I give up. Trading in my 2019 16" MBP for a 13" M1. I've tried both. M1 is superior in almost everything

[mossme89]

Okay so let me get this out of the way for the "it's not better in EVERYTHING" crowd

I concede the M1 is inferior for:
-Virtualization
-eGPU
-Heavy GPU things

I've had my 16" for a year and have loved it. But last month I accidentally fried it with a non-certified dongle (didn't even know that was a thing). Coincidentally, this was the week the M1 came out. I thought hey while my 16" is in the shop, let me take advantage of Apple's 14 day return policy (or extended for holiday) and get an M1 as a "loaner" machine. I had low expectations and saw the M1 machine as an inferior product by far to my $3000 16". Boy was I wrong.

I picked up the 13" Pro with 8 core/8 core base model. And WOW. I was blown away. But I figured that it was just Big Sur being great and not the Mac itself.

Now that I have my 16" MBP back, it feels like I've downgraded. I'm not exaggerating. I thought maybe I needed to start from scratch, so I wiped my machine and set it up from scratch like I did with the M1. And performance is still the same. There's a lag on the 16" at times whereas the M1 was buttery smooth.

Everything just feels more sluggish. For example, going from sleep mode to a usable desktop or login screen on the Intel 16" takes several seconds. On the M1, it's instantaneous. Heavy multitasking on the 16" (16GB RAM) results in a slower environment than multitasking on the 13" (8GB). I know, it defies computer physics. But it's real.

 

[Merkava_4]

What about the difference in screen size; what's your comment on that?

 

[ght56]

The UI is definitely more responsive IMO, especially when comparing the MBP 16's relatively weak iGPU to the M1's surprisingly powerful iGPU. The MBP 16's UI responsiveness on the iGPU has always been a bit of a weak point as it has a slight microstutter issue.

 

[jerryk]

I also dumped my 16" for an M1. Even my base M1 Air feel snappier than my 16" 32 GB, 512 GB SSD. I look forward to seeing what next year brings with the rumored 14" and 16" Mxx/M2 powered systems.

 

[mossme89]

What about the difference in screen size; what's your comment on that?

I thought I would find this an issue, but I actually didn't. My usage generally does not take advantage of extra screen space. I usually have 1 main window and 1-2 small windows open on each Desktop virtual space. For example, 1 Chrome window, 1 small terminal window, and 1 TextEdit window. The overlap is such that the main window is on top and I click on the small windows when I use them. This type of usage translates cleanly to a smaller screen size.

In addition, I found my thinking and workflow to be more concise on the smaller screen size which I found interesting. I suspect that being focused on a smaller screen keeps elements in the forefront of my mind. On the larger screen. I would forget about these smaller windows I had open and sometimes even get confused trying to find a terminal window that was actually in front of me the whole time. Not so much with the 13".

Tl;dr of this is that the smaller screen works better for me to keep things organized and my brain focused.

Side note, the battery is so much better on the new models that when I got my 16" back I thought at first that the battery needed to be replaced. When in fact it was fine, the new models just sip battery juice whereas the Intel models gulp it.

Edit: One thing I did find was an issue was adjusting to the keyboard. The keyboard on the 13" is slightly off-center vs the 16". This meant that my typing was a key off horizontally. It took some adjusting.

 

[mossme89]

The UI is definitely more responsive IMO, especially when comparing the MBP 16's relatively weak iGPU to the M1's surprisingly powerful iGPU. The MBP 16's UI responsiveness on the iGPU has always been a bit of a weak point as it has a slight microstutter issue.

This is the thing I noticed most. Apps load quicker. The slight lag in switching apps or virtual desktops is gone. Microstutter is a good term because that's what was occurring on my 16" MacBook Pro.

 

[mossme89]

I also dumped my 16" for an M1. Even my base M1 Air feel snappier than my 16" 32 GB, 512 GB SSD. I look forward to seeing what next year brings with the rumored 14" and 16" Mxx/M2 powered systems.

I only tried the 8GB model but used it the same way I use my 16" 16GB model, which generally hangs around 10 or 11GB of used RAM. It blew my mind how it was faster and more responsive with less RAM. Also RAM usage was way down in general.

 

[oneMadRssn]

What about the difference in screen size; what's your comment on that?

Man I wish there was an M1 Macbook Pro, same specs as the current 13" but with a 16" screen. I would buy that right now.

 

[jerryk]

Man I wish there was an M1 Macbook Pro, same specs as the current 13" but with a 16" screen. I would buy that right now.

Wait a year and there will be a 16" (and hopefully 14") MBP with an even more powerful M1xx/M2 SOC, more USB-C ports, and higher memory and SSD capacities.

 

[oneMadRssn]

Wait a year and there will be a 16" (and hopefully 14") MBP with an even more powerful M1xx/M2 SOC, more USB-C ports, and higher memory and SSD capacities.

Yes I know, and it will probably have some crazy pro-level GPU and all sorts of other stuff to justify costing $3000. But I don't need a "pro-level" laptop with more power and more ports and so on. I just want a 16" screen basic laptop.

 

[dantracht]

Well done, I sold my 16" and intel 2020 MBA this week for a base model M1 Mini and MBA.

 

[4sallypat]

I could not swallow the huge depreciation hit on a less than 1 year old 16" MBP (50% on Apple trade in) and 70% on private sale.

Decided to keep the 16" and hand it down to my wife who will be elated when she opens up her Christmas gift....

 

[Jupeman]

"I could not swallow the huge depreciation hit on a less than 1 year old 16" MBP (50% on Apple trade in) and 70% on private sale."

This is the way!

 

[mossme89]

Any suggestions on what to test? Made a thread for this.

I'm getting a 16GB/1TB M1 MBP today and plan on restoring it from my current 2019 16" MBP's Time Machine image and then comparing the two machines.

