You notice the resolution difference a lot from the 13" to the 15" do you?
Hard for me to tell my 15" MBP is great .... but my 13" MacBook Air also great, but the Air has a very nice screen (less glossy), compared to the MBP's......
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Which screen size suits you, and why?
- Thread starter entatlrg
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You notice the resolution difference a lot from the 13" to the 15" do you?
Hard for me to tell my 15" MBP is great .... but my 13" MacBook Air also great, but the Air has a very nice screen (less glossy), compared to the MBP's......
I've used a MacBook, a MacBook Pro 13" and a MacBook Pro 15". The graphics on the 13 and the 15 seem the same, while the MacBook is slightly worse in graphics (and speed).
Coming from a 15", the 13" is incredibly portable... and still JUST enough screen resolution when not tethered to a monitor.
15"
Big enough to be enjoyable but small enough to be portable. 17" are nice but a pain to lug around. The 13s are a great addition to the range but you can't spec them high enough for my liking with regard to speed, storage and most importantly, no anti-glare option. I may have been able to forgo other things but I hate the glossy screens, though my gf loves hers.
Big enough to be enjoyable but small enough to be portable. 17" are nice but a pain to lug around. The 13s are a great addition to the range but you can't spec them high enough for my liking with regard to speed, storage and most importantly, no anti-glare option. I may have been able to forgo other things but I hate the glossy screens, though my gf loves hers.
i
unless all you do is browse the web/word process/listen to music/etc, the 13 and 15" models shouldn't even cross your mind as reasonable purchases. when it comes to professional applications, it's all about resolution. and as per the image above, how is portability even an issue between the 15 and 17"?
i think people just like to argue the point that their laptop is "just right", rather than admit the fact that they could've gotten a far superior machine for just a few hundred dollars more.
Come on now, portability is obviously easier the smaller the laptop. 17s are great but many pro-editors use far larger screens. I say be happy with your 17 and let others enjoy their's, I don't think $$ comes into it rather personal preference.
Far superior
sure, an external monitor or projector is always great, but when you leave home what good does having fewer than 1080 vertical pixels do for your video capabilities? i don't even think an external monitor is really that beneficial if you have at least full hd resolution on your laptop screen.
power and portability? well, the 15" has less battery life than the 17" and the rest of the 15" specs are the same as the 17" at best, so all you're left with is portability as a potential advantage... and i've yet to see anyone give any specific example or situation in which having 1 extra inch of width is just "too big"
i don't even have one yet, lol
The 15" is a great balance of the 3 ... not everyone wants resolution usually suited for a 24" monitor on a 17" ... very very small fonts and no 'not that easy to resize'...
If the price where equal among the 3 the 15" would be the clear winner, imo....
15" is a nice size to have on your lap too ... 13" a little narrow, 17" feels like a tank ... we have all three machine in our office.
If the price where equal among the 3 the 15" would be the clear winner, imo....
15" is a nice size to have on your lap too ... 13" a little narrow, 17" feels like a tank ... we have all three machine in our office.
sure, an external monitor or projector is always great, but when you leave home what good does having fewer than 1080 vertical pixels do for you?
power and portability? well, the 15" has less battery life than the 17" and the rest of the 15" specs are the same as the 17" at best, so all you're left with is portability as a potential advantage... and i've yet to see anyone give any specific example or situation in which having 1 extra inch of width is just "too big"
Just a "feel" thing mostly. But a specific example would be resting it on my sink while i'm taking a dump, balances just right.
Ya did ask. My last one was a 15" too. You like 17s better, so it's good we get the choice so can both be happy. I'd have gotten a 17" if the specs of the 15" couldn't be maxed out the to the same (expresscard notwithstanding), but since they can this is what I wanted.
Just a "feel" thing mostly. But a specific example would be resting it on my sink while i'm taking a dump, balances just right.
hahaha wtf
17" is what I love. After you get used to the 17" it seems pretty small, I wouldnt mind a 20" mbp. =)
BTW the 1920 x 1200 on a 17" is just perfectly sweeeet.
BTW the 1920 x 1200 on a 17" is just perfectly sweeeet.
The 13" definitely seems like the way forward to me, its portable and yet the screen is still big enough to be comfortable to use. People complain about the size of the bezel on the 13" screens but personally it doesn't affect me at all.
And when i'm using my laptop at home, I have it plugged into an external monitor, thus giving plenty of screen space. In my case, I have the portability of the 13" option, and still plenty of screen space when at home.
And when i'm using my laptop at home, I have it plugged into an external monitor, thus giving plenty of screen space. In my case, I have the portability of the 13" option, and still plenty of screen space when at home.
15" It's small enough to be portable, and big enough to multitask and edit photos. Plus, I've got an external 23" that I'll hook it up to when I get the new MBP.
17". I do a lot of audio editing and music notation, and the extra resolution is really helpful in both Pro Tools and Sibelius. Most of the time, I use the system as a desktop replacement; even when traveling, I find a place to set it up and work. I don't find the extra weight/bulk over a 15" to be huge, although it IS kind of a pain to try to use the 17" in my lap.
I had at first a 13" MB, and it was just too small and the glossy screen was killing me. The glossy at the time was horrible so I bought a MBP matte. The 15" was so much better, there is just a lot more room and I don't have to squint to see anything. It is the perfect size to take places while still being pretty portable.
I originally wanted a 15", but i got the 13" instead, and love it. It is light and extremely portable. As far as screen size goes, it is a bit small for running multiple applications, but when using it at my desk, I have a 20" LCD monitor that i got for $150 - about a third of the price of an extra 2" of laptop screen. It works great, and if I need a more powerful computer, I'll just get an iMac.