Buying advice - waiting for Macbook Pro 15” coming

[phl92]

Hey guys,

I bought an Macbook Air M1 in 2020 shortly after it was released. I am quite happy with it until today although back then I had no idea, that my demand for a computer would increase rapidly. I am new in CS school and since we started to develop in Java a lot (in jetbrains intelliJ IDE) my choice of 8GB Ram was a mistake.

Anyway, everyone who ever developed in Java in intelliJ knows that even 16 GB Ram is just on the lower limit.

I was very happy hearing about the 15” Air coming because I really appreciate the thin and light design of the Airs since I carry it everyday in my backpack for my 1hr bicycle ride to university. I was going to order a full speced 15” Macbook Air and then I figured out, that even with 24GB Ram the Air can only support one external monitor. Thats really a no go and a joke from apple.

Now I am in between the decision:
Waiting for the M3? Will there be finally a 15” MB Pro model?

At home I like to replace my desktop setup with my new MBP with 2 monitors.
The 16” MBP M1 (I do not see any benefit from the M2 for my needs, opposite, the SSDs on the M1 are much better) is a real monster. Its heavy and huge, and since I travel a lot with it I would soon get annoyed by its weight and size.
On the other hand I really feel limited at the moment on my 13” screen on the Air. Every development task on it is a struggle tbh and ofc no laptop screen can replace a two monitor desktop setup, I think a 16 or at least 15” screen display is helping a lot.

The 14” MbP is compred to the new 15” really small.


So what are the rumors? Is there a 15” MBP coming anytime soon? It would be just the perfect size. The screen real estate increasement is noticeable from the 13” but it could still be a laptop under 2kg of weight, other than the 16”.

What would you advice me? Wait or sell my Air (I think I could still get 650-750€ for it) and get a 14” MBP M1 with 32 GB Ram and 1 or 2 TB SSD?

As I said, I do not see any advantage to even consider the M2 models. I better save a bit money and get the faster SSDs.

 

[Janichsan]

No, there won't be a 15" MBP. It doesn't make sense to squeeze another model between the 14" and the 16" MBPs.

13" and 15" will be reserved for MBAs, 14" and 16" for MBPs.

 

[phl92]

No, there won't be a 15" MBP. It doesn't make sense to squeeze another model between the 14" and the 16" MBPs.

13" and 15" will be reserved for MBAs, 14" and 16" for MBPs.

Ok, so I guess I wont wait for a M3 (I do not benefit from an even faster CPU).
Would you go for a refurbished M1? Is battery an issue with used laptops?
And the 16” is a no go for mobility?

 

[Janichsan]

Would you go for a refurbished M1?

Still a decent device. If you don't need the extra power, sure, go for it.

Is battery an issue with used laptops?

Hard to generalise. Depends on how the previous owner used it and how old the device is. But even the oldest M1 MBPs are less than two years old, so the batteries should normally be in a decent state. If the battery were showing signs of age and if laptop has been properly refurbished, it should have replaced anyway.

And the 16” is a no go for mobility?

That's something I never understood: the 16" MBP is still one of the lightest and most portable devices in its class. Why keep people acting as if it's weighing a ton and has the size of a coffee table?

I had the Intel 16" MBP – which is almost identical in dimensions and weight to the current one – for years and was lugging it around almost daily for work. I never had issues with its size and mass.

Your mileage may vary, but that's effectively just personal preference.

 

[lixuelai]

Just get the 15 Air and use DisplayLink if you need a second external monitor. Much better choice than the 16 Pro if portability is important to you.

 

[phl92]

I see. To be honest I only once had a laptop of 15” inch and this was a 15 year old Dell XPS which was very thick and really not a portable device. Tbh, I think I habe to touch and try the MBP16” in the Apple store and maybe the let me even try it in a backpack
But yeah, I also like to work in trains and the size could be an issue, but I do not go by train every week somewhere

 

[phl92]

Just get the 15 Air and use DisplayLink if you need a second external monitor. Much better choice than the 16 Pro if portability is important to you.

Ah, so you mean 1x HdMi and one DisplayLink? This works? Did not know

 

[lixuelai]

Ah, so you mean 1x HdMi and one DisplayLink? This works? Did not know

DisplayLink, not displayport. DisplayLink uses USB but works well (other than night shift, but can use f.lux as an alternative).

 

[phl92]

And what do the rumors/leaks say about the M3 and the new Macbooks? Will we see new releases this autumn? Just asking, because I could wait 3 months more, if the M2s would get cheaper then. (Somehow it is hard to find a M1 14" in my preferred configuration)

 

[Fishrrman]

There probably isn't going to be another MacBook Pro 15" -- certainly not for quite a while -- we're talking "years".

So... if you want a MacBook Pro, pick either 14" or 16", and go on from there.

(it's really not much more complicated than that...)

 

[phl92]

Not to open a new thread, I have more questions:
my Macbook Air M1 is cold as ice normally, but since Europe has a crazy heatwave with 35°+ everyday, my Air gets hot when having Skype/Zoom conferences or even normal browser activity (normally its cold in this situations). Quite a bit.
My question now is, would a Macbook Pro in such case (environmental heat from outside) turn on its coolers/ventilators??
Because if yes, it would definitely be a no go to buy another Air without cooling system. I like to use my Laptops outside in the sun, and the Laptops ofc get hot.

 

[OrenLindsey]

I think you would benefit the most from an M1 Pro (or max) 14-inch MacBook Pro.
You can scale the display, which is what I did. It makes it look like you have a much larger screen. But it's only good if you have good eyes, which I assume you do.
Check the apple refurbished store for deals, or eBay refurbished. There's plenty of them available.