So, as one of the more vocal fans of the new Macbook Touch Bar Machines, I was also certain that the base 13" Touch Bar was perfectly fine for my pro photography work and I was right and I ended up with two of them.
But last week my friend offered me a deal on his never-opened base 15" Touchbar, and I've made it my primary machine after a few days. I grabbed it because it cost me $1300 instead of $2300...obviously I couldn't pass that up.
As I was using the 13" TB for the last 6 weeks, here's a quick review and comparison. My 13" tMBP is the base 8 GB model and my 15" tMBP is the base version.
INITIAL EXPERIENCE:
One set up and settled, the 15" is very fast with everything I tossed at it and the larger screen is well worth the investment. Side-By-Side with my 2015 15" MBP, the Touch Bar screen looks more rich, and with deeper blacks. Along with more brightness, the new screen advantages are not subtle, especially if you are doing photo and video work & dealing with clients.
As I was already used to the keyboard from my 13" tMBP, I am very much at home with this keyboard. I put the 13" away and connected the twin Dell P2715Q 27-Inch 4K monitors. As expected, things run flawlessly at 4K@60hz. Via the USB-C, everything from thumb drives and external SSD work great as does my large format photo and combo printers. This is a very bug-free existence thus far.
SIZE ADVANTAGE?:
While the new 15" is touted for having lost weight, it feels substantially larger and heavier than the 13"...more so than I expected. It might seem like a "duh" observation, but I'd never take the 15" on a plane when I have the 13" tMBP or Air available. Seen below, the air and the 15" TB seem close in size, but the Air feels less bulky and the 13" is the champ.
The screen size is an upgrade of course, and I like the extra real estate where the speakers are as my hands don't hit the edges anymore. The 13" was a bit too small on my lap, and the 15" feels a bit too big, but it's better for me overall. Still, if you're looking for a small and powerful package, the 13 is "just right" for many people and easier to lug around.
PROCESSING POWER:
So how much better is the quad core i7 machine with 16 GB of ram vs. the i5 based 13"? Well, it's certainly snappier and more satisfying! Obviously this is a clearer choice for video work and games will play more smoothly. I opened 8 RAW files from a Nikon D810 in PS and then 5 more in LR and the 15" has some serious desktop grunt. Shooting stills for catalogue I rarely open more than a few files at a time and the 13" did fine. Am I happy with the snappier performance? Of course. This is as good as my quad core iMac, so it's hard not to be impressed.
BATTERY:
Okay....first couple of charges and WHAT??? Only 3 hours remaining and draining like mad!!!! What the heck, man?! But I installed my software and updated EVERYTHING and I got over 10 hours on my 5th charge. That's with the screen at 75 to 80% much of the time and it's beating the 13" touch bar which typically gets 7-8 hours. Today I did a lot of editing in PS and after 4 hours I still had 39% left. That's easily better than my 2015 rMBP. Considering the better and brighter screen, touch-bar and better speakers, the battery life is a home run. Very impressed!
SPEAKERS:
As much as the 13" TB improved on other notebooks, the 15" actually surprises with a lot more fidelity and volume. While bass is still not going to be there, clarity and detail most certainly are. As good as they've done, you will still want a proper speaker system for music.
TRACKPAD:
Make it bigger! Seriously. The new trackpads are most welcome for photo edit work. Huge improvement and more so on the 15". Thus far I have zero issues with palm rejection.
PROBLEMS:
None thus far. No glitches or odd behavior, but then I did update everything right away. Hooked up to my 4K monitors, external drives...it all works perfectly.
WEAKNESSES:
USB-C is a none issue and ultra versatile, but I DO think Apple should bring back the SD slot. I don't think they considered how many people were using the SD slot for portable memory expansion. Yes, I know an external SSD is superior, but it IS still external. As with the 13" TB, I'd like to see a brighter touch-bar that I can adjust, just like the keyboard back light.
OVERALL:
I guess it's fairly obvious. More is better...if you need it. The penalty is size, weight and price. And if you don't need "more", than the 13" is an amazing laptop and plenty of computer for most users. As for the 15" tMBP, I'm happy to own it because it does soundly best my 2015 rMBP 15" by making it feel seriously dated, but waiting for the next MBP cycle will likely net buyers a bit more speed and other small improvements.
These are great notebooks, the best yet from Apple. I can make a case for either the 13 or 15 as being best because the size advantage of the 13" is important to a lot of people. It depends on your requirements.
