How bulky is the 16” for working outside

[Abaganov]

I’m debating if to purchase the 16” now or wait for the new 13”

I sometime work outside at coffee shops/co working spaces and wondering how bulky and big will be to carry and then use in this Kind of outside environment?
Obviously it will be more portable than the 13” but does it get uncomfortable? Does the extra screen real estate and power worth the portability sacrifice?

 

[RStolpe]

I’m debating if to purchase the 16” now or wait for the new 13”

I sometime work outside at coffee shops/co working spaces and wondering how bulky and big will be to carry and then use in this Kind of outside environment?
Obviously it will be more portable than the 13” but does it get uncomfortable? Does the extra screen real estate and power worth the portability sacrifice?

Well, I have the 16" and also the 15" from 2018 and the 16" is a little thicker but I can work with it everywhere. It's not so much thicker that it hurts.

It's not bulky at all according to me.

 

[Marzel]

After a while, it feels very similar to the 15". It is definitely thicker, but on my lap it feels light while working outside.

 

[RStolpe]

After a while, it feels very similar to the 15". It is definitely thicker, but on my lap it feels light while working outside.

I agree, I can use all of the sleeves etc. for my 15" 2018 on my 16" so the size is not much bigger/thicker.

 

[mightyjabba]

It's definitely bigger and heavier than the 13", but you'd probably only notice it if you were regularly going back and forth between the two models. It's not like the extra size and weight are a problem, and you would get used to them pretty quickly.

 

[maflynn]

Depending on your location, you'll have less table space when compared to the 13" MBP.

 

[LeeW]

The question is, have you used the existing 15" in the past or even the 13"? If not then it is impossible to say for your situation where there is no comparison.

Clearly the 16 is bigger and heavier than the 13 but that is a given.

 

[jerryk]

I find it a good size for working in a coffee shop or other places where you have smaller amounts of desk space.

Yesterday I spent an hour at a Starbucks and really liked using the 16". With the larger screen and noise cancelling headset it was easy to focus on my work, and not get too distracted by people moving around in the background.

 

[am2am]

It really depends what is your use case. Only you can answer this question (buy 16 or wait for 13).
It is obvious 16 is bulkier. How much it is a factor it depends.

Things to consider:
- processing power you need (and accessibility to power supply - 8 cores/dGPU makes your heavy workload doable but you may end-up with empty battery in 1 h)
- screen real-estate you need
- space availability you expect in your typical remote location
- etc

 

[Psyclism]

I moved from a 2016 13" to the 16". At first it seemed big and unwieldy, but that only lasted for a couple of days. Now the 16" feels comfortable to tote around with me. The weight isn't a problem at all, and I really appreciate the additional horsepower and screen real estate. The worst part of the 16, IMO, is the damn power brick, but I've pre-ordered one of these to solve that problem.

In fact, with the 13", I had to frequently Remote Desktop into my employer provided Windows PC that was running all the time at the house. With the 16, I have the memory and CPU to virtualize that Windows machine and run it in Parallels locally, so no more network worries, power concerns, etc. That right there makes the 16" worth the bump in size.

 

[trailmonkey]

Having been used to carting an Air around the house and various coffee shops and so on, I found the 16" quite a beast by comparison. But I wasn't going to let the size and weight (and value) put me off so I just got on with it. It never felt quite as natural or ergonomic, but still pretty workable. I say that in the past tense as I shipped it back a few days ago.

 

[fishmoose]

I use it in class, the benches are quite small but the 16" fits quite easily. It's a big laptop for sure but you can definitely use it when out and about.