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is it crazy to choose 13" macbook pro M1 over the new macbook pro 14?

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kevjen888

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 13, 2008
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with the crazy deals 13" M1 MBP is getting nowadays, it's hard not to consider it over the newer 14". also 14" being the 1st year model, i'd expect it to have some kind of 1st year glitch if not already. the 13 chassis, screen and keyboard are tried and true, with the M1 processor, i think it'll be relevant for at least 5 years. has anyone chose the 13" MBP over the 14"?
 
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I had a user choose the 13" M1 over the 14 & 16" M1 Pro. For one, he really liked the Touch Bar. He had been holding off on an upgrade until we saw the pricing of the 16" model. When it was clear that it was a sizable difference to go from 13" MBP to 16" MBP, he opted for the 13".

The M1 is crazy fast already. Unless you need more cores or you need native support for more than one external display, the M1 13" MBP is a great machine with better battery life than it's larger siblings.
 
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I agree, not crazy at all if you stick with the base 13" models with 8GB. However once you bump up to 16GB and 512GB storage, then you're only $200 away from the base 14" model. I think this is the biggest knock in my mind against the current 13" MBPro - a maxed-out config should be at least $300-$400 cheaper than the step up to M1 Pro models.

Otherwise, I really like the 13" MBPro. I think of the thing more as a MacBook Air+.
 
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If you value battery life the most and are happy with the performance of the M1 (which is really very good), then the 13" MBP is a great device. I wish it had the MiniLED display though. It just makes a big difference in every day use.
 
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I originally chose the 13" M1 over the 14". I still like the build and keyboard better, as well as the touchbar. But I don't regret changing my mind.

What made me reconsider and get the 14" instead:
- More screen real estate
- Ability to drive multiple monitors

Spec'd with the same memory/storage, the 14" wasn't much more cost-wise and the better screen, performance, camera (debatable) made it easier to stomach.
 
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That totally depends on your use case. I have a very fast machine (see signature) for home use and when the pandemic started, I sold my Core i9 MBP and went desktop only. We had to go back to the office for a month so I spent $2,000 on a MBP 13" and didn't get the hype at all. It was way slower than my iMac and the screen was too small for content creation and honestly, I felt the "M1 hype" was overblown. When we went back to WFH, I was stoked to sell it and wait for the "pro M1". I've ordered a fully loaded M1 Max machine and listed the iMac for sale. I'll just dock a 16" with my Dell 32" display and it's faster than my iMac.

If you don't feel like a middle of the road intel Mac is slow then you'll be happy with the 13"
 
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I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one having trouble deciding between them. I have had both in front of me for several weeks now and surprisingly still unable to make a final decision. Basically I like the customizable Touch Bar, physical size/weight, and battery life of the 13” but I do also appreciate the screen size/quality and speakers on the 14”. Due to similarities, I also tried the Air but didn’t like it’s screen - to me seemed noticeably lower quality than the 13” Pro despite posts saying that they are basically the same except brightness. The Touch Bar just seems useful especially with predictive text/form filing/confirmation buttons for browsing Safari, texting, music, YouTube, besides the apps available to customize it further. One of the TB apps I have discovered is Touché which is a virtual TB and installed it on the 14” to see if that’ll help make the decision any easier. I guess it’s the closest we’ll have to a touchscreen MacBook for now anyway.

The specs I would likely go with are 16gb RAM/512gb SSD and the base 8 core on 14”. Before tax, I purchased the 14” for $1620, the 13” for $1529 with those specs, although I see the 13” with 1tb is $1709 which might be a good upgrade. This is my first MacBook after using a Dell XPS 14 with Intel i7 since 2012 so either are a massive upgrade and 1-1.5# lighter. Ports and performance benchmarks don’t really matter to me since I’m not using it for work and the Dell still works for 2ish hours on battery if I need Windows apps. I also have an 11” iPad Pro, but just want a good laptop to learn MacOS and sync everything with my iOS devices.
 
Yes but, I think, with three ifs:

  • If it's the base model you want*
  • If you are not paying list**
  • If you are happy with (or outright prefer, as some do) the Touch Bar.
* Go 16, 512 or both and you start pushing towards the cost of the base 14".
** Both the 13" Pro and the Air (specially in their respective base models) do get quite a good discount, at various places, from time to time. There's also the refurb store to consider.
 
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Not at all, 13" MBAir or MBP M1 are great choices, speaking CPU wisely you're getting a hell out of a machine with the M1, with numbers paragonable to beefy desktop CPUs, depending on your use (which you don't specify though) you'll have your powering needs fulfilled from this point certainly. Talking GPU wisely, new machines offer better capabilities so again, depends on your needs.

I had the MBP 2020 M1 16GB/512GB for 6 months and even with my workloads (which they involve really large amounts of RAM due to VMs and compiling code) it behaved like a champion, on some circunstances I found myself short of RAM and GPU, but that's just my case and that's why I went for the 14" M1 Pro 10CPU/16GPU 32GB

So, IMHO, if you don't want to spend 1000$ more and you're ok for your uses with the base model M1, they're indeed superb machines, however, if you plan to add more RAM and SSD, given the model I had for example, w/16GB RAM and 512GB SSD, it's a bargain to get the 14" base model for 300$ more, you'll get better performance, better speakers, screen, webcam and keyboard, plus more ports and magsafe back ... ofc, the battery life isn't that great as M1, but I'd sacrifice it for a long-term machine.

