14- vs. 16-Inch MacBook Professional Purchaser’s Information: 5 Key Variations

The high-end MacBook Professional is out there in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes, beginning at $1,999 and $2,499, so which do you have to select?

Whereas the 2 machines have extra similarities than Macs provided in several sizes from earlier years, the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Professional fashions have at the very least 5 noticeably totally different design points, options, and capabilities, so do you have to take into account buying the smaller MacBook Professional, or spending at the very least $500 extra for the bigger mannequin? Our information helps to reply the query of methods to resolve which of those two high-end MacBook Professional fashions is greatest for you.

Similarities Overview

• Mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR show with as much as 1,000 nits sustained brightness, 1,600 nits peak brightness, P3 large shade, True Tone, and ProMotion
• M2 Professional and ‌M2‌ Max chip choices with as much as 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU
• As much as 96GB of unified reminiscence
• As much as 8TB of SSD storage
• Contact ID
• 1080p FaceTime HD digital camera
• Excessive-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-canceling woofers, large stereo sound, and spatial audio assist
• Studio-quality three-mic array with excessive signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming
• Three Thunderbolt 4 ports
• HDMI 2.1 port
• SDXC card slot
• 3.5mm headphone jack with assist for high-impedance headphones
• Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.3
• Out there in Silver and House Grey

Variations Overview

Show Measurement

The obvious distinction between the 2 MacBook Professional fashions is show dimension. The precise show sizes are 14.2-inches and 16.2-inches.

The 16.2-inch show is a greater alternative for a desktop machine and offers far more display screen area to rearrange a number of home windows and use skilled purposes that profit from the extra show space. The 14.2-inch show remains to be bigger than the 13.3-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Professional fashions from current years, and can possible be the very best total stability of wants for many customers.

Whereas the “notch” containing the webcam does eat into the show area very barely, each shows are bigger than MacBook Professional fashions from earlier than 2021, so there may be nonetheless extra show space total. As well as, the show space under the notch has a side ratio of precisely 16:10, similar to earlier MacBook Professional fashions, to make sure that the notch doesn’t impede regular show views or watching media. On this foundation, in case you are involved in regards to the notch, you shouldn’t essentially really feel obliged to get the bigger, 16-inch MacBook Professional. That being mentioned, because the notch is similar dimension on each fashions, it could be barely much less noticeable on the 16-inch mannequin.

Design

The 16-inch mannequin is, in fact, bodily bigger than the 14-inch mannequin, with a markedly larger total footprint. It is usually value noting that the 16-inch mannequin can be 0.13 cm thicker and about 1.2 kilos (0.5 kg) heavier.

The 14-inch MacBook Professional is decidedly extra transportable and comfy than the 16-inch mannequin to hold round every day. Although the 16-inch MacBook Professional can nonetheless slot in bigger luggage and is an appropriate dimension for journey, it’s a a lot larger, heavier machine. If you’re contemplating the 16-inch MacBook Professional, it’s best to be sure you are comfy with its dimension and weight – particularly should you plan to apply it to the go.

M2 Professional Configurations

Each the 14-inch and 16-inch fashions are equally upgradeable to the ‌M2‌ Max chip with a 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU, however in case you are trying to spend as little as doable or don’t want further efficiency, it’s value noting the distinction between the chips of the bottom configurations.

The bottom configuration of the 14-inch MacBook Professional options an ‌M2‌ Professional with 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU, whereas the bottom 16-inch mannequin incorporates an ‌M2‌ Professional with a 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU. For those who improve the 14-inch mannequin to the identical ‌M2‌ Professional with 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU that the 16-inch mannequin begins with, it will increase to $2,299 – simply $200 lower than the beginning value of the 16-inch mannequin.

For individuals who are leaning towards shopping for the 16-inch MacBook Professional and wish the ‌M2‌ Professional with a 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU at a minimal, the slimmer value distinction between the 2 fashions to simply $200 might make it simpler to justify getting the bigger machine.

Alternatively, if you don’t want the efficiency of the ‌M2‌ Professional with a 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU, the 16-inch mannequin could also be overkill, and getting the 14-inch mannequin might be one of the best ways to maintain prices down.

Excessive Energy Mode

The 16-inch MacBook Professional with the ‌M2‌ Max chip presents a software program function known as Excessive Energy Mode. When enabled, Excessive Energy Mode boosts the machine’s efficiency to higher meet the wants of intensive, sustained workloads.

