Is the 13" MBP Really that much more portable then the 15"

[Macalway]

Much more portable. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. There are plenty of people who 'prefer' the 15", but that's not the question here, really.

I have the 12" 13" and 15". The twelve is much more portable than the 13, and so on.

Each has about a pound difference. That's not much on paper, but it's the size also. Really makes a difference.

BTW, the 12" is my favorite by far. Just is so portable you can use it with one hand in a car or standing up, yet it's good for a main device. Because it's so small, it's structure is very rugged-ish (compact and solid). Of course the brilliant design plays a part

 

[SBruv]

The difference in size is considerable. Go and compare...

 

[sky87]

I think it might depend on how you're planning to bring the laptop around. Where I am my daily commute is on public transport (I don't drive here) so any extra bulk or weight from a 15 inch over a 13 inch will make a fairly decent difference. Especially if I have to stand for about half an hour on a train carrying it, plus the walk on either side to get to/from the train stations! But if I were driving then it wouldn't be such a big difference.

 

[swerve147]

Yes. It’s not so much the weight as it is the dimensions and overall bulk.

 

[maflynn]

The difference in size is considerable. Go and compare...

When commuting or traveling with a laptop, I don't find the size much of a factor, given its usually in a bag of some sort.

For me weight is a more important metric, and the difference between the two models is not much.

3.02 lbs for the 13"
4.02 lbs for the 15"

 

[macintoshmac]

Why dont’t you just hook it up to an external monitor while at home/office? Sometimes you can eat a cookie and have it too. I’m selling my Mac Pro, the MBP + eGPU is enough for me as desktop replacement, although at 3x the cost and still quite a bit slower.

You are right, that is my first choice as well. Now, I went on Amazon in my country and found that 4K monitors are running in the range of about ₹70,000 that is roughly USD 1,000. Talking about LG UD88 with some alphabet prefixes and suffixes.

I do not even get the LG Ultrafine 4K/5K here. And I do not want to put my money in an FHD monitor in 2018. So, I wonder, that spending that high on a monitor, why not just go for a 27" iMac 5K at a (comparatively) 35% extra?

I have to check my local market though, it is entirely possible that the prices in the local market are far lower than on Amazon (especially true for monitors, in my country).

 

[Pangalactic]

ound that 4K monitors are running in the range of about ₹70,000 that is roughly USD 1,000

That's pretty insane! You can buy one in the US for as low as $250

 

[MacMandy]

When commuting or traveling with a laptop, I don't find the size much of a factor, given its usually in a bag of some sort.

For me weight is a more important metric, and the difference between the two models is not much.

3.02 lbs for the 13"
4.02 lbs for the 15"

I do think both the weight and dimensions of a laptop might need to be considered together for some people

 

[macintoshmac]

That's pretty insane! You can buy one in the US for as low as $250

Exactly!

It should not be this high. Also, the options are very less on Amazon India for 4K monitors, leading me to think that for monitors I should better visit the local stores.

 

[FrozenDarkness]

When using on your lap, i much prefer 13 over 15. thats a big test for me as i use my laptop in bed a lot

 

[Frankfurt]

I went from a Late 2008 Macbook 13" to the 2017 15" MacBook Pro . Both have - amazingly - the same weight.
As many have said: when carrying it in a backpack the weight difference is more subtle, but it does exist (1 lbs). The screen, power, speakers etc. are, however, so much better that I would not want to go back to a 13".

I made a different choice though: when I want to travel really light, e.g. on business trips, I travel with my 10.5" iPad Pro with ASK and Pencil and keep the 15" at home or at the office.

 

[PhilMacbook]

I had a look at them side by side earlier and obviously the screen is bigger on the 15" but the size of everything else is better on the 13". Side by side the 15" has a lot of dead space around the keyboard and palm rests with lots of plain aluminium serving no purpose other than to make it match the size of the screen. Overall I don't think it looks as sleek as the 13".

That said, I will still give it some more thought. Unlike some, I don't think there is a right answer for everyone.

 

[Hustle]

I had the 2016 15" MacBook Pro, and now have the 13" 2018 MacBook Pro. I much prefer the size/weight, but obviously miss the screen size.