Just my 2 cents, best of lucks!
 
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madat42 said:
I agree, not crazy at all if you stick with the base 13" models with 8GB. However once you bump up to 16GB and 512GB storage, then you're only $200 away from the base 14" model. I think this is the biggest knock in my mind against the current 13" MBPro - a maxed-out config should be at least $300-$400 cheaper than the step up to M1 Pro models.

Otherwise, I really like the 13" MBPro. I think of the thing more as a MacBook Air+.
Click to expand...
This is how Apple gets you - you are only $200 away from the next upgrade! Their individual upgrades are rather incremental, but once you add a few all of a sudden you've added an extra $1,000 to the cost of your Mac. ?

When configuring my 14-inch, I wanted the M1 Max to get the extra GPU cores, RAM, and external display support. But I stopped from any further $200 upgrades and stayed with the 24 core GPU and base storage. Things just add up too quickly.
 
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Also, if you absolutely need a computer now go ahead and pickup either, but if you're not committed on the 14", it might pay off to see what the new Air and base MBPro will be like. That's just around the corner.
 
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i also have a M1 12.9" iPad Pro, which have me debating whether i need another M1 laptop with similar screen size.
 
My MBP 13 was bought with 400 USD discount online. 13" M1 with 1TB and 16gig ram. Nice deal right?
Although I now own 16", it most of the time just sits on desk with external monitors connected to it functioning as "a desktop replacement". I always carry 13" which is smaller and lighter, and keep it connected to a external at my workplace as back-up.

14 looks nice and shiny, but it's hard to beat that deal, and with 1tb and 16gig, it will last plenty.
 
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Internaut said:
Yes but, I think, with three ifs:

  • If it's the base model you want*
  • If you are not paying list**
  • If you are happy with (or outright prefer, as some do) the Touch Bar.
* Go 16, 512 or both and you start pushing towards the cost of the base 14".
** Both the 13" Pro and the Air (specially in their respective base models) do get quite a good discount, at various places, from time to time. There's also the refurb store to consider.
Click to expand...
That’s my advice too.
 
kevjen888 said:
Bought the base MacBook Pro 14 tonight with wife’s educational pricing ($150) off. Was tempting with the apple refurbished MBP 13 M1 16/512 for $1439, but decided on the 14 for future proof.
Click to expand...
It can’t go wrong. Enjoy your new machine and sure to update to macOS 12.1 which fixed the YouTube HDR issue.
 
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jinnyman said:
My MBP 13 was bought with 400 USD discount online. 13" M1 with 1TB and 16gig ram. Nice deal right?
Although I now own 16", it most of the time just sits on desk with external monitors connected to it functioning as "a desktop replacement". I always carry 13" which is smaller and lighter, and keep it connected to a external at my workplace as back-up.

14 looks nice and shiny, but it's hard to beat that deal, and with 1tb and 16gig, it will last plenty.
Click to expand...

Where did you find it for $400 off? Or was that a while ago?
 
kevjen888 said:
Bought the base MacBook Pro 14 tonight with wife’s educational pricing ($150) off. Was tempting with the apple refurbished MBP 13 M1 16/512 for $1439, but decided on the 14 for future proof.
Click to expand...
IMHO, I think you did the right decission as I mentioned in previous post, given the config you wanted, 400$ more for all the perks (CPU/GPU/screen/speakers/webcam/ports) that the 14" include over the 13", for me it's a win-win.

Only thing you're losing according to references, is some battery life (i'm getting 12-14h of usage with light/mild use on my 14" w/10 CPU & 16 GPU though) ... and some slimness, but other than that, the rest are clearly improvements to me.

Enjoy it! ?

Acronyc said:
This is how Apple gets you - you are only $200 away from the next upgrade! Their individual upgrades are rather incremental, but once you add a few all of a sudden you've added an extra $1,000 to the cost of your Mac. ?

When configuring my 14-inch, I wanted the M1 Max to get the extra GPU cores, RAM, and external display support. But I stopped from any further $200 upgrades and stayed with the 24 core GPU and base storage. Things just add up too quickly.
Click to expand...
Similar story as you, I almost got caught in M1 Max 24 GPU due to upgrading to 32GB RAM on my M1 Pro 10/16, thinking "it's just 250$ more" but decided not, I wouldn't profit the extra-bandwidth or GPU, but their pricing is a piece of cake, very good analyzed and designed to make you feel "buyer's remorse" even if your future-proof guidelines are not so strict :D Decided to save that money for AppleCare+ or throwing it for a future Mac Mini w/M1 Max

In the other hand, OP's clearly wanted 16GB/512GB as it seems, and in that situation, IMHO, 300$-400$ more as stated, it's a bargain for all the extra things on the 14" base model.
 
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