On the fence about device size of 15’’ model

[Beau10]

Short version - as a die hard 13" user for years, once I was kind of "forced" into a 15", I haven't wanted to go back.

As a counterpoint, I was forced into a 15" rMBP at a job in 2013. Since leaving that job I've only owned 13" rMBPs as I wasn't a fan of the 15" ergos. Haven't lived with a TB 15" though.

The iGPUs of the 13" are faster than the 15" and have to drive less pixels. The dGPU of the 15" is of course faster, but drains battery quickly and back when I owned one I did everything possible to deactivate it as it wasn't necessary for the vast majority of my work.

 

[Nozuka]

i often use my first gen retina macbook on the couch on my legs. but after a while it just gets too heavy/restricts bloodflow.

thats why im getting the 13'' this time around. hopefully will be better.

 

[lcseds]

It's really conditioning. I have used a 15" for years and when I look at a 13", I find it too small. As a long time iPad Air user I decided to try an 12.9 iPad Pro. Now the smaller iPad is way to small. Basically, you live with what you have and don't make comparisons to what you don't have. Is my 15" too big? Not any more. I do like the extra screen space, it's why I visually interact with, and that's most important to me.

 

[GrumpyCoder]

In the same boat. Carried around a 12" PowerBook for years, then needed a bigger screen with a 15" MBP (with drive). At some point I wanted something lighter again, so I used a MBA until the 13" MBP with touchbar came out in 2016.

I'm a researcher/teacher at a university. The 13" works for lecturing and in the office (hooked up to a 32" 4k monitor), but whenever I'm somewhere else (conference, working in meeting rooms with my team, etc.) I feel the urge to have some more screen estate, especially when a lot of applications are open. Xcode is usually good, I'm doing machine learning research mostly in Python, Matlab and R. Bigger models are run on a cluster for obvious reasons and I have a 16 Core + 1080Ti linux machine under the desk in my office. The screen size of the 13" is not a deal killer, just inconvenient from time to time.

I do my literature research mostly on a 9.7" iPad and occasionally use the 12.9" iPP for teaching (drawing graphs, showing some step-by-step calculations to students). I'm planning to pick up the next 10.5" iPP, if the bezel is smaller and home button is gone and feel like I could get away writing with it while travelling, while keeping the MBP in the bag. When I'm working with the MBP I usually have something to put it on (mostly desks/tables, sometimes on a plane/train), but no external display to attach it to (except for the office/home).

Would be a no-brainer if Apple would use Nvidia GPUs since it would support Cuda. The dGPU in the 15" would help a little but not as much as I'd like.

Out of curiosity, are you guys using a messenger bag or backpack to carry around your stuff? Using a messenger bag and when it's loaded (13" MBP, 9.7" iPad, power supplies, some cables, bottle of water and some accessories) my shoulder/back hurts a little after walking around for a while. Probably because the weight is pulling to one side, so I don't really want to add more weight with the 15". On the other hand, I've been thinking about going back to a backpack, which will distribute the weight a bit more evenly, so a 15" might not be that bad.

Decisions, decisions...

 

[Beau10]

I feel the urge to have some more screen estate, especially when a lot of applications are open.]

I've been running 13" rMBPs for years at 1920x1200 HiDPI. Just use RDP.

 

[fb3]

In the same boat. Carried around a 12" PowerBook for years, then needed a bigger screen with a 15" MBP (with drive). At some point I wanted something lighter again, so I used a MBA until the 13" MBP with touchbar came out in 2016.

I'm a researcher/teacher at a university. The 13" works for lecturing and in the office (hooked up to a 32" 4k monitor), but whenever I'm somewhere else (conference, working in meeting rooms with my team, etc.) I feel the urge to have some more screen estate, especially when a lot of applications are open. Xcode is usually good, I'm doing machine learning research mostly in Python, Matlab and R. Bigger models are run on a cluster for obvious reasons and I have a 16 Core + 1080Ti linux machine under the desk in my office. The screen size of the 13" is not a deal killer, just inconvenient from time to time.

