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Anyone move from 16” down to 14” MacBook Pro?

I had a 2019 (Intel) 16" and went to a 14" MBP and it was the right decision. I dock it at home and enjoy a full size display and when I travel, it is portable enough that I don't constantly curse it for not fitting on a tray table or being too big to perch on my lap. I won't say I never miss the screen real estate, because I do, so when I specced my Macbook Air I went with the 15" and found it to be the sweet spot for me.

And that's the crux of it for me. I feel like I can go everywhere with the 14". The 16" is more of a desktop replacement that can occasionally be relocated than a road-warrior's tool.
 
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4sallypat said:
My wife's 16" MBP just got "upgraded" to a 13" Neo!

Her mother's day gift was the best on record - she was so sick of the hot, fans spinning, pitiful battery life, and spinning beach balls.
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Just curious what MBP it is that you experience "the hot, fans spinning, pitiful battery life, and spinning beach balls" yet find a Neo with only 8 GB RAM to work great pn a workflow that drives a MBP to "hot, fans spinning, pitiful battery life, and spinning beach balls."
Batteries of course do wear out with age, and I too drove my last MBP to slow operation and SBBOD (due to only 16 GB RAM). But I cannot imagine a workflow that drives a MBP to "hot, fans spinning" working well on Apple's lowest end, the Neo with only 8 GB RAM.
 
conmee said:
Plus with my older eyes - and this might be important for some - I can bring the resolution down from macOS "Default" (1728x1117) to integer/Retina scaling at 1496x967 which is easier to read, perfectly sharp, and still provides more content on screen than the 14" MBP.
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Sorry to break it to you, but the integer/retina scaling on the MBP is the default 1728x1117. The MBP screen is 254 ppi, unlike previous Pros or current Airs, that use non-integer default scaling.

For big text on retina scaling the best current option would be the MBA at 224 ppi, with resolution set one step down from the default non-integer-scaled option.

However the MBP you own is still a great option because you can use the default resolution and manually set fonts to be a bit bigger in most if not all apps. That is if you care about maximum sharpness.
 
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neo_cs193p said:
Sorry to break it to you, but the integer/retina scaling on the MBP is the default 1728x1117. The MBP screen is 254 ppi, unlike previous Pros or current Airs, that use non-integer default scaling.

For big text on retina scaling the best current option would be the MBA at 224 ppi, with resolution set one step down from the default non-integer-scaled option.

However the MBP you own is still a great option because you can use the default resolution and manually set fonts to be a bit bigger in most if not all apps. That is if you care about maximum sharpness.
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How dare you use official specs and math to contradict me!!!! 😉
 
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thejadedmonkey said:
I had a 16" from work, and own a 14" personally. The 14" is so much nicer and easier to transport, and while the screen real estate is better on the 16", the difference between 14" or 16", and 32" is so massive that in practice it isn't even worth mentioning.

Once upon a time I had a 17" Macbook Pro, and that screen was good enough where you could start to get some actual work done. The fact that most LCD screens at the time were in the 21-24" range helped a lot too.
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i am in the same boat. 14in personal and 16in work. I love how portable 14in is. I like to sometimes work away from the home office and it's annoying to carry the bigger laptop. Although I do appreciate the screen size when I don't have access to external screens. Yet, on the train it's impossible almost to work when I am taking a short distance train with no separate seats and no tables to take advantage of.
 
I have a 16” MBP M4 Max specd out with 4TB and 128GB. It’s way too big and heavy to travel with. So I bought a MBA M5, 512GB and 16GB, and it’s amazing.

That said, my goal is when the new MacBook Ultra comes out to buy it in 14” and eliminate the other two MacBooks. I really want it to have dual tandem OLED, thinner and remove the SD card and the HDMI, but at least the SD card slot. I will take less battery life for thinner and lighter. Main thing is I wish I could buy it with far more memory than 128GB. I would really go max it out for everything I want but with memory prices going through the roof, probably not happening.
 