These are not toys for me. Nor do I care if a machine renders something a minute faster. I'm looking for the best overall user experience for my photo and writing work and these Macs do not disappoint.
R.
But last week my friend offered me a deal on his never-opened base 15" Touchbar, and I've made it my primary machine after a few days. I grabbed it because it cost me $1300 instead of $2300...obviously I couldn't pass that up.
As I was using the 13" TB for the last 6 weeks, here's a quick review and comparison. My 13" tMBP is the base 8 GB model and my 15" tMBP is the base version.
INITIAL EXPERIENCE:
One set up and settled, the 15" is very fast with everything I tossed at it and the larger screen is well worth the investment. Side-By-Side with my 2015 15" MBP, the Touch Bar screen looks more rich, and with deeper blacks. Along with more brightness, the new screen advantages are not subtle, especially if you are doing photo and video work & dealing with clients.
As I was already used to the keyboard from my 13" tMBP, I am very much at home with this keyboard. I put the 13" away and connected the twin Dell P2715Q 27-Inch 4K monitors. As expected, things run flawlessly at 4K@60hz. Via the USB-C, everything from thumb drives and external SSD work great as does my large format photo and combo printers. This is a very bug-free existence thus far.
SIZE ADVANTAGE?:
While the new 15" is touted for having lost weight, it feels substantially larger and heavier than the 13"...more so than I expected. It might seem like a "duh" observation, but I'd never take the 15" on a plane when I have the 13" tMBP or Air available. Seen below, the air and the 15" TB seem close in size, but the Air feels less bulky and the 13" is the champ.
The screen size is an upgrade of course, and I like the extra real estate where the speakers are as my hands don't hit the edges anymore. The 13" was a bit too small on my lap, and the 15" feels a bit too big, but it's better for me overall. Still, if you're looking for a small and powerful package, the 13 is "just right" for many people and easier to lug around.
PROCESSING POWER:
So how much better is the quad core i7 machine with 16 GB of ram vs. the i5 based 13"? Well, it's certainly snappier and more satisfying! Obviously this is a clearer choice for video work and games will play more smoothly. I opened 8 RAW files from a Nikon D810 in PS and then 5 more in LR and the 15" has some serious desktop grunt. Shooting stills for catalogue I rarely open more than a few files at a time and the 13" did fine. Am I happy with the snappier performance? Of course. This is as good as my quad core iMac, so it's hard not to be impressed.
BATTERY:
Okay....first couple of charges and WHAT??? Only 3 hours remaining and draining like mad!!!! What the heck, man?! But I installed my software and updated EVERYTHING and I got over 10 hours on my 5th charge. That's with the screen at 75 to 80% much of the time and it's beating the 13" touch bar which typically gets 7-8 hours. Today I did a lot of editing in PS and after 4 hours I still had 39% left. That's easily better than my 2015 rMBP. Considering the better and brighter screen, touch-bar and better speakers, the battery life is a home run. Very impressed!
SPEAKERS:
As much as the 13" TB improved on other notebooks, the 15" actually surprises with a lot more fidelity and volume. While bass is still not going to be there, clarity and detail most certainly are. As good as they've done, you will still want a proper speaker system for music.
TRACKPAD:
Make it bigger! Seriously. The new trackpads are most welcome for photo edit work. Huge improvement and more so on the 15". Thus far I have zero issues with palm rejection.
PROBLEMS:
None thus far. No glitches or odd behavior, but then I did update everything right away. Hooked up to my 4K monitors, external drives...it all works perfectly.
WEAKNESSES:
USB-C is a none issue and ultra versatile, but I DO think Apple should bring back the SD slot. I don't think they considered how many people were using the SD slot for portable memory expansion. Yes, I know an external SSD is superior, but it IS still external. As with the 13" TB, I'd like to see a brighter touch-bar that I can adjust, just like the keyboard back light.
OVERALL:
I guess it's fairly obvious. More is better...if you need it. The penalty is size, weight and price. And if you don't need "more", than the 13" is an amazing laptop and plenty of computer for most users. As for the 15" tMBP, I'm happy to own it because it does soundly best my 2015 rMBP 15" by making it feel seriously dated, but waiting for the next MBP cycle will likely net buyers a bit more speed and other small improvements.
These are great notebooks, the best yet from Apple. I can make a case for either the 13 or 15 as being best because the size advantage of the 13" is important to a lot of people. It depends on your requirements.
These are not toys for me. Nor do I care if a machine renders something a minute faster. I'm looking for the best overall user experience for my photo and writing work and these Macs do not disappoint.
R.