I do my literature research mostly on a 9.7" iPad and occasionally use the 12.9" iPP for teaching (drawing graphs, showing some step-by-step calculations to students). I'm planning to pick up the next 10.5" iPP, if the bezel is smaller and home button is gone and feel like I could get away writing with it while travelling, while keeping the MBP in the bag. When I'm working with the MBP I usually have something to put it on (mostly desks/tables, sometimes on a plane/train), but no external display to attach it to (except for the office/home).

Would be a no-brainer if Apple would use Nvidia GPUs since it would support Cuda. The dGPU in the 15" would help a little but not as much as I'd like.

Out of curiosity, are you guys using a messenger bag or backpack to carry around your stuff? Using a messenger bag and when it's loaded (13" MBP, 9.7" iPad, power supplies, some cables, bottle of water and some accessories) my shoulder/back hurts a little after walking around for a while. Probably because the weight is pulling to one side, so I don't really want to add more weight with the 15". On the other hand, I've been thinking about going back to a backpack, which will distribute the weight a bit more evenly, so a 15" might not be that bad.

Decisions, decisions...

Sounds very similar to my situation I sometimes commute with a rMB 12 + iPad Pro 10 incl. keyboard which almost adds up to the 15“ weight in total. Timbuk2 Messenger bag also... I’m really curious about the 15” feel... will check it out tomorrow. As you I don’t have a use for the dGPU in the 15 since it’s not doing CUDA... wonder if the 15 is actually weaker for normal GUI stuff due to the slower iGPU?

 

[GrumpyCoder]

As you I don’t have a use for the dGPU in the 15 since it’s not doing CUDA... wonder if the 15 is actually weaker for normal GUI stuff due to the slower iGPU?

It's not like the dGPU would be useless to me, it's just not doing exactly what I want. I could still use it for simulations in robotics (Unity, V-Rep, etc.) and everything computer vision related (OpenCV), as well as regular graphics. The iGPU of the 13" is ok for basic stuff, anything demanding probably requires more power than what's in the 15". I'd have to test it to be sure. All our computers in the lab are currently running 1080Tis/Titans. I think I still have a 1070 somewhere, which should be close to the 560X in the 15". Will try to run some tests for regular image processing tasks to see if it's enough for the heavy lifting.

 

[jerryk]

Anyone gone from a MacBook Pro 13’’ 2015 to a 15’’ 2016-2018 design? In terms of portability what sort of compromise have you made and do you find yourself leaving the machine in a fixed place a lot more than the 13?

I’m not adverse to larger devices as I own a 12.9 iPad Pro, however I do find myself going for the 9.7 Pro over the 12.9 when travelling - as such I’m wondering if the 15 is more of a desktop in a neat form factor versus a portable 13 laptop.

Have you considered getting the 13" and they using an iPad as a second monitor? There are several apps that let you plug your iPad in with a lightning cable.

 

[fb3]

It's not like the dGPU would be useless to me, it's just not doing exactly what I want. I could still use it for simulations in robotics (Unity, V-Rep, etc.) and everything computer vision related (OpenCV), as well as regular graphics. The iGPU of the 13" is ok for basic stuff, anything demanding probably requires more power than what's in the 15". I'd have to test it to be sure. All our computers in the lab are currently running 1080Tis/Titans. I think I still have a 1070 somewhere, which should be close to the 560X in the 15". Will try to run some tests for regular image processing tasks to see if it's enough for the heavy lifting.

Strange. I think I read somewhere that the 560X should be even below the 1050... But not 100% sure about that

 

[GrumpyCoder]

Strange. I think I read somewhere that the 560X should be even below the 1050... But not 100% sure about that

Neither am I, so don't quote me on it.
I think I saw some benchmarks putting it above the 1060 in some cases, but again, I'd have to test it to be absolutely sure. Unfortunately I don't have a 1060 to test, but a 1050 on one of our autonomous RC cars, so I might try that as well.

 

[fb3]

Neither am I, so don't quote me on it.
I think I saw some benchmarks putting it above the 1060 in some cases, but again, I'd have to test it to be absolutely sure. Unfortunately I don't have a 1060 to test, but a 1050 on one of our autonomous RC cars, so I might try that as well.