If you travel a lot the best of both worlds is a small and thin laptop like the AIR used with the vision pro. So that way you can easily use it on a plane and still have a magical 40-50 inch monitor floating in the air and with a twist of the knob you can be working on the moon or near the cliffs in hawaii despite being in a tight metal tube.
 
In a sense, yes. My wife has a 16" M1 Pro MBP, bought shortly after they were launched. A while later (8ish months after launch, IIRC) I got my 14" M1 Max MBP. Over the years, I've had every size of laptop Apple ever offered, except 13", from my first 12" PowerBook G4 all the way up to my 2008 17" MacBook Pro. I definitely didn't take the 17" MBP with me nearly as often as my 12" and 14" machines. My wife's 16" MBP also very rarely leaves the house, but I bring my 14" MBP to work with me every weekday.
 
It just depends what you're doing with it. I have both (14" is work provided, 16" is personal). They both excel so much at their intended use that I would never go down to having just the one.

The 14" lives in my backpack and I use it at my work desk (multi monitor, thunderbolt dock etc), and it comes with me from work site to work site, on my commute, so it's important to have something lighter and easier.

The 16" is for when I need to do desktop level stuff on a laptop. It came in handy when I was travelling a lot at the same time I was running a WoW guild. I was able to raid effectively when staying in hotels or with family, and because the screen is so big, I was able to do so without losing any of my ability to help raid lead or do my role. Nobody could tell I wasn't at home on my desktop setup. The 14" is too small for that.

The 16" is big enough that I could comfortably use it for weeks at a time as my desktop, provided I had it on a laptop stand with an external mouse and keyboard. The screen is big enough for that, whereas with a 14" I don't feel it is enough to use full time to replace a desktop setup.

When I am proper travelling, I take the 16" with me as my desktop replacement, and I use an 11" iPad Pro for planes. I don't know how anyone is using even a 14" MBP or 13" iPad in economy.

TLDR - the 14" is a great laptop, the 16" replaces a desktop.
 
Allen_Wentz said:
Just curious what MBP it is that you experience "the hot, fans spinning, pitiful battery life, and spinning beach balls" yet find a Neo with only 8 GB RAM to work great pn a workflow that drives a MBP to "hot, fans spinning, pitiful battery life, and spinning beach balls."
Batteries of course do wear out with age, and I too drove my last MBP to slow operation and SBBOD (due to only 16 GB RAM). But I cannot imagine a workflow that drives a MBP to "hot, fans spinning" working well on Apple's lowest end, the Neo with only 8 GB RAM.
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Intel i7 16" MBP.

Neo runs circles around the MBP.
 
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DMG35 said:
I’ve really been contemplating over moving from a 16” to a 14” MacBook Pro. I take my 16” everywhere I go with me every day. While I love it, it is a pain carrying it around and its also not the best when it comes to putting it in a backpack underneath an airplane seat, and forget about using it on the airplane.

Has anyone done this and regretting losing the 2” of screen real estate? Any thoughts on this would be helpful. Thanks!
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I did. Although I really missed there screen real estate at first I got used to it pretty quickly. The tradeoffs of being able to use my laptop on a plane again alone made the downsize worth it.

My advice is if your laptop is your main computer and it stays put most of the time, a 16 inch is a great option. If you travel with it or carry it around, go 14 inch.
 
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I use a 14" M4 MacBook Pro, with a USB-C 32" 4K screen at home, and a USB-C 34" 'ultrawide' at work (I'm one of those 'one big monitor' people). Nice balance of portability/performance/convenience. When I'm at my desk, I place the laptop itself in one of those 'vertical docks' and don't even use the built-in display.
USB-C really made the 'small laptop with a big screen' thing possible - I really miss my old 12" Retina MacBook (okay, I don't miss the kind of sluggish performance, but loved the form factor) and the 11" MacBook Air I used before that. 16GB of RAM and a cellular option would sell a Neo to me, but probably not going to see either of those anytime soon (after all, Apple already has its own cellular modem). And once you start larding the Neo up with stuff like that, it loses the affordability factor...
 