I do have a 27" 4K monitor that I dock it with however which takes the sting out of the purchase.

The biggest difference I've found with the 13" is that I just throw it in a backpack without thinking about the size/weight. I always second guessed whether to take the 15", especially when travelling abroad.

I still have the 15" 2016 model, but it's been sitting unused on my coffee table. Its fate may be eBay unfortunately.

 

[Gamer-Dad]

First post, but just wanted to say that I just exchanged my 2018 13" i5/512/8 for the 2018 15" 2.6/512/16. While the 13" is a nice portable size, the screen difference is HUGE.

As for the difference in size for the laptop itself, yes its bigger, a little chunkier, but very easily transportable. Still easy to carry in the hand from room to room, or in the backpack when traveling. I personally don't notice the 1lb difference in weight but thats just me...

I find that its easier to type on the 15" compared to the 13" since the palm rest area is larger. Much easier having the 15" on my lap compared to the 13". The 13" never felt solid sitting there. It seems this configuration is snappier than my previous, but should be with the hex core processor and dedicated graphics.

To each there own, and each individual really needs to find the fit that fits there style. I was hesitant about swapping out to the 15" as I thought the 13" was the perfect size, but too much squinting, and not enough screen real-estate was my biggest deciding factors. Having the hex core processor, along with the 16GB of DDR4 and dedicated graphics was next. Battery life seems to be better as well.

 

[Cavman]

First post, but just wanted to say that I just exchanged my 2018 13" i5/512/8 for the 2018 15" 2.6/512/16. While the 13" is a nice portable size, the screen difference is HUGE.

As for the difference in size for the laptop itself, yes its bigger, a little chunkier, but very easily transportable. Still easy to carry in the hand from room to room, or in the backpack when traveling. I personally don't notice the 1lb difference in weight but thats just me...

I find that its easier to type on the 15" compared to the 13" since the palm rest area is larger. Much easier having the 15" on my lap compared to the 13". The 13" never felt solid sitting there. It seems this configuration is snappier than my previous, but should be with the hex core processor and dedicated graphics.

To each there own, and each individual really needs to find the fit that fits there style. I was hesitant about swapping out to the 15" as I thought the 13" was the perfect size, but too much squinting, and not enough screen real-estate was my biggest deciding factors. Having the hex core processor, along with the 16GB of DDR4 and dedicated graphics was next. Battery life seems to be better as well.

Also just swapped a 13" i5/16gb/512gb for a 15" 2.2ghz/32gb/512gb/555x model. While the 13" was hooked up to two external monitors most of the time, when not at work, the screen felt very small. Part of that may have been because I had the resolution scaled to 1680x1050 so that I could see more stuff on the screen. But the 15" scaled to 1920x1200 is the exact same resolution as the external monitors. The 13" at the retina resolution shows very little of a web page or excel spreadsheet.

As for portability, the 15.6" is is quite a bit larger. No denying that, but the thinness of the computer makes it fairly easy to carry and don't find the weight to be that much of a difference. Fits in my carry on as well as my briefcase perfectly.

The 13" is a terrific computer, and it definitely runs cooler than the 15" models, but there's something satisfying about opening up the laptop to that gorgeous 15.6" screen that makes the 15" option pretty great.

FWIW, if you load up a 13" with i7/16gb/1Tb you get to around $2,899. You can get a 15" 2.2ghz/16gb/555x/1Tb for $2,999. $100 difference for: 2 more cores, a dGPU, faster memory, and approximately 37% more screen real estate. Seems like a pretty good deal.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Nrwrit3r]

Just a warning - I had to return my 13" for a 15" because the battery life was noticeably worse. I went 15" --> 13" (for size and loved it) --> back to 15". Unfortunately, despite the far more portable size, the 15" had a much better battery life. This was also tested after indexing had completed when I first got the machine.

 

[IngerMan]

Just a warning - I had to return my 13" for a 15" because the battery life was noticeably worse. I went 15" --> 13" (for size and loved it) --> back to 15". Unfortunately, despite the far more portable size, the 15" had a much better battery life. This was also tested after indexing had completed when I first got the machine.

