Anyone switch from a 15" MBP to 13"

[Chancha]

I have been a 12-13" user since the 12" G3 iBook days, up until 2011 unibody still at 13". But the next Mac I got after that was a 2015 15" dGPU due to increasing performance demand with what I do. The 15" was a great experience when you *use* it, namely the screen estate that is almost desktop size (13" is obviously a compromise).

But when you have to lug it around, 15" is a real chore, not just because of the weight but more importantly the footprint is like 11x17" tabloid than a letter sized paper which is much more manageable (13" almost is). Therefore I switched back to a 2018 13" a few months ago, love the fact that portability is back, but of course compromising on lack of real estate and a weak iGPU.

I see the current 13" being a much better option than before, the performance loss on the CPU front is a lot less so with the 2018/2019 having quad core. However the GPU is a problem if your work needs it, some PC laptop manufacturers manage to put dGPU in 13" laptops but Apple has almost never done so. For extreme portability, perhaps an rMB or even an iPad Pro is better, but they are even more constrained in performance and interfacing or I/O, so the MBP TB is still hitting a sweetspot for me.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

I have been a 12-13" user since the 12" G3 iBook days, up until 2011 unibody still at 13". But the next Mac I got after that was a 2015 15" dGPU due to increasing performance demand with what I do. The 15" was a great experience when you *use* it, namely the screen estate that is almost desktop size (13" is obviously a compromise).

But when you have to lug it around, 15" is a real chore, not just because of the weight but more importantly the footprint is like 11x17" tabloid than a letter sized paper which is much more manageable (13" almost is). Therefore I switched back to a 2018 13" a few months ago, love the fact that portability is back, but of course compromising on lack of real estate and a weak iGPU.

I see the current 13" being a much better option than before, the performance loss on the CPU front is a lot less so with the 2018/2019 having quad core. However the GPU is a problem is your work needs it, some PC laptop manufacturers manage to put dGPU in 13" laptops but Apple has almost never done so. For extreme portability, perhaps an rMB or even an iPad Pro is better, but they are even more constrained in performance and interfacing or I/O, so the MBP TB is still hitting a sweetspot for me.

Totally agree. It is very portable, footprint is a lot less, and power is not noticeably slower than my 15" i9 was, in fact slightly faster. GPU is the 'weak' point (although it is ultra smooth on my 4K external monitors) but if I were to do 3D design or something like that I'd just use an external GPU which is much faster than the 15" built in options anyway.

To me the only argument between these two is whether you want portability or luggability

 

[MrGunnyPT]

Totally agree. It is very portable, footprint is a lot less, and power is not noticeably slower than my 15" i9 was, in fact slightly faster. GPU is the 'weak' point (although it is ultra smooth on my 4K external monitors) but if I were to do 3D design or something like that I'd just use an external GPU which is much faster than the 15" built in options anyway.

To me the only argument between these two is whether you want portability or luggability

Which 13 do you mean? I have a 13 TB from 2017 and I get stutters and ocasional frame drop while working with 2 dual 4k displays.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Which 13 do you mean? I have a 13 TB from 2017 and I get stutters and ocasional frame drop while working with 2 dual 4k displays.

2019 Current model. i7 16GB 1TB four TB ports.

 

[kp98077]

2019 Current model. i7 16GB 1TB four TB ports.

Even the 2019 8gb 513 can do that I believe .... (friends set up works
Great)! With lg display

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Even the 2019 8gb 513 can do that I believe .... (friends set up works
Great)! With lg display

That would make sense as most other components are the same I'm just relaying what I've got and what my direct experience is with. Likewise I'm sure the i5 will be good enough as well. The Apple store just didn't have any of those in stock with 16Gb and 1TB...I use a lot of docker images and lots of development windows open so I like to have a bit more RAM

 

[Patrick_2001]

That would make sense as most other components are the same I'm just relaying what I've got and what my direct experience is with. Likewise I'm sure the i5 will be good enough as well. The Apple store just didn't have any of those in stock with 16Gb and 1TB...I use a lot of docker images and lots of development windows open so I like to have a bit more RAM

does your unit ever run hot or just in the beginning? wondering due to incase RAM and i7 in a smaller package if that will increase the heat?

 

[cyb3rdud3]

does your unit ever run hot or just in the beginning? wondering due to incase RAM and i7 in a smaller package if that will increase the heat?

Not that I've noticed. Definitely much quieter than my outgoing 15" i9 doing the same kind of work. It feel like there is much less throttling going on than what my 15" i9 did.

 

[Rigtee]

Last year, I switched from a 2016 15" to a 2018 13" one, particularly because of the size of it and the keyboard which was suppose to be better on the 2018. I bought the "best bang for the buck" one: i5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD.

It is truly a superb machine! Although I was kinda disappointed by the keyboard reliability (I had to change it once in March...), it has been working well so far. And the fact that I'm still covered by a replacement for the 2019 keyboard is great, the older machines does not benefit from that.

