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Is 16" MBP worth the $600-800 premium over a 2019 15" MBP?

oghowie

oghowie

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 12, 2008
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I'm currently looking to upgrade from a 2018 MBA to a 15" MBP and was wondering if people that have gotten the 16" think it's worth a $600 - $800 premium over a similar 2019 15" MBP? Is the better keyboard (I don't mind current MBA keyboard that much), better thermal management, and better speakers worth the price difference? Thanks.

These are the used models I can get after tax:
2019 15" MBP i9, 16gb, 512 GB - $1549 ($598 less)
2019 15" MBP i7 16GB, 256GB - $1368 ($779 less)
NEW 2020 16" MBP i7 16GB 512 GB - $2147
 
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The used prices have a larger gap now than they will later, if you can wait. Right now they're barely lower than new discounted for the 16". And refurbished is about the same.

Only you can decide whether the improvements are worth it to you. I like the butterfly keyboard, but my 2016 has recently started misbehaving, as is its reputation, so I look forward to a more reliable one. And I use the speakers a lot.
 
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Sanpete said:
The used prices have a larger gap now than they will later, if you can wait. Right now they're barely lower than new discounted for the 16". And refurbished is about the same.
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A pretty similar used 2019 15" is about $600 less than a new 16" right now?
 
Don't know, but that would fit what you posted earlier. You're comparing used prices for the 15" to new for the 16", but if you can wait you'll be able to find some used for the 16" too. The only ones I've noticed so far were from a retailer, $1999 for the base!
 
Jacoblee23 said:
I would say absolutely not. But I own the 15" and absolutely love it and think they keyboard is overall fine.
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I AGREE with this but disclaimer, I own the 2019 15" base model and LOVE IT. Everything is to my satisfaction and beyond.

I will say, after hearing the speakers on the 16" I am a bit jelly of that. I also miss the amazing battery life. But in and of itself, the 15" is a dream computer I am privileged and blessed to use everyday
 
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Hieveryone said:
I AGREE with this but disclaimer, I own the 2019 15" base model and LOVE IT. Everything is to my satisfaction and beyond.

I will say, after hearing the speakers on the 16" I am a bit jelly of that. I also miss the amazing battery life. But in and of itself, the 15" is a dream computer I am privileged and blessed to use everyday
Click to expand...

I own the 2019 15" I9 16gb of ram/512gb of memory model and I LOVE mine too! We have bluetooth speakers we use so I don't really care much about the 16 having better speakers. When I have used the 15" speakers they sounded really good. And most definitely man. I bought AppleCare + for mine because I loved it so much (this was the first time I have ever gotten AppleCare for a Mac before). I am very happy and blessed to own mine also. I intend on keeping it for a very long time.
 
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Jacoblee23 said:
I own the 2019 15" I9 16gb of ram/512gb of memory model and I LOVE mine too! We have bluetooth speakers we use so I don't really care much about the 16 having better speakers. When I have used the 15" speakers they sounded really good. And most definitely man. I bought AppleCare + for mine because I loved it so much (this was the first time I have ever gotten AppleCare for a Mac before). I am very happy and blessed to own mine also. I intend on keeping it for a very long time.
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how long does Apple care + last? I feel like I should have gotten it for mine

it’s a dream laptop for sure
 
Hieveryone said:
I AGREE with this but disclaimer, I own the 2019 15" base model and LOVE IT. Everything is to my satisfaction and beyond.

I will say, after hearing the speakers on the 16" I am a bit jelly of that. I also miss the amazing battery life. But in and of itself, the 15" is a dream computer I am privileged and blessed to use everyday
Click to expand...
+1
I LOVE the butterfly keyboard (actually, prefer the 2017 15" to the 2019 15"), but do MISS the 16" screen!
 
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Since we are talking a used unit. You should compare the price versus a used 16" or at least an Apple refurb with 1 year warranty.

I went from a 2018 15" to 16" and much prefer the 16". The keyboard better feeling, speakers are great, the performance boast is noticeable.
 
It all depends on your use.

I have an app that is 32 bit and the developer has not updated their app to 64 bit. So I have no choice but to stay with my 2018 15" to run Mojave. I always can use the speed of the 16" compared to 15" but there is always a little give-and-take when deciding on a computer.

As for the keyboard, I actually prefer the butterfly keyboard as I like the feel of it better (that is after I've gotten use to it). Failure rate for the butterfly keyboard for 2018 seems to be about 2-4% so not all 2018's keyboard will fail. Plus, it seems the problem is due to particles getting stuck below the key, so I make sure I don't eat anything near the computer. My theory is that majority of the keyboard failures probably are due to people snacking when using their computer.
 
I'd say yes, particularly now that the 16" has started to show up in the refurbished store. At $2141 for a 2.3/16/1TB refurb, I don't think the 15" models make any sense whatsoever. Do you really want something that was problematic enough for Apple to put a 4 year service program on it? Me either.
 
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maflynn said:
Do you really want to drop thousands of dollars on a computer with a known flawed and defective keyboard?
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Yeah, that really is the only issue. If not for the keyboard I wouldn't even think about the 16".
 
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maflynn said:
Do you really want to drop thousands of dollars on a computer with a known flawed and defective keyboard?
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So far it seems like the 2019 models haven’t had many issues and people are just saying that due to problems with previous models.
 
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Jacoblee23 said:
So far it seems like the 2019 models haven’t had many issues and people are just saying that due to problems
Click to expand...
I've seen some reports, but you're right the volume of failure does seem down - still do you want to spend that much money on a flawed design? Apple gave up on it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
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