There have been a ton of comparison videos already I know but they all focus on benchmarks and video rendering. I want to see general everyday comparisons of the small things you might not think of.

On my list already:
-Running Universe Sandbox 2, a CPU intensive simulator game, and performing the same tasks
-Running Chrome, TextEdit, and Terminal, and switching back and forth. From past use of the M1 (8GB) and my 16", I expect the 16" MBP to hiccup and microstutter vs the M1
-Timing going from sleep mode to a usable state (lid opening)

Any other suggestions?

 

[petvas]

I have also been considering to go with the M1 13 MBP, but decided to wait for the new 16" MBP, when it comes out next year. I want to have a bigger display.

 

[4sallypat]

I have also been considering to go with the M1 13 MBP, but decided to wait for the new 16" MBP, when it comes out next year. I want to have a bigger display.

Same here - my eyes are not young anymore and a 13" display drives me crazy.

I just re-gifted my 16" MBP to my wife who loved it for Christmsas!

 

[mossme89]

I just re-gifted my 16" MBP to my wife who loved it for Christmsas!

I see you've discovered the life-hack of how to buy a new computer without your wife (or mom) giving you a hard time. You aren't buying a new computer, you're just replacing the computer you gifted to her!

I've done this before with my mom (I live with my parents) and iPhones.

----------
The 16GB/1TB M1 has arrived! I am currently Migrating from a Time Machine backup.

 

[baypharm]

I agree. I don’t care how much faster a 13” screen is, I’ll take a larger (slower) screen any day of the week.

 

[mossme89]

I got it and man... This thing SIPS battery juice. And it stays cool better than any computer I've ever used. Meanwhile, my Intel 16" has fans spun to 100% for everything with prolonged use.

 

[MrGunny94]

My biggest problem with the 16" is the battery and the display ghosting.. But oh well I have been using it for a year now. Maybe later down the road I end up getting the m1 air.

 

[x3sphere]

This has been my experience as well. Just doing things like compiling webpack builds I am seeing a performance uplift versus the 16". And it doesn't lag when I'm doing a lot of demanding tasks at once, the 16" would slow down when I was compiling code, along with Docker open and a few dozen Chrome windows.

Feels crazy that I'm getting this good of performance from a 13" laptop. I actually prefer the smaller form factor as well the only reason I went 16" in the first place was due to better performance, so I don't miss the screen size at all. I usually use it hooked up to an external display anyway (which was another issue with the 16", the 5500M was always using 20W even at idle when connected to an external for me).

 

[mossme89]

This has been my experience as well. Just doing things like compiling webpack builds I am seeing a performance uplift versus the 16". And it doesn't lag when I'm doing a lot of demanding tasks at once, the 16" would slow down when I was compiling code, along with Docker open and a few dozen Chrome windows.

Feels crazy that I'm getting this good of performance from a 13" laptop. I actually prefer the smaller form factor as well the only reason I went 16" in the first place was due to better performance, so I don't miss the screen size at all. I usually use it hooked up to an external display anyway (which was another issue with the 16", the 5500M was always using 20W even at idle when connected to an external for me).

The 16" ramps its fans for just web browsing and small tasks. And the fans stay on full blast. Then there's microlag and hiccups with the UI.

I agree. And the thing doesn't heat up at all. I played Universe Sandbox 2 for a little bit, which is probably the most resource intensive game I've played on Mac. The 13" didn't heat up and I couldn't hear the fans, if they were on at all. I can't say this enough: it was unlike any computer I've ever used.

I suspect 10+ years of developing ARM chips for iOS devices has resulted in a chip optimized for peak performance and heat dissipation without a fan.

I wonder if a big reason why they didn't have a 32GB option is because a CPU that never throttles has less of a need for a RAM cache. It's in line with what I'm seeing in that even the 8GB model behaves and performs like a system with twice the amount of RAM. When I was testing the 8GB M1, I kept forgetting it only had 8GB of RAM because it was faster and more responsive than my 16GB 16". Now that I have a 16GB M1, it's just insanely fast.

 

[mossme89]

I was wrong, Apple's move to ARM-chipsets is brilliant and well-done​

I was dreading Apple's move to ARM chipsets. I thought it would be reminiscent of their move from PowerPC to Intel where it broke everything but worse. Rosetta 1 worked sometimes but it was kind of a cross your fingers and pray to the computer gods kind of thing.

I am so happy to say I was absolutely completely wrong. Rosetta 2 works fabulously and often times runs apps just as well if not better than native. My only question is "why didn't they do this sooner?" Apple's switch to ARM has been rumored for 6+ years. It's obvious they've taken the time to polish and smooth out any issues (looking at you CD Project Red), only pulling the trigger when everything has been thoroughly tested and meets their high QA standards.

in addition, the battery life is supernatural, for lack of a better term. In the same timeframe that my 16" would drop 10%, the 13" drops 2-3%.

The M1 will force Intel to innovate​

The M1 should send fear down the spines of those over at Intel. They have to respond and innovate, delivering a product with the heat dissipation, performance, and power consumption at a price range comparable to the M1. The Nuc 9 seems like a step in the right direction but is still far too expensive and far too power hungry to put a dent in the M1.

With Microsoft investing in their ARM-based Windows version, Apple could eviscerate Intel if they chose to license and sell their chip as a direct competitor to Intel. They could undercut and provide a superior chipset to anything Intel has to offer. This should put fear into the hearts of Intel.

Competition is good for consumers​

All in all, competition is good for consumers. And the M1 will benefit not just Mac users, but Intel windows users as well as Intel is forced to innovate under pressure from x86 AMD and ARM Apple chips.

 

[Never mind]

Or, Apple good purchase Intel. Wouldn’t that be interesting.