As for the practicability, I really notice the difference tbh. As a student, I'm very nomad and using it in the auditorium or the library is a delight. I missed a bit the extra screen real estate but weight is more important. In the future, I guess I'll switch back to a 15" (and I might use an iPad Pro 12.9 as my main laptop) because it is not that much more expensive for more power (my 13" is not slow by any means, but having a dedicated GPU can be great).

I'm planning however to buy a 32" monitor screen in the upcoming weeks for home, much more comfortable.

So, if you want the portability while having a capable machine, the 13" is the best option

 

[bill-p]

I have both a 2018 15" and a 2018 13" now and... honestly, I think either one is good for their own uses. Bullet points:

15-inch:
- Faster overall, six-core CPU is no slouch. My codes compile faster, simulators run smoother, etc...
- Rocking dual 5K monitors is quite nice. This is the setup I have at work. Won't work (very choppy) with the 13".
- Screen real estate is appreciable if it's just the computer by itself.
- Speakers are a bit louder.
- Basically acts as a portable desktop computer for me.

13-inch:
- More portable. If I'm going to a meeting (happens at least once or twice a day), this is what I bring.
- Single 5K monitor is not a problem at all. I use this at home: https://www.amazon.com/LG-34WK95U-W-34-Class-UltraWide/dp/B07FT8ZBMR/
- For light tasks (web browsing, documents, photo editing), I don't even notice that it's "only" a quad-core CPU.
- Much quieter and cooler than the 15", I got a 12-inch 2017 and I honestly can't tell if the fans are on.
- Recently hit with 110-ish degree heat wave in San Jose, and the 15" throttled a bit, but the 13" stayed strong.

As a portable personal computer, I much prefer the 13". The 15" seems like more of a powerhouse and is a better fit probably for those who do more heavy-duty computing, if you can live with 2x the heat and 3x the fan noise.

Other than that, I didn't notice if there was a significant difference in screen brightness, overall screen quality (color reproduction, etc...), or battery life (maybe the 13" lasts ever so slightly longer?).

Despite the extra heat and noise, the 15" actually does have excellent battery life. Also, if weight and size are your main factors for picking the 13", I personally honestly don't really notice that much of a difference, though it's appreciable when you walk around with the MacBook in your arms a lot. Mostly, the 13" is just the less distracting machine when I'm in a meeting, as it doesn't go "whoooooooosh" suddenly.

 

[Falhófnir]

For me personally the screen size alone makes the use case comparison between 13" and 15" a nonstarter. If you're doing something that requires only a single window at a time or very infrequent flicking between spaces, this might not be so pertinent, but the larger 15" is essential IMO if you're going to be split screening or have a lot of windows to juggle. Some may also use a monitor when they need more space, but I don't like to be tied down like that. I already find the retina generation 15" reasonably portable, and the touch bars only improve upon this further.

 

[kp98077]

For me personally the screen size alone makes the use case comparison between 13" and 15" a nonstarter. If you're doing something that requires only a single window at a time or very infrequent flicking between spaces, this might not be so pertinent, but the larger 15" is essential IMO if you're going to be split screening or have a lot of windows to juggle. Some may also use a monitor when they need more space, but I don't like to be tied down like that. I already find the retina generation 15" reasonably portable, and the touch bars only improve upon this further.

Ideal to have both haha
[doublepost=1560884350][/doublepost]

Ideal to have both haha

and cant wait until they have a besseless 13, or maybe 14 or smaller footprint 15! honestly one of these should happen in the next year or so....

 

[Hadron]

I went from 15" to 13" a few years back. These were different designs, so the difference in portability was probably larger than you'd experience now. But overall no, I've not regretted it. There are times when I could use a larger screen (of course I have one when I'm in the office), but the portability difference was enough that when I next upgraded I stayed with the 13".

Now if they'll update the design/bezels to fit a 14" in a similar chassis then yes, that would be welcome indeed. But I don't intent to go back to the bigger laptop.

 

[cambookpro]

Haven't owned a current generation 15", but I did go from a 2011 15" to a 2016 13".

The screen real estate isn't a massive issue, as when set to the scaled 'More Space' mode, it's equivalent to my old (hi-res option) 15". Everything is smaller, but my youngish eyes can just about cope! I really enjoy the smaller size, and in all honesty would even consider a 12" MacBook if it had the same amount of power.

I do have a 27" external monitor at home, which makes some tasks a lot easier; I do dabble in app development and it's a lot better for Xcode. However, I don't think using the 15" for this would be significantly easier, and therefore the 13" + external display is the perfect compromise.

I have a base model 2016 (2.9GHz dual core i5, 8GB RAM) and it runs fine for the vast majority of tasks.

 

[littlepud]

I sold my 2018 15" and got a 13" because the larger form factor was just too unwieldy. The 15 is a fine desktop replacement machine and is OK if you're lugging it around in a backpack, but is tricky to bring from the desk to the couch or from the couch to the bed.

 

[stylinexpat]

Not that I've noticed. Definitely much quieter than my outgoing 15" i9 doing the same kind of work. It feel like there is much less throttling going on than what my 15" i9 did.

I avoided the the higher specd CPU just because I was afraid of the heat and hearing the fans running all the time which one thing I hated about my X1 Carbon. With the i7 they run but not as often. Depends on website quite often