Macbook Pro 13" or 15"?

[Sharath]

Hello,

I just brought Macbook Pro 13", 4 thunderbolt 3, 16 GB/ 512 GB. It cost me $2199. Macbook Pro 15" is $2399. Now I am confused between these two. Should I return upgraded 13" and get entry level 15" or should I keep upgraded 13"? Which one will be better for years to come? Please help me on this. I will use this Macbook for programming and for some other work related to blockchain development. I don't do any photo or video editing. Please help me to get the best Macbook for my use case.

 

[Willo34]

You should be fine with the 13 inch.

 

[MrGunnyPT]

You should be fine with the 13" really.

 

[kp98077]

13" more portable, I had the 15" was too big...

 

[Sharath]

You should be fine with the 13 inch.

Thank you. I am fine with 13" but I tempted towards 15" because of 6 core and dedicated GPU. I don't know Whether I need those at present, but may be in future if I need I can't upgrade. So I was confused.
[doublepost=1563849411][/doublepost]

You should be fine with the 13" really.

Thank you. Not much difference between 13" and 15" for programming?
[doublepost=1563849481][/doublepost]

13" more portable, I had the 15" was too big...

Which one you use now 13" or 15"? So should I keep the 13"?

 

[Sharath]

One more thing is the battery. How is the battery life of 15" compared with 13"? Currently I am getting around 8 hours in 13". Is there a much difference between 13" and 15"?

 

[buran-energia]

If you don't need the screen size, dGPU, and 6 cores, then 16/512 13 mbp is fine.

But it depends on what kind of programming. Some IDEs will feel cramped on 13 inch. I'd get the 15 if I'm not using an external monitor.

The base 15 has only 256 GB though. If you're not going to upgrade that, then it's even a harder decision.

 

[EnderTW]

I have the 2019 15' MacBook Pro. I find it very comfortable to use on the lap. Using VS Code and having Safari opened side by side helps, same with Xcode. I personally do not tether this to a screen so I do need a bigger screen and have an iPad for the go. I traded in my iMac Pro to get this because I didn't need all that power but I needed something more than the iPad in order to code on the go.

With the student discount the iMac Pro base model traded in for this MacBook Pro, Beats Headphones and a couple of dongles.

 

[Sharath]

If you don't need the screen size, dGPU, and 6 cores, then 16/512 13 mbp is fine.

But it depends on what kind of programming. Some IDEs will feel cramped on 13 inch. I'd get the 15 if I'm not using an external monitor.

The base 15 has only 256 GB though. If you're not going to upgrade that, then it's even a harder decision.

I will be using this for blockchain development. Hyperledger and other things like creating blockchain nodes.

Yes, I will not upgrade storage if I go with 15". I need to stay with 256 GB. May be I need to buy external SSD after few months. What do you think? Should I stay with upgraded 13" or exchange with 15" base model?
[doublepost=1563870086][/doublepost]

I have the 2019 15' MacBook Pro. I find it very comfortable to use on the lap. Using VS Code and having Safari opened side by side helps, same with Xcode. I personally do not tether this to a screen so I do need a bigger screen and have an iPad for the go. I traded in my iMac Pro to get this because I didn't need all that power but I needed something more than the iPad in order to code on the go.

With the student discount the iMac Pro base model traded in for this MacBook Pro, Beats Headphones and a couple of dongles.

Did you buy the base model 15" or upgraded it? How is the battery life of 15"?

 

[Cosmo M3]

I’m in the same boat as you as I have the latest 13 inch MBP with the quad-core. I personally think the 13 inch will be enough and save you some money (and weight), but the good deals I see for the new 2019 MBP 15 inch Base make it a difficult decision indeed.

 

[inmnbob]

Anyone getting the specked out 13” with i7, 16gb and 2tb? I am fore sure going with this and trying to decide on 1 or 2 TB. The $400 premium for 1Tb is less than it used to be ...I just hate the thought of having to carry and SSD. I have almost 500gb already used on my current MBpro. Thoughts

 

[Cosmo M3]

Anyone getting the specked out 13” with i7, 16gb and 2tb? I am fore sure going with this and trying to decide on 1 or 2 TB. The $400 premium for 1Tb is less than it used to be ...I just hate the thought of having to carry and SSD. I have almost 500gb already used on my current MBpro. Thoughts

If you’re too lazy to carry a spare SSD, then pay up and get the storage upgrade.

 

[Howard2k]

If you’re too lazy to carry a spare SSD, then pay up and get the storage upgrade.

Pretty sure there are other reasons not to carry a spare SSD other than "laziness".

To avoid carrying an SSD there are other options:
* HDD (same physical size of course), but far cheaper.
* USB/SD
* NAS
* Cloud storage

 

[Cosmo M3]

Pretty sure there are other reasons not to carry a spare SSD other than "laziness".

To avoid carrying an SSD there are other options:
* HDD (same physical size of course), but far cheaper.
* USB/SD
* NAS
* Cloud storage

I'm going based off his comment on '...I just hate the though of having to carry an SSD."

 

[ascender]

If you don't need the screen size, dGPU, and 6 cores, then 16/512 13 mbp is fine.

But it depends on what kind of programming. Some IDEs will feel cramped on 13 inch. I'd get the 15 if I'm not using an external monitor.

The base 15 has only 256 GB though. If you're not going to upgrade that, then it's even a harder decision.

I think this post sums it up. The only other thing to consider is the portability. The 15" is a brilliant laptop with a great screen, but it can be a bit unwieldy to use on the move on trains, planes etc compared to the 13".

 

[Moonjumper]

I much prefer a 15” for coding, but I never moved mine around much (why I now have a 27” iMac instead). It was OK for the occasional trip, but wouldn’t want to carry one around daily. So it depends on how portable you need your laptop to be.

 

[inmnbob]

Buy both. It’s only money.

 

[Gator1pk]

Personally, only the 15” will do. It’s about the size of the screen. You can see more or split the screen (to see more). As I have gotten older, my eyes have gone from great vision to now being far sighted. So I can see TV perfectly, driving is fine, but pickup a book or look at a computer screen and I need reading glasses. If I was still in my early 40’s or younger, I would have been able to perfectly see the 13”

 

[marzfreerider]

It depends how much time you will be working on it. I tried a 13" a time ago and didn't care for the smaller screen, 15" is better for myself when working longer on. Screen real-estate is a nice problem to have.