Now, that sounds like a fun place to work at! Good for you

 

[Valdna]

I can swipe back and forth easily. macOS excels at window management.

As a side note.
W10 has the same features...

 

[lcseds]

As a side note.
W10 has the same features...

MacOS users that don't use W10 often mistake it for an inferior operating system that lacks features MacOS has.

 

[Smeaton1724]

Have you considered getting the 13" and they using an iPad as a second monitor? There are several apps that let you plug your iPad in with a lightning cable.

The question of 13 vs 15 is related to portable they are for use by themselves without extra screens - I can hook either one up to one of my 4K screens. Taking a 13 Pro plus iPad will be heavier and more awkward than just using a 15.

 

[Adamantoise]

I've owned both 13 and 15, admittedly this was before the refresh but the footprint is still the same.

I am currently using a 2012 15" and while the computer isn't as portable as the 13", I'm already used to the size and I don't think I could give up the screen size. I'm just used to it.

However, anytime I go to the store and I see the 13", I begin to question how important all that is to me.

 

[jerryk]

The question of 13 vs 15 is related to portable they are for use by themselves without extra screens - I can hook either one up to one of my 4K screens. Taking a 13 Pro plus iPad will be heavier and more awkward than just using a 15.

I have an older 9.7 iPad one can buy for less than $150 used. It takes up no more space that a table of paper. When I travel I take it with me to watch videos, etc. And I connect it to my 15" MBP as a second monitor. When I am programming I display the code on the main screen and the results on the iPad.

I only do this when traveling. In the office I just connect to a full size monitor.

My plan is to buy a 13" and try developing for a day or two it with my iPad. And if that does not work look at 15".

 

[fb3]

I have an older 9.7 iPad one can buy for less than $150 used. It takes up no more space that a table of paper. When I travel I take it with me to watch videos, etc. And I connect it to my 15" MBP as a second monitor. When I am programming I display the code on the main screen and the results on the iPad.

I only do this when traveling. In the office I just connect to a full size monitor.

My plan is to buy a 13" and try developing for a day or two it with my iPad. And if that does not work look at 15".

Yeah - I will buy the 13, too. I just checked the 15” in store. Would have liked to have more time in there to actually use it but this Store is a madhouse and you can’t really test the showcase units anyway in any meaningful way... While the 15” screen is really nice, to me it just feels too massive to leave a desk. I would not travel a lot with it (most likely), but when I want to I think it would be annoying... So I’m 90% in the 13” camp now. But maybe that’s also because I have a rMB 12 around a.t.m. and the gap to the 15 is just too much ;-)

 

[ofarlig]

Yeah - I will buy the 13, too. I just checked the 15” in store. Would have liked to have more time in there to actually use it but this Store is a madhouse and you can’t really test the showcase units anyway in any meaningful way... While the 15” screen is really nice, to me it just feels too massive to leave a desk. I would not travel a lot with it (most likely), but when I want to I think it would be annoying... So I’m 90% in the 13” camp now. But maybe that’s also because I have a rMB 12 around a.t.m. and the gap to the 15 is just too much ;-)

I am more or less in the same camp as you, even using the rMB 12" atm. My laptop is mostly used not on a desk or in docked mode, I rarely sit at a real table with it unless it's docked. The rMB 12" has been perfect from a portability standpoint but slightly bigger won't matter, but the 15" is huge in comparison. Was at a store today to check them out and saw that the 15" was way too big for my use case. When I got home Apple had emailed me that the 13" I had on order has been sent now so should have it decently soon.

 

[fb3]

I am more or less in the same camp as you, even using the rMB 12" atm. My laptop is mostly used not on a desk or in docked mode, I rarely sit at a real table with it unless it's docked. The rMB 12" has been perfect from a portability standpoint but slightly bigger won't matter, but the 15" is huge in comparison. Was at a store today to check them out and saw that the 15" was way too big for my use case. When I got home Apple had emailed me that the 13" I had on order has been sent now so should have it decently soon.

My only doubts are if the 15" would have better cooling and actually be quieter in everyday use... Haven't seen this discussed. Are the cooling systems the same? I'm pretty allergic to fan noise... If it's generally better in the 15" I might reconsider. Not talking big complie tasks or other intense stuff where I don't mind fan noise but normal operation to mid-level tasks.

