Can't Decide Between 14" and 16"

[ascender]

What issue ? So, keep on 14 or going back to 16?

I was getting a weird graphical distortion - looked GPU related.

One of the appeals of the 16" to me is being able to use it anywhere for long periods of time without an external monitor. The 14" just isn't comfortable for me to use like that, so will be going back to a 16".

 

[sockdoggy]

Have at last made up my mind! Opened up the base MacBook Pro 16” sitting on my desk today along with a new 12.9” iPad Pro.

I travel quite a bit and typically will settle in a hotel room or board room (so not many coffee shops etc). Screen real estate is high on my list (always working with multiple windows/files/folders) and I’m 6’5” so the added weight/size doesn’t really bother me.

Will be using the iPad for when I need a little more portability and have been impressed with iPadOS 15 (also think will continue to significantly improve). On the road looking forward to Sidecar option and decent screen for content consumption at night.

Both displays are gorgeous and photo with Sidecar attached:

 

[tim1000]

Have at last made up my mind! Opened up the base MacBook Pro 16” sitting on my desk today along with a new 12.9” iPad Pro.

I travel quite a bit and typically will settle in a hotel room or board room (so not many coffee shops etc). Screen real estate is high on my list (always working with multiple windows/files/folders) and I’m 6’5” so the added weight/size doesn’t really bother me.

Will be using the iPad for when I need a little more portability and have been impressed with iPadOS 15 (also think will continue to significantly improve). On the road looking forward to Sidecar option and decent screen for content consumption at night.

Both displays are gorgeous and photo with Sidecar attached:

View attachment 1899817

I would like to see big iPad next to 14 inch

 

[kp98077]

wow I set this 16 Mac up and have been using it for 2 hours now. battery was 20 hours and now at 18:46. I get the feeling this is a 24 hour MacBook if you keep brightness on the low end. I mean I'm getting 20 hours at medium brightness.

did you switch to the 16 from the 14?

 

[sockdoggy]

I would like to see big iPad next to 14 inch

Go to page 11 of this thread and it's at the top (courtesy of aacemyan)

 

[Lucas Curious]

did you switch to the 16 from the 14?

no I went from 16 intel to 16.2.

 

[racostaf]

I was getting a weird graphical distortion - looked GPU related.

I' not expert, can u tell me more about that please?

 

[agent mac]

the 16 is thick, chunky, heavy and arguably ugly. excellent screen, very immersive, and great battery life, but it's a desktop machine and will be sitting on your desk 99% of the time. Imagine you're on the go in the bus, train, or plane, and trying to take out your 16 out of your large backpack and place it on your knees or the tiny food tray while trying not to bump elbows with your neighbor. it's ridiculous. And if you're simply taking the 16 from one work station to another, and you need the extra screen real estate, I think the guy in this video presents an intriguing alternative utilizing the iPad 12.9 though I think you can use any iPad.

Doesn’t the weight of the ipad, the stand, and the little keyboard rather make even the 16” look svelte?

 

[agent mac]

Another data point of space gray rubbing off!

Hardly average usage is it? Don’t put strong adhesive tape on your laptop?

 

[flapflapflap]

Doesn’t the weight of the ipad, the stand, and the little keyboard rather make even the 16” look svelte?

It depends if the issue is the footprint or weight. If you travel from one work station to another and do not intend to use it during transit, like on a plane ride, then I guess it‘s a weight issue in which case there may be no difference (lets assume the iPad has a light-weight folio cover). I think the 16 is still the winner despite the chunk and weight because of its excellent battery life.

 

[b0yd07]

As a 200lb guy, for lap/couch use the 16” proportionally fits my frame better and I feel like I’d look ridiculous hunched over the tiny 14”.

I also feel like the 16” anchors to my thighs really well in the relaxed state, and if it were the 14” I’d have to consciously squeeze my legs together to keep either of the edges from slipping off and through.

Final thought, the 16” being “huge” is laughably overblown. I can only imagine that those people who are saying that have yet to see it in person, or are themselves smaller framed (<130lb). It only looks big when it’s sitting next to the 14”, on its own it seems (and is) normal looking laptop imo.