Excessive Energy Mode is designed to optimize and enhance efficiency for resource-intensive duties, equivalent to shade grading 8K ProRes video, based on Apple. When enabled, Excessive Energy Mode will de-prioritize resource-hungry system processes in an effort to leverage the total efficiency functionality of the ‌‌M2‌‌ Max chip. The setting is successfully the alternative of “Low Energy Mode,” which goals to lower system efficiency in favor of prolonging battery life.

The 14-inch MacBook Professional doesn’t function Excessive Energy Mode, so if you would like the power to selectively push the ‌M2‌ Max chip to its limits, you will want to purchase the 16-inch mannequin.

Battery Life

Owing to its bigger dimension, the 16-inch MacBook Professional incorporates a bigger battery and has longer-lasting battery life. The 14-inch mannequin incorporates a 70-watt-hour battery, whereas the 16-inch mannequin incorporates a 100-watt-hour battery – the identical because the 2021 fashions they change.

When it comes to battery life, Apple says the 14-inch MacBook Professional can ship as much as 18 hours of battery life when enjoying again video. The 16-inch mannequin provides 4 hours for 22-hour battery life when enjoying again video. For customers who want most battery life, the 16-inch mannequin will clearly be higher, however the 14-inch mannequin’s 18-hour battery life remains to be sufficient for many customers and one hour longer than the mannequin it replaces.

Charging

The 14-inch MacBook Professional makes use of a 67W or 96W USB-C energy adapter for charging, whereas the 16-inch mannequin comes with a 140W energy adapter. Each fashions assist quick charging, however a 96W or greater USB-C energy adapter is required. The 96W USB-C energy adapter is a $20 choice on the bottom mannequin 14-inch MacBook Professional, but it surely comes as commonplace with ‌M2‌ Professional configurations with a 10-core CPU and ones with the ‌M2‌ Max.

Each fashions can use the ‌MagSafe‌ 3 port to quick cost, however it’s also doable to quick cost the 14-inch mannequin utilizing one among its USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports. For those who require the pliability of having the ability to quick cost by way of USB-C, you will want to purchase the 14-inch mannequin to have this performance.

Different MacBook Choices

If you’re in search of an Apple silicon MacBook Professional, however the newest ‌M2‌ Professional and ‌M2‌ Max fashions are out of your value vary, there may be the ‌M2‌ MacBook Professional, which begins at $1,299. That is $700 cheaper than the 14-inch MacBook Professional and is an efficient choice for customers who need a machine that’s extra succesful than the ‌MacBook Air‌, however one thing extra reasonably priced than the high-end MacBook Professional.

The ‌M2‌ MacBook Professional is an entry-level mannequin, that includes a 13.3-inch show, ‌Contact ID‌, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, the Contact Bar, and a 720p webcam. It’s a extra consumer-oriented and fewer succesful machine in comparison with the high-end MacBook Professional, however is greater than enough for many customers.

There’s additionally the ‌M2‌ ‌MacBook Air‌, which begins at $1,199, providing a slimmer and lighter model of the high-end MacBook Professional’s design and options like ‌MagSafe‌ 3, a Liquid Retina show, and extra. For the lowest-cost MacBook, there may be the M1 ‌MacBook Air‌, which sports activities a 13.3-inch show, ‌Contact ID‌, and two Thunderbolt ports, for costs beginning at $999.

Ultimate Ideas

The 16-inch MacBook Professional is $500 greater than the 14-inch mannequin, so it’s best to make sure that you want the extra show space, battery life, and even perhaps Excessive Energy Mode assist to justify its greater value. That being mentioned, should you improve the 14-inch mannequin to the identical ‌M2‌ Professional with 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU that the 16-inch mannequin begins with, the value distinction shrinks to $200, and it could be value choosing the bigger mannequin – particularly should you might reap the benefits of its longer battery life.

Patrons of the 16-inch mannequin needs to be conscious that it’s significantly bigger, thicker, and heavier than the 14-inch mannequin, to the extent that it could possibly be needlessly cumbersome to some customers. The 14-inch MacBook Professional is clearly a extra transportable machine, so should you intend to hold your MacBook Professional round ceaselessly or want the flexibility of it simply becoming right into a bag for transport, the smaller mannequin is the higher choice by far.

Patrons of the 14-inch fashions don’t miss out on any main MacBook Professional options and are in a position to get the identical efficiency because the bigger mannequin. They even achieve the power to quick cost utilizing one of many machine’s USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports. Because it presents the very best total stability of value and kind issue, most customers are higher off shopping for the 14-inch mannequin.