Do you have some data to share on the times to go with that warning?

 

[Abaganov]

I had a look at them side by side earlier and obviously the screen is bigger on the 15" but the size of everything else is better on the 13". Side by side the 15" has a lot of dead space around the keyboard and palm rests with lots of plain aluminium serving no purpose other than to make it match the size of the screen. Overall I don't think it looks as sleek as the 13".

That said, I will still give it some more thought. Unlike some, I don't think there is a right answer for everyone.

I once also prefer the 13" due to this slickness which is hard to deny. but after all this is a machine I am using for work so the beauty and the slickness should not be a serious factor imo. it's all about productivity and in the end of the day the 15" makes me more productive so it is the clear winner for me.

 

[Chairman.Jobbie]

That said, I will still give it some more thought. Unlike some, I don't think there is a right answer for everyone.

I would add that one persons "dead space" is another persons perfect fit. Its the feeling of spaciousness and its a device you "focus with" as the space it takes on your lap or in front of you at a desk or the white space around the a web page proportionally "fits" - naturally commands attention & focus.

Anyway, for me it works better than a 13". Ultimately a 15" feels right for me as a main device.

Also, I worked out that my new 15" is only 210g more than my 2013 13" - just a bit more than an iPhone +. 3.5cm wider and 2.1cm deeper and 0.15cm thinner. It didn't matter anyway.

 

[Hustle]

I had the 2016 15" MacBook Pro, and now have the 13" 2018 MacBook Pro. I much prefer the size/weight, but obviously miss the screen size.

I do have a 27" 4K monitor that I dock it with however which takes the sting out of the purchase.

The biggest difference I've found with the 13" is that I just throw it in a backpack without thinking about the size/weight. I always second guessed whether to take the 15", especially when travelling abroad.

I still have the 15" 2016 model, but it's been sitting unused on my coffee table. Its fate may be eBay unfortunately.

I made the decision today to return my 13” 2018 model. I loved the design, smaller size etc, but I finally realised I could not sacrifice the screen of the 15”.

I’m not going to order the 2018 15” for now, as I still have my old 2016 15” which will last for a little while longer.

 

[Lennyvalentin]

I am married to my notebook for practically over 10 hours a day for work and fun, and am now thinking about long-term effects of bad posture - neck craned forward.

Ugh! Bad, bad! That many hours per day is going to do a number on your neck, shoulders, upper back...

Either get a desktop computer, or equip your laptop with an external screen + keyboard and mouse (or trackpad, if that's what you prefer.) The latter is the cheaper option, naturally...

 

[Wags]

Think all depends on where a person might be using at a given time. I find my app windows are sized about the same when on 15 and 13. So kinda only depends how switch apps with 13.

 

[phulton]

It definitely is more "portable" but the 15" is portable as well. Just my personal experience, but using a 2012 rMBP compared to my mom's 2017 13" the size differences are drastic, reminded me of my 2014 11" Air. Of course not really, but the new 13" MBPs are very light and thin, they're thinner than the thickest part of an 11" Air.

I have a 2018 15" MBP, and they have definitely slimmed it down compared to the 2012, in every dimension. I carry it to and from work every day, and the footprint is perfect for me.

 

[Y So Jelly]

Yes

 

[macintoshmac]

Ugh! Bad, bad! That many hours per day is going to do a number on your neck, shoulders, upper back...

Either get a desktop computer, or equip your laptop with an external screen + keyboard and mouse (or trackpad, if that's what you prefer.) The latter is the cheaper option, naturally...

Yeah, that is what is getting me conscious. Currently I am 32, so no issue has surfaced yet. I have used a desktop computer (PC) since 2002 and only got an MBP in Late 2011, so say we are 7 years into the habit of craning a bit without much realisation.

Now, since I am 32, I wish to create a foundation of proper habits so that I do not struggle unnecessarily in the long run. Therefore, thinking about going back to a desktop computer (iMac now) and when needed, buying myself an MB 12 for travel times.

Getting a monitor is a cheaper solution, yes, but only if I go the FHD route. The moment I look at 4K monitors, they seem to be obscenely priced in my country as of now.