Thoughts about 14 inch vs 16 inch
I just purchased a M3/14, and part of me kept agonizing over the idea that maybe I should have gotten a 16.
Better performance, better battery life, bigger screen.
But I had an epiphany today as I did some work on the train home.
The 16 is better for folks who move around, but do most of their work on a table. If you don't do much work on the train, the plane, the automobile or in your lap, the 16 is probably the better choice. It's only a pound or so bigger, so it's not that much harder to carry around.
But, as I sat on the train with just enough space to work with the 14, I realized that I would have been out of luck with the 16. I sit on the couch a lot, I work on the train, when I go on trips. For me the 14 is usable in more places where I do work.
Just wanted to share my thoughts.
You have your answer. Since you travel a lot a 14 is what you need. In life you can always have more but I’m sure you’ll be fine with it. For the bigger screen you can opt for a monitor when you work from home?
As for the battery life, it’s pretty reliable! when I have a light to moderate workflow it can last me to one to multiple days. However if you use a editing software or other heavy apps even if you had the 16 it would die quickly, its normal.
Over the last ~20 years I’ve had about 7 or 8 different Mac laptops ranging in size from 13” to 17” (that one was a looong time ago and was admittedly a beast). I currently have a 16” M1 Max. I’ve worked all over - desks, laps/couches, coffee shops, data centers, hotel beds, planes, trains, cars, etc. Honestly, I’ve found the difference in sizes (save for that 17” from 20 years ago) to be pretty negligible in the grand scheme of things. Don’t get me wrong, I can see where a 14” might feel a little easier in particularly cramped conditions. But at the end of the day, I’ve never found myself wishing I had the smaller one (that’s what she said?)
I work on my 16” at the airport, on the plane, not too bad. I prefer thee size, performance, and battery life. But most of all the screen real estate
Im traveling across the world right now with a 16 inch. It hasnt been a problem at all, and Im so glad I went with that size. Makes me a lot more productive.
The reality is that working on a train or plane or whatever represents less than 1% of my work time, even if im on the move constantly
I went from a 13 inch to a 16 and the weight is not that much different. It’s big for sure but I don’t mind lugging it around for the extra screen space.
You got the right choice. I actually returned my 16" for the 14" and am a million times more happy about my decision.
I got the 14" M1 MBP when it came out and I'm a few years removed from that now and there's not a day when I don't wish I had gone w/ the 16". The screens on these things are gorgeous and being able to see 2" more? Yeah. My next MPB will def be 16" if they're still selling them.
I like to go to different cafes to do some work. I cannot tell you how often I run into cafes where my 16" MBP barely fits. Though this annoys me a bit, I still prefer the 16" because I prefer the screen size since I don't ever plug to another monitor.
I feel like a dork with my 16” compared to my 14” from before, if that makes you feel any better.
It’s really nice when I’m at home, but when I go out, I feel like I’m pulling out a desktop on my lap lol
That's really it. I had the M1 Pro 16" and while I loved it, I'm sorry it wasn't portable. I now have a 14" M2 Max and I find that I use this computer as "laptop" so much more. I dock to a Studio Display but what I never did with the 16" was when work was done, take it off the dock and have it on my lap and around the house. I'll even take the 14" to bed and use it which I'm sorry was just so impossible with the 16". The kicker of course is if you ever have to work on a plane. The 16" is just not possible to use in that respect.