Macbook Pro choice for design and xCode - 15" 2015 vs 13" 2016-17 and 15" 2016?

Question

macbook

Hello!
I understand that there are a lot of similar questions, including on the Toaster, but I re-read a lot of them, dug up many articles and videos on the net, but still I can’t unequivocally decide for myself the question of choosing a MacBook Pro. I ask for your opinion, but rather personal experience.

Initial data:
1. Now I have a Full HD IPS Windows transformer, 12Gb RAM + 256Gb SSD
2. I am a Senior UX/UI designer. In addition, I want to learn Swift and work in xCode
3. Portability is not a key need (but a stationary solution is 100% not)
4. Reliability and stability are important
5. Budget up to ~ $ 2200
My thoughts:
So far I've settled on the 15" 2015, largely due to the good reliability that the latest MacBook Pro suffers from. But I'm also thinking about 13", which is more affordable, fresher and better screen quality on the one hand, but slightly smaller diagonally and not more reliable than the other. I can also potentially take 15 "2016, but this is the extreme ceiling of the budget and, again, reliability issues. The maximum I can put up with is to blow through the keyboard once a week or two (despite the fact that I work on a laptop, I never eat) and so that there are no critical problems.For
clarity, I will give a page with a comparison of models.For
ease of perception: $1 = 2 Belarusian rubles
I would be grateful for help in determining the model and answers to these questions:
1. How bad is the reliability of 13 "and 15" in 2016 and 2017? Is there a difference in reliability over these years?
2. Compared to 15 "2015, is it worth risking this very reliability? Are the screens in the new ones so much better?
3. Is the difference in diagonal striking? Unfortunately, in order to feel it live, I need to go to another city, which I will in a week or two and I will, but I would like to know your opinion
4. Is the performance of the base 13" with the simplest i5 enough for design tasks and xCode?
I hope you don't throw tomatoes at me for this seemingly banal question, which I can't definitively answer yet...
Thank you very much!

Answer 1

Sergey, I will share my opinion, I hope it will help you with the choice!
At the moment, the family has 2 MacBooks 15" 2016 and 13" 2015. In short, I do not recommend taking any of them! Let's figure it out.
1. You, as a designer, should not consider 13ku in principle if you work with adobe applications (and if you are now on Windows, then most likely it is). In Photoshop, for example, you can’t narrow the sidebars at all, as a result, you will have 2/3 of the workspace left. At 100% scale, a sheet of 1200 pixels does not even fit ... It was extremely inconvenient for me at 13k.
2. I don't know how people survive with i5, if you make motion in any form - it will definitely not be enough for you! There is no discrete video on 13kah at all, only embedding!
Regarding quality - in models up to the 15th year (inclusive), all macbooks have a problem with peeling off the anti-reflective film, google it. Yes, Apple will then replace the screen for you under warranty, but this is only in the official SC and you will have to wait more than one week. I have the same problem with 13koy, so far only at the edges. Outside there are no problems.
As for the 16-17th year of macbooks.
1. The screen would not say something better if you put the 15th year and the 16th next - perhaps the difference will be noticeable at maximum brightness, in general, there is no difference at all when working!
2. All models of these years have problems with the keyboard, in particular sticky keys! I personally had it once in 1.5 years of ownership, somehow a hair from a beard got under the button and could not blow it out with compressed air, I had to remove the button - it worked out for me, but in 50% of cases the buttons break (there are very small fasteners of the mechanism), in the service the replacement costs $ 15, but they put Chinese ones - they are so poor in quality that for some people they just fall off at some point! ... But I wipe the keyboard 3 times a day, I don’t eat at the laptop! If you like to indulge yourself with sweets at the workplace - this laptop is definitely not for you, then only the 15th year!
3. The 16th year, as far as I remember, was problematic for video cards, for many they fell off. A lot of bloggers have suffered (probably due to overheating under load with video editing), so again - if you do any kind of interface animation - it's better not to buy the 16th year, or 17 or 18!
4. On my 15th year of the 16th year, there are lags in the animation of the interface. The laptop has 2 video cards, one HD530 built-in, the second Radeon 450 Pro. The system is designed in such a way that if there is no load on the video card, the HD530 embed is used and here it has friezes in the animation of the Mac OS interface (regardless of the version, it was on 10.12 and 10.13 and now on 10.14), this is the case for everyone ( I personally checked on 5 cars with friends and shops), by the way, on the 13th of the 15th year there are no such friezes, although the installation there is even weaker. I suppose that it's just that my HD530 can't cope with the resolution. That's why I just turned off the plug-in and I always have the Radeon 450 Pro turned on ... For a perfectionist, this is the only way to live with the 2016 model :) I didn’t look at 17k, there is another plug-in and I hope that there are no such jambs there. Will have to check somehow
But what do I want to say in the end! Do not take 15ku 16th or 17th year the same way!
I understand that you only have 2200 now, but maybe you should wait a month and buy a 2018 model? You buy yourself a laptop for 3-5 years, I think it will be worth it! 18th year, MacBooks have become more powerful, by as much as 30%! there is already LPDDR4 (up to the 17th year LPDDR3), and most importantly, the problem with the sticky keyboard has been fixed! Now it turns out the 18th year - this is a device with the disposal of all the jambs of the 2 previous generations!
A new MacBook in the US costs $2,400 total. Of course, you can fly after him yourself if possible, NY is a beautiful city) But maybe one of your friends will fly, maybe to Europe - for example, in Poland with a tax refund it will cost $ 2650, and if you want, for $ 100 you can fly to Warsaw yourself , and take a walk and buy a MacBook cheaper)

Answer 2

13 inches is not enough even for xCode - sometimes you have to hide the side panels. If you want to be lighter and more compact, then 13 is enough, in principle.
I once used a Mac mini with a 24" Dell Ultra Sharp monitor - wow! Everything fits :)
For design, 13 is definitely not enough. You need 15, but 17 is better.

Answer 3

1. How bad is the reliability of 13" and 15" in 2016 and 2017? Is there a difference in reliability over these years?
- Yes, everything is fine there. Now new macbooks have come out, and you can take a little older. But unfortunately in 2200 the budget is unlikely, or used.
2. Compared to 15 "2015, is it worth risking this very reliability? Are the screens in the new ones so much better?
- I would not say that there is a difference. And if there is, then it is insignificant.
3. Is the difference in diagonal striking? Unfortunately, to feel it live, I need to go to another city, which I will do in a week or two, but I would like to know your opinion
- I wrote for a long time, and my opinion has not changed - you need to take 15 "plus there is a 4th nuclear i7 processor, which already gives great speed boost.
4. Is the performance of the base 13" with the simplest i5 enough for design tasks and xCode?
- enough, but if I were looking at 13", I would take it used, so that I can sell it later when I want 15"