 

[Hadron]

If you can carry a computer dock with your 13”, you may notice that the total weight may be equal to a MacBook Pro 15”.

However, if you have those dock at your office, the 13” may be the better solution.

The thing is, I need the dock whichever model I use because of the number of non-USB-C peripherals it will have to interface with. So if I do carry it it's in addition to the laptop whichever model that is.

My minimal plan is to try to leave the dock/hub in the office and just carry a USB-C to HDMI cable with me (and probably a USB-C to USB-A adapter, which I have a couple of already for my phone). I'd prefer not to carry a hub all the time, though I suspect I'll end up adding a card reader to that list if not...

 

[pubmsu]

Duet Display app goes a long way if you have an iPad - with either 13 or 15 inch for those situations when you need more screen space other than your desk.

You can't run a second 4K monitor with a 5K monitor. However, the resolution difference between 4K and 5K for even professional use may not be noticeable - so the dual 4K setup that 13-inch supports is probably sufficient.

For couch surfing, 15-inch is definitely not comfortable. It's a pain to lift it up and move spontaneously. iPad isn't ideal for participating in forums and social media, writing emails, etc - particularly when in a couch.

For most cases, the 13-inch 16GB is the best buy. I would say 256GB is just sufficient too - given you can use solutions like Google Drive File Stream, which seamlessly extends your storage to cloud and doesn't take up much space on SSD.

I am also on the fence switching from 15-inch to 13-inch. For occasions I may have to do some serious work at a client site or elsewhere, I am thinking of buying the Asus ProArt 4K portable monitor and use a dual monitor setup with my iPad Pro 10.5.

 

[maflynn]

My only doubts are if the 15" would have better cooling and actually be quieter in everyday use.

Agreed, and that's my hope in all honesty.

I was surprised at how load the Razer blade 15" fans were while at idle. I was able to play with the power/performance settings windows to minimize this, but I found myself always needing to alter and live with loud fans. That was one of the things that annoyed me on an otherwise excellent machine.
[doublepost=1531823894][/doublepost]

I sometimes need simultaneous documents open. I find Spaces to be extremely useful in these situations because I can swipe back and forth easily. macOS excels at window management.

Windows does too, You have more control in how you want to interact with windows then macos. This can be good and bad, as noted by my cooling comment, but I'm really impressed with the flexibility that is offered in Windows. One issue that I find annoying is the lack of consistency in windows. It still a mismash of different styles and designs. For instance there is not a single place to make changes. In macOS you have the system prefs. In windows you have the control panel, settings and also making changes in the notification area. I don't know why MS didn't overhaul the UX and ensure there's only one place to make changes.

 

[Ma2k5]

Agreed, and that's my hope in all honesty.

I was surprised at how load the Razer blade 15" fans were while at idle. I was able to play with the power/performance settings windows to minimize this, but I found myself always needing to alter and live with loud fans. That was one of the things that annoyed me on an otherwise excellent machine.

Good to know, I think that pretty much ticks off Razer Blade off my list as I will be using it in quiet environments where I can't risk my laptop disturbing others.

 

[maflynn]

Good to know, I think that pretty much ticks off Razer Blade off my list as I will be using it in quiet environments where I can't risk my laptop disturbing others.

Its a good machine, but I think my 2012 MBP spoiled me. Based on what I've read, for non-gaming activities, the Dell XPS is a quiet machine and offers similar specs at a much lower price then the razer.

 

[Ma2k5]

Its a good machine, but I think my 2012 MBP spoiled me. Based on what I've read, for non-gaming activities, the Dell XPS is a quiet machine and offers similar specs at a much lower price then the razer.

XPS 15 is a good shout, but I do find some of the reviews from the owners thread from notebookreview.com put me off a bit on the QA and cooling management.

I think a new Surface Pro/Book with TB3 support might sway me (just due to how much .NET development I do), but I am still very tempted to just purchase a MacBook. Something tells me Microsoft will however stick with their propiety charger (which I guess is good in that it is like mag-safe), but hope they do add TB3 support as I like to use a single port solution between external display and the laptop.