Video: 13" vs. 15" 2017 MacBook Pro - which Apple notebook is right for you?

Apple's MacBook Pro lineup was recently updated with faster processors and more affordable configurations, but choosing the best model for your needs can be a tough decision. AppleInsider brings some clarity to the situation, helping you narrow down your choices.

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20 Comments

tyler82

said about 6 years ago

I recently ordered the top of the line 15", coming from the 2008 unibody MacBook. Do you think I will notice a difference?

GrabAsnookie

said about 6 years ago

Love my 13”, only thing I’m missing is 2 less lines in a web page. There could be a compelling reason for a 15 if editing pics and video was the main purpose, as a paper pusher, there is no loss with a 13 and much easier to carry around.

welshdog

said about 6 years ago

tyler82 said:

I recently ordered the top of the line 15", coming from the 2008 unibody MacBook. Do you think I will notice a difference?

I have my top of the line 15" right now, and I retired a Mid 2010 15" which was an Edsel in many ways. The difference is huge. I don't do any work that is processor intensive (actually don't do any work at all as I'm retired/lazy), but I keep my MBPs a long time like you do. In order for the computer to remain usable in the long term I max out everything when I buy. This MBP has 1 TB drive, Touch Bar, AMD Radeon Pro 560 in Space Gray.

I actually like the keyboard a lot. Somehow I am able to type much faster than I was before. I guess it's the really short key travel. It is a bit noisier, but that's not really an issue for me. The speed of pretty much everything is great - I haven't found anything processor or drive performance related to complain about yet. I have had to turn wifi off and on a couple of times for unknown reasons. Could just be my Google Fiber Network Box - I find it's a bit weird sometimes. Also enjoy the Touch Bar and use it frequently. Love the way it feels and responds. Customizing it has been fun. I have the screen capture button added to it and really like that convenience. I did buy a few dongles and they work well. The Anker USB + Ethernet adapter is great. The Internet speed of this computer on ethernet and Google Fiber is pretty amazing.

And BTW nice video AI. Good summation and comparison. PS I bought my new MBP from Adorama with the AI discount. Thanks for that!

tyler82

said about 6 years ago

welshdog said:

tyler82 said:

I recently ordered the top of the line 15", coming from the 2008 unibody MacBook. Do you think I will notice a difference?

I have my top of the line 15" right now, and I retired a Mid 2010 15" which was an Edsel in many ways. The difference is huge. I don't do any work that is processor intensive (actually don't do any work at all as I'm retired/lazy), but I keep my MBPs a long time like you do. In order for the computer to remain usable in the long term I max out everything when I buy. This MBP has 1 TB drive, Touch Bar, AMD Radeon Pro 560 in Space Gray.

I actually like the keyboard a lot. Somehow I am able to type much faster than I was before. I guess it's the really short key travel. It is a bit noisier, but that's not really an issue for me. The speed of pretty much everything is great - I haven't found anything processor or drive performance related to complain about yet. I have had to turn wifi off and on a couple of times for unknown reasons. Could just be my Google Fiber Network Box - I find it's a bit weird sometimes. Also enjoy the Touch Bar and use it frequently. Love the way it feels and responds. Customizing it has been fun. I have the screen capture button added to it and really like that convenience. I did buy a few dongles and they work well. The Anker USB + Ethernet adapter is great. The Internet speed of this computer on ethernet and Google Fiber is pretty amazing.

And BTW nice video AI. Good summation and comparison. PS I bought my new MBP from Adorama with the AI discount. Thanks for that!

Just received my MBP a few hours ago, we have the exact same model as I got the 1 TB space gray as well (so I guess technically not the toppest of the line since that would be the 2 TB model). I am a grad student and got the education discount, so got a free pair of beatsx wireless headphones as well, altogether saved about $400 over retail.. on top of that I qualified for Barclay credit so no interest for 24 months.. plus my stipend covers it so why not buy the top of the line? never was able to afford the best Mac you could buy before so I am living it up right now!

I freakin' love this keyboard from the first moment I touched it! I never had a lighted keyboard before either and it makes a huge difference. Coming from 13" to 15: screen is a huge luxury, and the retina is incredible. The touch bar is really cool, though, it's a little more fuzzy looking than I expected as far as resolution. How did you get the screen capture down into the touch bar? I use that feature all the time.

The trackpad is fantastic, force touch and haptic feedback are very useful and just adds to the overall pristine yet powerful build quality of the machine. Battery life appears to be very good. One gripe is that Apple was cheap to not include the power adaptor extension cable like my previous MacBook, I hate plugging the huge brick into the wall.

I don't have many external peripherals so the lack of ports is not an issue for me. I've done video editing in FCP before as a hobby and want to get back into that as I have all of this power that is going unused. I miss the startup chime and hope that Apple allows us to turn that feature back on in the future.

Overall, an A-.. but I'd lean more toward an A, so around a 95% is my final judgment. Well worth the expense.

tailstoo

said about 6 years ago

I have an early 2011 15", and I was planning to stick with the 15", but man, it's so expensive (since you can't upgrade the thing, I would want the 1TB model.) I would love the portability of the 13", but it's so underpowered when you can get a 15" for a couple hundred more.

Maybe the refurbs will be more reasonable, or I guess I'll see what 2018 brings. At least my current Mac still runs pretty well, once I put in an SSD.