Choosing between 2018 13” or 2017 15” MacBook Pro

[Jaidyn Belbin]

I need a little help deciding here. I’m looking for a really good MacBook, and the choices for me are either:

Refurbished 2017 15-inch with 2.8Ghz quad-core i7, 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD for $2756 AUD or

New 2018 13-inch with 2.3Ghz quad-core i5, 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD for $2699 AUD

Geekbench seems to show the two processors are more or less equal, with the 13 inch slightly faster. But the 15 inch has better graphics and twice the RAM.

I don’t do any heavy computing really, but I’m a student, and want something that will last me a while. The 15-inch seems to be the best choice, but are there any other things I should be aware of? Battery life issues? The faulty keyboard thing?

Let me know!

JB

 

[Just_Me_D]

Under the scenario mentioned above, i recommend the 15 inch model with twice the amount of RAM and faster CPU for $57 more. Besides, the devices are only a year apart.

 

[donnation]

I need a little help deciding here. I’m looking for a really good MacBook, and the choices for me are either:

Refurbished 2017 15-inch with 2.8Ghz quad-core i7, 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD for $2756 AUD or

New 2018 13-inch with 2.3Ghz quad-core i5, 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD for $2699 AUD

Geekbench seems to show the two processors are more or less equal, with the 13 inch slightly faster. But the 15 inch has better graphics and twice the RAM.

I don’t do any heavy computing really, but I’m a student, and want something that will last me a while. The 15-inch seems to be the best choice, but are there any other things I should be aware of? Battery life issues? The faulty keyboard thing?

Let me know!

JB

I have the 2017 15" and love it. My wife just got a 2018 13" to replace her aging 2012 Pro and I have to say, the only thing I do envy on hers is the keyboard. The membrane or whatever it is underneath the keys for whatever reason makes a big difference to me. Its definitely quieter, but it also feels nicer to type on. Its got a softer feel to it and I really like it a lot.

Other than that I wouldn't trade my 15" for a 13", and even with the newer keyboard I wouldn't go from the 15" down to the 13". I get spectacular battery life, the screen size is great, and the machine takes everything I throw at it. If I were you I'd get the 15", you won't regret it.

 

[Raptor007]

15 MBP to me is a non-starter, I used to have 17" MBP when you could use them as a desktop replacement, but given the current design and the intel chips not meeting their roadmap heat is an issue. Apple's constant push for thin at any cost is damaging the product and quality causing issues with hardware, still running MacOS is far better than windows at any version.

 

[Jaidyn Belbin]

Well I decided on the new 13". After trying both in the Apple Store, I decided the portability of the 13 would suit me better. The new Coffee Lake quad-core i5 is basically as fast as the Kaby Lake quad-core i7 in the 15" I was looking at, so the only difference was graphics, which I don't need.

I also got a $250 education discount, which sweetened the deal somewhat.

The keyboard actually feels really nice. I was one of the few people who actually preferred the "clickiness" of the butterfly switches, and now they should be more reliable, so it's a win-win for me!

 

[Cladster]

Just ordered the 13” 8/256 gab with Apple care. Got a 10% discount from Apple, have a 27 inch 5k iMac in my office so this will be my on the go machine.

 

[Al Paca]

Just picked up the 2018 13” Pro with the specs you are looking at and I am really happy. Clearly the for the price I’m with many others that the 15” is a great deal and you’ll be happy. For me if I wasn’t traveling with mine everyday back and forth to work, the 15” would be a no brainer. But since I travel and the 13” is incredibly compact I prefer it. The 13” Pro makes my 13” Air look big. I don’t think you can wrong here. Good luck!

 

[Cladster]

Got my 13” today, very disappointing , apart from the keyboard and touch bar doesn’t seem any different/better than my wife’s 13” late 15 refurb she got a few months go. Sending it back.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Well I decided on the new 13". After trying both in the Apple Store, I decided the portability of the 13 would suit me better. The new Coffee Lake quad-core i5 is basically as fast as the Kaby Lake quad-core i7 in the 15" I was looking at, so the only difference was graphics, which I don't need.

I also got a $250 education discount, which sweetened the deal somewhat.

The keyboard actually feels really nice. I was one of the few people who actually preferred the "clickiness" of the butterfly switches, and now they should be more reliable, so it's a win-win for me!

Congratulations on getting your new MacBook Pro.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Just ordered the 13” 8/256 gab with Apple care. Got a 10% discount from Apple, have a 27 inch 5k iMac in my office so this will be my on the go machine.

Congratulations ...

 

[Cladster]

Congratulations ...

Thanks but you missed my post above

 

[calebt]

Well I decided on the new 13". After trying both in the Apple Store, I decided the portability of the 13 would suit me better. The new Coffee Lake quad-core i5 is basically as fast as the Kaby Lake quad-core i7 in the 15" I was looking at, so the only difference was graphics, which I don't need.

I also got a $250 education discount, which sweetened the deal somewhat.

The keyboard actually feels really nice. I was one of the few people who actually preferred the "clickiness" of the butterfly switches, and now they should be more reliable, so it's a win-win for me!

I'm doing the same now, going to the store today to check them out, but I'm leaning towards the new 13 inch myself for the portability.