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

[DMG35]

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!

 

[Chevyguy2021]

I was on a 4am flight a few weeks ago, this lady next to me pulled out her 16' pro and used it in economy, AT 4AM.
I was shocked at literally how massive it was and even more shocked that she would use it, IN THE MIDDLE SEAT. haha if you travel with it often, the 14' would make more sense likely. or heck depending on your work flow, maybe a 13' Air 🙂

 

[siroht]

I’m not as mobile as I use to be since I’ve retired. I initially purchased the 14” and I quickly returned it and opted for the 16”. I couldn’t be happier.

 

[elephantstone]

I had to go from 16" to 14", just found it way too big when chilling on the sofa, on a flight, etc. 14" is perfect for me, just connect it to a monitor if you need the extra space occasionally.

 

[dankermemes]

I currently have a 14" + a nice external monitor plugged in via USB-C. 16 inch was just too unwieldy, not only for traveling, but also using it in couch or bed. Maybe I'd upgrade to a larger model if they'd make it thinner and smaller like the the 2016 era 15" ones, but that'd probably introduce a bunch of other compromises.

 

[benholt]

had this exact debate when the M3 Maxes launched. ended up keeping the 16" mostly because of how I work - motion graphics means a lot of panels open simultaneously, and the extra vertical height matters more than I expected when you're stacking a viewer, timeline, and tool panels. the 14" screen isn't small by any means, but the layout gets cramped fast in that kind of workflow.

that said, if you're not doing layout-heavy creative work, i'd guess you'd adapt to the 14" within a week and love how much lighter the bag is. the 16" on a plane in economy is genuinely annoying - i keep it in the overhead or just don't use it. if portability is the main issue and the work allows for it, go 14".

 

[4sallypat]

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.

 

[kodabear]

For me the difference in weight ( 1.2 lbs.) is huge because it feels more like it weighs well over 5 lbs. I bought the 14" and have no regrets.

 

[06tb06]

Unless you want a desktop-class replacement in terms of display size, or the higher-tier Max chip and more memory without thermal throttling on the larger chassis, the 14-inch will be sufficient for most people.

 

[whitby]

I have both (and a Neo) because the 16" is just too heavy to lug around. You will not lose anything but screen real estate by moving to the 14" from the 16". Everything else is identical except the weight which is a substantial saving for the 14" MBPro. For comparison purposes a 14" MBPro is about the same weight as the 15" MBA but has all the advantages of the Pro (much better screen, ports, SD card slot and a fan for those heavy workloads).

I am perfectly happy with the smaller screen, even though I initially thought it would be a problem and have not regretted it. My 14" MBPro and Neo get far more use than my 16" MBPro. I do have an M4 Pro Mini with two 27" 5K display when I need the screen real estate (And the 15TB of storage I have on that machine), which is not as often as I thought. The 14" MBPro is the best travel and portable companion on the market in my opinion. The 16" is just too heavy and 15" MBA is lacking a lot of features I want/need.