OK, I admit it, I was absolutely 100% wrong about the new 16” MacBook Pro.
Hey, I'm Jerry and yes, after everything, after all my testing with different MacBook
Pros I ended up deciding on the 16” MacBook Pro with M1 Max, that I had from day one.
And the reasons for that are not necessarily straightforward or sane or rational, but if
you have been following my channel for a while you will know that sanity and solid rationalization
are not alway key decision factors for me.
I was able to procure both a 14” and 16” MacBook Pro with the 32-core GPU M1 Max on
launch day and I put them both through their paces.
I tested performance and portability, screen size and speakers, ports and keys.
After testing both machines for a full month I came to the conclusion that….well, lets
let previous jerry say it…..
For my usage only, which is work applications, browsing, general computing and making videos,
either of these devices can more than handle what I am going to throw at it so the slight
performance differences based on size of the laptop or amount of memory make no difference
to me.
…….The 16” MacBook Pro is such an amazing device with its larger screen and louder speakers,
it's probably the best screen I have ever used, but the larger footprint does make me
hesitate when taking this off my desk to use on the couch or wherever.
The 14” is a great size that offers a bigger screen than my previous MacBook Pro while
still remaining fairly portable, but it runs a little warm just in regular use.
And although I don’t generally hear the fans it does bug me a bit that they are running
frequently.
All else being the same with the keyboard, notch, and new ports, I think that the size
of the 16” MacBook Pro is just not what I want right now so it's out.
As for the 14”, With the M1 Max configuration, I just don’t see the performance benefit
with my workload, but what I do see every time I use it is higher temperatures and probably
a hit to battery life, so It’s out.
What I really want is a MacBook Air M1 Pro or even just plain old M1 with 32GB of memory
because in my regular use the 16GB was my limiting factor.
But, because I do what I do and I always want the newest thing, I have decided to place
a new order for a 14” 10-core M1 Pro with 16 GPU cores, 32GB of memory and a 2tb ssd
and I think that that will hit the sweet spot for me.
So, I did end up buying that 14” M1 Pro model and I really loved it, so why am i still
holding a 16” MacBook Pro?
It comes down to 2 main reasons.
First, there is the performance difference and I cant back this up logically or monetarily
for what I need.
My needs for performance are really not that great.
A majority of my computer time is spent on regular work or office applications like email,
notes, MS office, web browsers, citrix, and remote desktop.
None of these apps require a huge amount of performance on a daily basis.
And of course I do some video editing – now with 10-bit h.265 4:2:2 files because I have
upgraded my cameras.
When using a MacBook Air or Pro with the regular old M1 I would start to see performance issues
with all of my daily apps and final cut pro open and I do believe that there was a limiting
factor from RAM that was causing some of that.
With the M1 Pro and M1 Max I have not seen any delay or hesitation with my workloads,
at all.
They both run like absolut butter……if butter can run
When running CPU benchmarks the 10-core m1 pro and 10-core m1 max perform identically
because they are the same CPU cores.
When you get to graphics tests will you start to see a difference between the M1 pro and
max because of the amount of GPU-cores.
Then there are added benefits of the m1 Max like double video encoders built in vs single
on the pro, double the memory bandwidth on the max vs the pro, additional external display
support, and probably more because I cant remember everything.
I dont really get any additional benefit from the additional display support because I generally
use the MacBook with a single external display connected via USB-C or through my CalDigit
TS3 Plus dock.
I do get a benefit of faster video encoding which is about 40% faster on the M1 Max vs
the Pro.
And 40% sounds like a big improvement but honestly, I export videos somewhere between
0 and 4 times per week so the added cost just cant be justified.
But no matter how much I try to rationalize in my head that i dont need the m1 max, that
there is no reason to spend the extra money, I get this irrational feeling when I used
the M1 Pro that there was something faster out there and that nagging idea has was forcing
me to the M1 Max.
As I discussed in the previous video, the 14” with M1 Max just always ran hot, about
10 degrees celsius hotter than the 16”.
This caused the fans to be on at a low RPM almost all the time.
This too should not really be a concern because laptops and computers have had fans running
100% of the time for decades and it wasn't a huge deal unless they were loud.
But again, this irrational fear of the fans running when using a 14” with m1 max, was
pushing me to the 16”.
The second main reason I decided on the 16” MacBook Pro was the size……And I know what
you are thinking.
I said that the size was a liability and it was too big compared to the 14, and it made
me hesitate when using it away from my desk.
So what changed?
After I received the 14” with M1 Pro I had to take a trip in December.
Since I knew I was going to be returning the 16” I decided to take it with me just to
see what the experience would be like.
Now, I didn't use it on a plane or anything because the iPad mini 6 is probably the best
device for watching movies on a plane and there is just no way that a 16” macbook
pro would fit on a tray table.
But, when using the 16” at my destination for 4 days on the couch, at a table, in bed,
I started to get used to the size.
And I mean the size of everything from the display and case to even the trackpad and
speakers.
Bigger is not always better but when i didnt have a more compact laptop to go back to or
switch between, the 16” macbook pro just started to feel normal.
The larger screen just adds that bit of extra real estate for different windows or a larger
editing workspace.
And if you need things to be bigger rather than more, the larger display allows you to
change the scaling without losing as much real estate.
The physically larger speakers make for an even better multimedia experience when watching
videos or movies, especially when watching with someone else.
The trackpad is better for multi-finger swiping gestures.
Now, the 16” with m1 max is about 1.3lbs heavier than the 14” and I discussed that
before.
Some in the comments were quick to point out that I was a wimp for complaining about the
weight of a laptop.
I still say that carrying it around in a backpack for hours on a travel day does lead to just
a bit more fatigue than a slimmer laptop.
But I just found the 16” display and the larger…everything so nice to use everywhere….On
my lap is good, sitting here at this desk is good.
Or that desk or that desk, or most places I would want to do work.And yes it can be
slightly unwieldy in certain circumstances, like the airplane tray table, but like most
tech there isnt one perfect device that works in each and every situation.
When I got back from my trip it went to the 14” and was….i dont want to say underwhelmed,
maybe just plain old welmed, and that was it.
I was a 16” MacBook Pro convert.
This laptop, as a whole, is simply the best laptop I have ever used.
It has more power than i need for what I do on a regular basis.
Obviously if you are a PC gamer this may not be the best option for you, but for professionals
who use software that can take advantage of the Apple Silicon inside, it is such a treat
to have a computer that really does work as fast as you do.
I could probably do a few minutes just on the display itself but it has a liquid retina
XDR display that makes using the computer all day more enjoyable to use.
The higher refresh rate is even better on the larger display than it is on iPhones,
in my opinion.
HDR content looks like you are looking through a piece of Glass.
Couple that with the 6 speaker sound, and you have an amazing multimedia experience
when you are ready to kick back.
So, if I were to do it all over today, what I would really want to buy is the 16” with
M1 Max, 32-gpu cores, 32GB of memory, and a 2TB SSD.
I have a large NAS for long term storage.
Oh, and make it Silver please.
But, Im not going to go through that hassle again so this gray model with 1TB will have
to do.
But what do you think?
Are you still struggling with the decision between the 14” and 16”?
Let me know below.
This seems to be the time of year where I am settling on which devices I want to use
for a while and recently went through something similar with my iPhone 13 mini.
If interested you should check it out.
Hit the thumbs up button if you liked it, hit subscribe if you want and I'll see you
next time.