 

[JamieLannister]

As a 200lb guy, for lap/couch use the 16” proportionally fits my frame better and I feel like I’d look ridiculous hunched over the tiny 14”.

I also feel like the 16” anchors to my thighs really well in the relaxed state, and if it were the 14” I’d have to consciously squeeze my legs together to keep either of the edges from slipping off and through.

Final thought, the 16” being “huge” is laughably overblown. I can only imagine that those people who are saying that have yet to see it in person, or are themselves smaller framed (<130lb). It only looks big when it’s sitting next to the 14”, on its own it seems (and is) normal looking laptop imo.

Agree ?

Except I can't squeeze my legs together because my junk is so large it actually causes the 16" mbp to wobble when set atop between my legs.

 

[flapflapflap]

Agree ?

Except I can't squeeze my legs together because my junk is so large it actually causes the 16" mbp to wobble when set atop between my legs.

The trick is to wrap it around your waist. Aside from the controversial size, the 16 is nearly flawless

 

[modernmoments]

The 14" next to the 16" makes the 16" look massive. And it is a pretty good size laptop. But I also think it's really not that bad at all. I find it much more comfortable than the 14" because of the longer armrests. So far, I really enjoy the 16" a lot. The screen is great.

A big factor also for me was using split screen on the 16". It seems much more usable than the 14". I still think the 14" is a good laptop though. The best 14" portable I've seen by far. But I really love this 16" a lot. I feel like it has no compromises for my workflow.

I do have a 12.9" iPP which made me feel like the 14" was a bit redundant for screen size. I felt like it would've rendered my iPP useless except for drawing. Now I feel like I have an ultra portable option and a desktop-like option.

 

[racostaf]

In the face of indecision, I have made five orders and I have canceled three. At the moment I have both orders (14-16), and use and in the end make a choice. But with all the comments I have read I am quite leaning towards 16.

 

[haruhiko]

After using the 16-inch for 4 days, went and bought the 14-inch yesterday and within 24 hours, its clear that for me, the 14-inch is a much better form factor. I use the laptop as a laptop- of the sofa, in bed etc. Its never connected to a monitor and I take it around with me. Plenty of power for me on the 14-inch and still on the charge that came out of the box.

I had several 15-inch MacBooks and they always felt just a little bit larger than what I wanted. So I went to 14-inch this year and I can’t be happier. Perfect form factor.

 

[flapflapflap]

In the face of indecision, I have made five orders and I have canceled three. At the moment I have both orders (14-16), and use and in the end make a choice. But with all the comments I have read I am quite leaning towards 16.

Mind sharing why exactly you're leaning towards the 16?

 

[racostaf]

Mind sharing why exactly you're leaning towards the 16?

Currently I have a MBP Mid 2017 13 "and I have been waiting for the 14" for a long time. As soon as they launched it, said: that's the one. However, I was in doubt due to the size of the screen, and the temperature that I have seen in videos, which is not the case with the 16".

The 16" allows working with a document in word and excel in parallel, for example, since my view is not the same for my 43 years. Yes, weight is an important factor, but when I travel carry much more weight and I do not complain. I use the Mac at work, so I would only transport it day and night and if I have to move from one position to another, it is not a lot of distance.

Anyway, it is not something decided (or yes?), for now I have the 2 ordered; unfortunately where I live there is no apple store, so I have not been able to test them.

 

[chfilm]

Oh god I so feel everyone in this thread!
Having the hardest time deciding between the two.

My scenario is especially complex:
I (video editor) moved my Mac Pro with two XDR Displays from home to an office three months ago. Since then, my only home computer is an ipad 12.9“ which works fine most of the time, but sometimes I had to run back to the office late night to fix some render error or so, so I need a mac at home.

I would love to have an iMac but the 24“ just doesnt convince me. Too small, too slow.

Sometimes I have to go out to work at clients Offices where they force me to work on 4 years old iMacs or so, which is annoying the hell out of me.

So I figured to get a maxed out MacBook Pro to have something good at home and to be able to bring it on jobs where I can‘t take my Mac Pro. But then the thinking started, 16“ or 14“?? 16“ because of the thermals, but if I have to carry it every day out to clients, the 14“ would be preferable, given that it has the exact same performance. I guess I dont care too much about the fan noise since mostly editing with headphones anyways.
Still, for at home use a bigger screen would be nice. But then again 16“ is still too small for serious work, so I would like to have an external display anyways.

