M3 Max MacBook Pro 14' vs 16' The REAL Differences!

Apple's latest M3 Max MacBook Pro is insanely fast and is without a doubt the best laptop that came out in 2023. If you're debating which size you should buy, the 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro, hopefully this video can help you figure out what is the better buy for you. As someone who was doing countless of research on which size to pick up, what are some of the advantages of the bigger 16" display and what're the Pros and Cons of going small and portable with the 14-inch? Let's see!

Specs as reviewed:
MacBook Pro 16" in Space Black, M3 Max Processor, 16-Core CPU, 40-Core GPU, 4TB SSD, 64GB RAM
MacBook Pro 14" in Space Black, M3 Max Processor, 16-Core CPU, 40-Core GPU, 2TB SSD, 64GB RAM

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Hi! My name is Mark Linsangan. I make lifestyle tech videos that are informative and look beautiful. I lived in NYC for two years, but I'm originally from Washington DC, but now I'm living in LA. I'm a big fan of traveling/exploring, tech, social media / biz and finding interesting topics on the line (online). Subscribe & say hi to me on Twitter, and Instagram @HeyMarkL
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[TheThaiLife]

I've been a digital nomad 6 years and love the 16 inch. It's about 1 lbs heavier but so much easier to do real work on. I use my 12.9 inch iPad as 2nd display and I'm golden.

[physmc]

The fact that the max m3 powerhouse doesn't throttle on the 14" model is quite amazing and is really telling about the efficiency of these new M processors. I went through several windows computers in the last few years, and there is just nothing that beats the MacBook Pro at the moment for this amount of performance in a small form factor, while maintaining great battery life. I agree with you that portability is just fantastic on the 14" model, particularly for airplane travel. (written from my M3 Max 14")

[braedon]

Developer Mode causes less down throttle on the 14inch but makes the fans of the 16inch loud. Both have their special unique powers.

[nowandrew]

I have also tossed up the decision between 14 & 16. In the end I chose the 16 for the simple reason: the 14 **_needs_** an external monitor for anything serious. With the 16 I can go to the beach, a cafe, even sit on a clifftop, and not affect productivity in a huge way. With the 14 it's too small to really be busy, unless your demands are relatively simple - in which case why are you buying the Pro or Max?
If you only travel between locations where you definitely always have external displays to connect to, then the 14 is the better bet. The 16 however is the winner if you are sometimes without that luxury.

[livsviljaab]

I decided to go with the 14" M3 MAX and will buy a larger screen for working at home, love the smaller one even thou I did try the 16" for some weeks but ended up returning it

[philippc]

Great comparison, you went into details! Thanks ✌️

[joshrivera]

Finally a great review comparing 14 vs 16. Totally agree on the 14 inch MBP portability. I will sacrifice a little screen real estate, battery life, a little performance for the ease of carry my setup around. I travel from studio to studio and also on planes so the 14 inch made the most sense for me.

[skipkellyvo]

Great comparison. Exactly the info I was looking for.

[NamTruong]

Very clear and detail comparison, thanks bro!

[PersonSuit]

I always laugh when I hear people say the 16in MBP is a desktop replacement. Having used many PC Desktop Replacement laptops that weigh upwards of 9Lbs not including the charger, the 16MBP is an ultra light in comparison lol. Great video!

[joeviolago]

Good insights on things spec sheets can't cover. But I can't help but notice, did you manage to typo EVERY reference of Multi-core performance except for the first one @ 1:29? I had to re-watch just to make sure you weren't comparing apples to oranges. Script was solid tho - and thank goodness for that!

[MrDcrules]

Great video. thank you! Its a matter of function and trade offs.

[jimtipton]

As someone that has experienced both, I prefer the 14". It's usually plugged to a couple monitors at home base and away it is just much easier to haul around and work with in tight spaces like the front seat of a pickup. I get the appeal of the 16", but for me, the 14" was the mama bear.

[god]

I know you know you're video quality is on point.

[DivitTech]

Nice video with to the point and upto date information. I wish you showed those scores side by side for 14 vs 16 as most of those went above my head. I use 2x27" Monitors so I guess maxed out 14" M3 Max would be my choice. Thanks again for that inside.

[dawgcanjumphigh]

I just got the 16" M3 Pro MacBook Pro. I prefer bigger screens, I had the 14" M1 Pro MacBook Pro. I think the mistake was that I didn't put enough memory when I bought it. I should have ordered one and got 32GB of RAM. I put 36GB of RAM on the 16" M3 Pro MacBook Pro this time around.

[matumatux]

Bro 37 flights in a year is 2 flights every 3 weeks, that must be exhausting 😅
Great video, helped me decide to go for the 14. Keep up, thanks

[redshirtspeaker]

I wish there was more of a side by side comparison related to media consumption. Nobody seems to focus on this aspect.

[ronin]

I agree. I mess around on my laptop on the couch. While the 16" sounds tempting I think it would be a pain maneuvering with it. I think the 14" is the sweet spot. That or beef up the 15" MBA if wanting a bigger screen.

[marceln]

Definitely happy I picked the 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 Max—it's just so much more portable. The 14-inch size is already a step up from my old M1 Air, and anything bigger like my old 15.6-inch Intel MacBook Pro from 2019 just kills the portability for me. If I ever need a bigger screen, I just hook it up to an external monitor. The 14 or 13-inch models are perfect for mobility; I can easily get work done in cafes or on train rides without any hassle.

I never really hit any performance limits with real-life tasks; my CPUs hardly ever max out. This 14-inch M3 Max is like a small miracle of technology—a portable laptop that packs a serious punch. Plus, I can always switch it to low power mode when I'm on the move, and it becomes as quiet and efficient as a MacBook Air. Basically, the 14-inch MBP is a transformer: it's a MacBook Air when I want cool, quiet, and long battery life, and it turns into a beastly M3 Max when I need to power through heavy tasks that would drag on forever on an Air.

When you go for the 16-inch, you lose this transformer ability. It just won’t fit in your sports bag or a typical backpack. How do you even bike around the city with a 16-inch? With the 14-inch, I can always have it with me and use any 15-minute break to chip away at my projects. I bet the 16-inch owners just end up leaving it at home.

And if you consider a MacBook Air, sure, it stays cool and portable, but it starts to throttle under heavy loads because it doesn’t have a fan. And then there’s the 16-inch MacBook Pro Max—much heavier, bulkier, and a pain to carry around, especially if you put it in a protective case (which you have to, if you don’t want it to break). And what are you really gaining over the 14-inch? Just a bit of extra theoretical performance? Which, in real life, hardly makes a difference. The M3 Max 14-inch remains the most versatile option. You get high power when you need it, low power when you don’t, and you can always connect to a bigger screen at home. You get the best of both worlds—a powerful device that’s still super portable.