I keep my old laptops. So I have a 16” which is a top spec last Intel and I have an M series 14”. So I have a choice. On a trip with lots of moving from office to office or a vacation on the go, I take the newer 14” when I am flying longhaul and want to watch movies i take the 16” particularly if I am in First or Business.
 
I recently bought a 16" M1 Max MBP as I'm learning data analysis and my M1 Air's screen is too small. I now carry both laptops to an art studio to work at. When there is desk space there I use both, on the couch I just use the 16". I walk and cycle with both laptops, and it's a little heavy yes but not back breaking, so I don't quite understand people complaing about the weight difference just going from the 14" to a 16"
 
DMG35 said:
I’ve really been contemplating over moving from a 16” to a 14” MacBook Pro. I take my 16” everywhere I go with me every day. While I love it, it is a pain carrying it around and its also not the best when it comes to putting it in a backpack underneath an airplane seat, and forget about using it on the airplane.

Has anyone done this and regretting losing the 2” of screen real estate? Any thoughts on this would be helpful. Thanks!
Click to expand...
I haven't had a MacBook since my 2007 one died, shortly after I inherited my Mom's iPad Mini. Since that died I have had few iPad Airs. Since my 2007 MacBook died my main machine has been Mac Mini" i7. then M2 Pro, now M4. For mobile use iPads are much more handy and convenient.

I wouldn't consider another MacBook unless it had a touch screen with Apple Pencil support.
 
I remember my friend hating the fact MBP's went from 15 to 16 until I laid my 16 on top of the 15 it was barely noticeable and he just did not understand they picked up that screen real-estate by simply shrinking the bezel sometimes people get caught up in the numbers.
 
as a digital nomad and someone who loves to work out side and constantly change my scene during the day as I work on projects, the 14" is a way better experience. I have had both. Funny enough, most of the time when you work you only need the screen space of a 14", i.e. web browser, emails,

if I was doing pro video editing daily the 16" would be non-negotiable.

we are currently settled for a bit in spain and just got a Studio Display for home work,

If you are a stationary worker and have no monitor, get the 16", if you are like me, you'll appreciate the 14"
 
I've always had a personal policy to only buy the largest screen laptop, after getting screwed by the 13" MacBook Pro about 15 years ago (stuck on core2 duo while larger ones moved to intel i-series)

Had the 17", then retina 15" when 17" went away, then the intel 16".

However, my work last year issued me a 14" MBP base M4 and I was blown away by how useful it was, and the nice compact size was easy to use in a lot of places. Now, with a M5 Pro 14" for my personal machine, I like the compact size of the smaller screen and if I want a bigger display, well, Vision Pro's virtual display is nice, or I can plug into a big screen and use it in clamshell mode (which is how I mostly use my work MBP 14").

As much as I want the 16", the lower cost, and the fact that I will run mostly in clamshell mode, I'll just go with the 14". The lesser thermals don't really bother me, I don't do that much that would need the 16" pro's better thermals.
 
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I actually have both. My 16" MBP is an M1 Max with 64GB RAM and a 4TB SSD, and I occasionally need the punch. Most of the time, it's on my desk. I typically travel with a 14" M4 MBP in a Burton Leather Goods bag. When I want to go really minimal, I take my 13" M2 MBA.

I have two offices, and got tired of carrying one machine to the other, but I prize the portability. Or maybe I just prefer a laptop. My point is that the 14" hasn't been found wanting ... but neither has the MBA, for that matter.
 
I have been between the two for some time now. Settled on the 16-inch in the end because I hardly travel, aside from coffee shop visits. The large screen is amazing!
 
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If possible, I always go for the biggest screen available on laptops as I read a lot of books/articles in the double page view.
Unfortunately I had to settle for the 15" Air because I could not justify buying a Pro variant chip, which I definitely do not need, for the sake of slightly larger screen. The 14" Pro was out of the question, too small.
 
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14" is half the size and weight, its worth it. If you buy the 16" MacBook, you may as well carry around a 55" TV.

The work around to this is carrying around a 16" portable monitor if you want the bigger screen and it also doubles your screen real estates!!!
 
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