So after long pushing back and forth I went with the 14“ now. I know myself, once the bigger iMac Pro comes out I‘ll get serious fomo and will want that as well.

So I probably will get the lowest base model of that 30“ or whatever iMac when it comes out with not crazy performance and just carry the 14“ out to clients. Sigh. What a waste of money

 

[Fthree]

After reading through this thread a few times i am glad to see that I’m not the only one in my 40s with their eyesight being strained by smaller laptops..

 

[pshifrin]

After reading through this thread a few times i am glad to see that I’m not the only one in my 40s with their eyesight being strained by smaller laptops..

44 here. Went with the 14 (i already have an LG 24 inch ultra fine 4k on my desk). Wear glasses only for distance and driving but i think that distance is starting to shrink ever closer

 

[Micka88]

16'' is bigger, 14'' is smaller. That's all No big science around it. I took 16''because bigger display is better, you see things better and you can place more things there.

 

[ArcticBlue00]

After reading through this thread a few times i am glad to see that I’m not the only one in my 40s with their eyesight being strained by smaller laptops..

Being in my 40s myself, it’s sad that smaller laptops hurt my eyes and larger laptops hurt my back and shoulders…… ?‍?

 

[Fthree]

Being in my 40s myself, it’s sad that smaller laptops hurt my eyes and larger laptops hurt my back and shoulders…… ?‍?

Oh yeah the rounded bent over spine effect ?

 

[chengengaun]

I guess deciding between 14" and 16" is very personal and ultimately can only be answered by oneself. After deciding whether to upgrade from the i9 at all, I struggled to decide between 14" and 16". I wanted 16" because that's what I already have, but 14" seems very attractive for many reasons. So I decided to be more systematic in making the decision. Hope this process and the tables below can help somebody.

My decision process comprised (1) figuring out my priorities, (2) reviewing what devices/peripherals I already have and how the new Mac works with them, and (3) deciding if the 14" or 16" fits my needs better.

My priorities:

Factors	Importance	Remarks	Best-Fit Model
Computing performance	High	Both 14" and 16" can be configured to the same specs, more or less.	14"/16"
Thermal and noise performance	Medium	I want the Mac to run cool when not doing much, but can tolerate some heat and noise when crunching data.	16"
Screen real estate	High	16" has plenty of real estate. However, I also have external monitors and iPad. I can use external monitors at home and work, and iPad (via Sidecar) when on the move.	16" 14"
Built-in speaker quality	Medium	The i9 16" I have has really nice speakers and I wish to preserve that. However, I am willing to sacrifice a bit since I also have AirPods. Plus the 14" speakers sound not too shabby.	14"
Battery life	Medium	I wanted at least 8-hour battery life under a realistic light-work scenario. Both 14" and 16" seem to be able to achieve that. Anything above that is nice-to-have. Plus, I have access to chargers most of the time.	14"
Weight*	High	This is a topic in and of its own - see below.	14"
Size	Medium	My current carry setup caters to 16". Will be nice to downsize. c.f. Weight.	14"

* Weight: That might not be too important now, but will be once we can be out-and-about more freely again (future-proofing?). I looked at weight from a "systems" perspective i.e. my entire carry setup. Experience tells me that weight begets weight (heavier laptop > heavier charger > heavier bag) so I tried to see how the total systems weight would work out for 14" and 16".

Item	14"​	14" Weight​	16"​	16" Weight​
MacBook Pro	14" MBP​	1600​	16" MBP (M1 Max)​	2200​
Charger**	96W​	272​	140W​	277​
Sleeve***	Incase nylon 13"​	159​	Incase nylon 16"​	200​
Bag	Tom Bihn Synapse 19​	708​	Tom Bihn Synapse 25​	832​
Total Weight		2739​		3509​

** I'm surprised the two chargers weighed about the same!
*** No 14" sleeve yet so used 13" as an estimate.

770g lighter may not sound like much but it makes a big difference when carried over an extended period of time.

Having satisfied myself that I considered the different factors carefully, I went with 14". While I have been using it for only four days, I am very happy with my choice - it does work out like how I envisaged it.