterfly keyboards, ever. Apple has basically admitted they are flawed.

 

[sat24]

I would agree with others here that it wouldn't hurt to wait a couple months and make sure there's no other issues that pop up.

I personally never have bought applecare and have never regretted it, and you wouldn't need applecare for a systemic issue that would have to be fixed under regular warranty anyway.

My plan to buy now was to use it thoroughly during the holidays - both to 'test' it out completely, but also so I can use it to start some long standing projects. Which I can still do since the return date is Jan 8th. I got a month to decide if ghosting kills this deal or not.

 

[dead flag blues]

My iPad Pro ‘ghosts’ more than my 16” MBP.

 

[trailmonkey]

Reading the replies above it's easy to jump from 'Yeah, I'm going to absolutely smash it with this beast' to 'Nah, I'll send it back and get a 2019 15'. Ggrrhrh.

 

[MuGeN PoWeR]

so i have 2018 MBP 15". do you think is it worth it to upgrade it to 16?

 

[CE3]

I’m sure they’re great machines. I appreciate that Apple kept the costs down, and they‘re actually giving you more for your money than if you upgraded the last few cycles.

There are a few complaints and issues being raised around here that would make me less enthused about being an early adopter, but I canceled my preorder because my 2018 base model is issue free and performs very well for my needs.

 

[BigBoy2018]

so i have 2018 MBP 15". do you think is it worth it to upgrade it to 16?

I would, especially if you can find a sucker willing to give you a decent price on the 2018. The piece of mind that comes with not having a keyboard with a design flaw is hard to put a price on.

 

[CE3]

I would, especially if you can find a sucker willing to give you a decent price on the 2018. The piece of mind that comes with not having a keyboard with a design flaw is hard to put a price on.

🤷‍♂️ And what if the 16” models end up with a different widespread hardware issue that surfaces down the road? At least there’s already a repair program in place for the 2018 models if there’s any keyboard problems.

I say if you’re not having any problems and it‘s performing well, don’t sell for something that may never happen, especially if you have AppleCare. If I had any keyboard issues I would probably repair and sell, unless they replaced it with a 16” model, but until then I actually like the typing experience on the butterfly keyboard.

 

[mikethebigo]

You will find complaint posts on this forum for every single MBP release from now until the end of time. Just get what you want to get and enjoy it, and if you notice any of the issues discussed here, do what you have to to deal with it.

 

[Flow39]

It's always something that's a risk being an early adopter. This is one time where I really feel that most of the previous issues have been solved and I don't think we'll be seeing any big issues from this machine (butterfly keyboard, overheating, etc.) I'm confident in this machine though and so far, it's been great for what I'm using it for without any hiccups.

 

[x-evil-x]

With a 2019 15" you shouldn't be anywhere near considering an upgrade yet. Mine is a 2012 so it is older and due for an upgrade, but you're right about the outdated display, and it is the only reason I am a bit apprehensive about getting a new 16".

The keyboard is a big reason to be apprehensive about getting a 2018 or 2019 15" now, however. I do not want to mess with the Butterfly keyboards, ever. Apple has basically admitted they are flawed.

They didn’t really admit they are flawed. Even if they are fixed in the 2019’s Apple put them on the list for reassurance to people that if anything happens it’s covered for 4 years. The name butterfly makes people think there is a flaw. They basically had to put the 2019’s on the program for this reason. Even if the new materials fixed the keyboard. Which I believe it does. It still gives people reassurance That you don’t have to about it.
Still though that’s not admitting they are flawed by design.