Just got the 2015 MBP, should I have bought the new one?

[thesaint024]

Just plug it in. I always plug in my laptop when power is available since it gives me max performance. Even my 5 year cMBP system I only use every once in a while, says the battery condition is fine and battery seem to last as long as it every did.

+1. Battery tech has come a long way from the days of NiCd. Batteries manage themselves just fine for most of us. They will naturally degrade, but the battery is smarter about maximizing the lifespan.

A couple notes however, it's generally not recommended to ever run down Li batteries to zero. They are better with having some charge. I think the optimal is to always keep them above 50%. Also, for long term storage, charge to 50-70%, then store. Yes, I am saying batteries are best always between a certain charge level of 30-70%, but you won't get much more life trying to manually manage it. It's not worth the hassle. Just plug in and use.

 

[RubenNick]

If you value slightly better screen (brighter), usb-c ports, newest design(thinner, lighter, whatever), and bigger track pad the 16 one is for you.
If you value portability (how easily your device will connect to most things in the next 1-3 years without dongle), magsafe, battery performance, extra $150, and keyboard with more travel then keep the current one.
SSD speed/CPU improvements are not noticeable especially for the 13'' models.

 

[dk808]

I bought a 15" mid-2015 2.2 GHz i7 with 16gb RAM with just the internal Iris Pro. I'm still within my holiday period to return and I was thinking should I get the 2016 one instead. I went to Best Buy today to spend some time on the 2016 15" and there were only 2 things that really bothered me. One was the display brightness, I was expecting to be blown away but I wasn't it really only looked best on highest setting or 2 clicks down but once you go down to 3 clicks lower it gets dark really quick it was like the contrast dropped after 3 clicks down it made the screen seem really dull. The highest setting was specular and a big improvement over the 2015 15" so then I said to myself my battery would suffer keeping it that high. I will say it gets dark quick I put it at 50% and it was just too dark. It didn't seem calibrated right for some reason.

The other thing was the keyboard, I didn't mind the travel but it was the click sound I lifted the laptop close to my ears since th store was a bit loud but I could still hear the clicks and think that might drive me crazy after while. The 2015 15" has no click sound at all which I prefer.

I'm still debating if I should return my 2015 15" 2.2 ghz model for the 2.5 or 2.8 ghz instead not sure if I'd see a performance difference.

Hey man, im thinking about getting the 2015 15 inch with just the iris pro card. Does it get loud or hot? I've heard bad things about the heat/fan noise from the amd card for the 2015 model so i wanted to just get the integrated one.

 

[blindpacemaker]

If you value slightly better screen (brighter), usb-c ports, newest design(thinner, lighter, whatever), and bigger track pad the 16 one is for you.
If you value portability (how easily your device will connect to most things in the next 1-3 years without dongle), magsafe, battery performance, extra $150, and keyboard with more travel then keep the current one.
SSD speed/CPU improvements are not noticeable especially for the 13'' models.

So I tried out the 2016 MBP, firstly I have to say it really does look incredible. I know that's not so important, but god damn it's sexy. I found the keyboard... uncomfortable, but tbh using it for 20-30 mins at the Apple store isn't going to get me used to it, so it's hard for me to tell. It might be that if I got the computer I would grow to like the new keyboard more, who knows. The one thing that did bother me was the trackpad, I have big hands and my palms kept interfering! It did feel a little faster, and the screen is definitely better, but I decided to stick with the 2015 model. I'll let other people be trailblazers with usb-c and buy a new laptop in 2021

EDIT: Just wanted to say, I probably would buy the 2016 now if I had to choose, but I've had this 2015 MBP for a few days and I just can't be bothered to replace it for the small differences lol.

 

[MrGuder]

Hey man, im thinking about getting the 2015 15 inch with just the iris pro card. Does it get loud or hot? I've heard bad things about the heat/fan noise from the amd card for the 2015 model so i wanted to just get the integrated one.

No, mine never got hot, slightly warm at times but ran very well, I only heard the fans once and they were quite.

 

[dk808]

No, mine never got hot, slightly warm at times but ran very well, I only heard the fans once and they were quite.

So it mainly felt cool? Sometimes the keyboard on my 2016 model get hot when the gpu turns on

 

[capathy21]

If you are purchasing new, I'd probably go with the 2016 model. However, if you are open to buying second hand, that's where you can save a ton of money. I just picked up a 2015 13" retina MBP base model for $600. Less than half of what Apple sells it for. For 150 difference, I would go for the 2016, but for a savings of 800, definitely the 2015.

 

[bohdanz]

Hi, I really wasn't trying to start any arguments, buying a new Mac is a big purchase so I just want to make sure I made the right decision. Sometimes 2 computers can have the same spec, but one runs much faster than the other. Both of them have good and bad points I'm sure, I just want to get the opinion of long time mac users about which they feel is the better machine, if there's only £150 or so difference. It seems strange to me that the 2015 model would be a better buy than the 2016 model, but that's what a lot of reviews said. However that might just be their way of saying "the 2016 MBP isn't as good as I wanted it to be" but it may still be better than the 2015 model if you don't factor in the slight price difference. I'm looking for advice, not an argument! =)
[doublepost=1483224399][/doublepost]Just out of interest, will I be able to update the RAM on my 2015 MBP pro? I've heard with some models you can't as it's soldered onto the logic board or something, but tbh I have no idea. The _only_ thing that I'd want to update in the next 2/3 years is the RAM.

Thanks

I am about to return a 2017 MBP 13" (since I'm on day five of my purchase from Apple Store) - and instead order a brand new 2015 Retina MPB 13" that ships tomorrow. I didn't care for the Touchbar, the uncertain battery time (since I'm on the road a bit). And in working on a documentary that has footage needing transfer from a Firewire 400 camera cable....didn't care for the options via usb-c. A bit nervous... but then again I'm not in love with the 2017 model that I've had since last week.

 

[AdonisSMU]

I am about to return a 2017 MBP 13" (since I'm on day five of my purchase from Apple Store) - and instead order a brand new 2015 Retina MPB 13" that ships tomorrow. I didn't care for the Touchbar, the uncertain battery time (since I'm on the road a bit). And in working on a documentary that has footage needing transfer from a Firewire 400 camera cable....didn't care for the options via usb-c. A bit nervous... but then again I'm not in love with the 2017 model that I've had since last week.

Uncertain battery time? There isnt uncertain battery life. My mbp 2016 lasts with like 9-10hrs of development time running two server environments.