Software Dev? 14" or 16" Macbook Pro
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 1 ноя 2021
- Which Macbook Pro, 14 or 16?
Software development is already hard enough, choosing a Macbook shouldn’t be. Hear more about my workflow and see why I went with a 16” instead of the 14”. I have been using a 2018 13” and 16” everyday for 2 years. Watch to find out more about why I went the direction I did for software engineering.
Hey! My name is Bob and I am a full stack engineer. I code everyday. I have been building mobile apps since the dawn of iOS. Feel free to ask me anything about the new M1 Max. If I don't know it, I will try and learn it. Software engineering is a great community and I look forward to hearing from you. I am on Twitter @d3vtec.
Macbook Pros I currently own:
2021 M1 Max, 32 Core GPU, 64Gb Ram, Silver
2019 i9 8-Core 2.4Ghz Intel, 64Gb Ram, Space Grey
2018 i5 4-Core 2.3Ghz Intel, 16Gb Ram, Space Grey 
Наука
Why irritating background music bro..? Your voice is amazing, it's good enough.
Oh no, okay. Won't do music next time 😄
Hmm I actually didn’t mind the music but perhaps it could be the volume or the choice of the music.
I think having a music is better than being silent! Sorry if it confuses you
Yes please. Music is annoying
@@captainlennyjapan27 I agree! A tiny bit of music I think helps fill in the split-second gaps when you're not talking but it was a little bit loud and distracting. So I think some more relaxed and softer music would do wonders.
@@D3VTec
Two things that might help:
- lower music volume
- look up sidechain compression in any DAW. It will make space for voice.
You could try auto-ducking but it’s not as natural.
I’ve always went for the 13/14 inch size cause when I need more screen real estate, even 16inch would not be enough. Just plug external displays for that and enjoy maximum portability.
These guys have the best screens ever on a laptop, and there are plenty of situations I get into where I cant carry around an external monitor
@@shot4rz it comes down to what’s best to your personal lifestyle. A friend of mine has the 16inch previous generation, it’s so huge, so heavy, it takes the whole table in cafes where he works etc. If portability is important, i’d definitely say 14inch, as long as you do most of your work in a place where you have external displays (home, workplace, etc). 16inch makes sense IMHO only if you cant have external displays most of the time.
Yep, I carry around a 12inch ipad and use it with my MBP 14. If I was going to a holiday cottage or something, I would also take a USB-C 1080p display and have a very portable 3 screen setup.
External display is not very portable.
@@remy8587 if ever have to work at least couple of days a month without external monitors, 16 inch is definitely the way to go
Excellent video! I love how you discussed your workflow in detail and also that advice about going into a store to check out the sizes for myself. I'm currently a BS-CS junior and aspiring web / software developer and I'm really considering getting one of the new Pros because of how much power they bring in such a portable package. I'm really glad that we have someone like you writing reviews that aren't just about video editing, Photoshop, writing, and all that other stuff.
Keep it up!!!
Brooo i’m dead when you mentioned “I’m excited everyone writing unit test” 😂😂😂😂
Common, tests are fun! 😅😅😅
@@D3VTec agreed! 🚀
@@D3VTec Only if done right. I always find it difficult to write the tests first and then the code, even if I know better and end up with fewer errors.
@@D3VTec make a video teaching us how to do pro level TDD
Thanks man, I love practical and personal experiences shared such as this video.
After watching this video I went to the Apple store and returned my 14” MacBook Pro and ordered the 16” version; and I am loving it. Absolutely no regrets. It’s not as portable, but there’s so much computer for lines of code or editing pictures and videos. Thanks for the advice! Bigger turned out to be better for me!
I love that you know what you want. I also sensed a hive-mind approach among others with the colour decision.
I totally agree that if the laptop is your only screen you should go with 16'' inch. I'm a full stack react+node dev and I use a MB Air M1 + 4k 27'' inch external monitor: when I want to really work, I connect the 27'' inch, otherwise I use the Air when I stay on the sofa or on the go.
Most helpful video about the screensizes for devs so far! thanks
Wait a second, this dude had 100 subs 6 days ago, you definitely deserve this, absolute gems you put out. Keep it up.
So helpful, really appreciate you making these
Just exchanged my 14” mbp to the 16” and love it! Brought back memories of the 17” PowerBook g4 but with a way nicer screen and no heat/loud fan issues!
Yeah! I still can't believe how long the battery lasts on these things. I use it for work without a power cord all day long and still have 80 percent battery left. Glad you are loving it!
Thanks man! I found your advice very practical and got a used 16" mint condition base model today. I couldn't be more happier. I was using the 13". It was very portable for sure but that small screen really hurt my eyes when coding which forced me to looked at the screen very closely thus made me not wanting to do any serious coding on it and I would go with my desktop instead.
I’ve used 13” Pro for some time now and I was quite happy with it, until I’ve managed to get an old 2010 15” and experienced bigger screen. Geez, the difference for programming it’s just HUGE!! 14 is bigger, but now I feel like 15” is absolute minimum for comfortable coding
Great! From workflow prespective. It's really helpful for me.
Hey, you went Full HD on this video, added a background song and transitions. Keep on going, I really like your content!
Really insightful video dude! Much appreciated
This is the best 14 vs 16 video out there - thank you!
Love how it's a $200 difference when you spec them out the same. Makes the decision so much easier
Bigger screen or new glasses $200 never went so fast
14" is portable if you aren't sitting down in front of your laptop for hours and hours. If you're coding and especially coding and traveling (you don't have an external monitor at hand), 16" is perfect and 14" is slow eye torture. Portability that 99% of reviewers comment on works only for creatives that spend more than half of their work time not being in front of their laptops.
for UX design, I like the larger format. So glad you mentioned about what you do on a daily vs what you don't do. 80/20 rule says I would benefit from the larger screen.
Awesome, thanks! I primarily use Sketch for UI development. What's your preference?
One of things I really appreciate with this mbp is to program with music in background, the speakers are so good that I can't say from where come the sound, but not from the laptop! it's magic. All stuf in this mbp is awesome.
Yeah! The music surrounds you!
When I was younger and first found out you could connect two displays to a desktop or an extra one to a laptop, I was so excited and had to do it at home. Now I’m going the opposite direction and just want it neat and simple. I guess after 20 years the novelty has finally worn off, or laptop screens are good enough that we don’t really need extra monitors any more, or both.
Awesome! Interesting to hear your workflow. I guess TDD is what you are doing?
I used to use 16” but then I changed since I was relying on my external monitor most of the time and I love being able to carry it around train or cafe with me. But the wide screen really is nice for sure. I’m using my iPad as a 2nd display when I need
The video quality got so much better too!
Thanks, you’re right when you say ergonomic is the most important thing, if we spend many hours a day in front of the laptop. My first MacBook was a 17” (3kg) that was lighter than my previous dell lattitude (4kg). Now 2.2kg for the 16” is reasonable. I saw many benches when all cpus work, the 14” has the same speed than the 16” but the fans are there for the 14” not for the 16” and the battery life is much better. I have bought a 16” and, for me, it is the right choice, since I want to be comfortable during my work time, and I don’t care about the transportation between my office and my home (3km walk).
Very good advices, the only downside of large laptops for software engineers comes when you have to run from meetings to meetings in a large company and you often have a small corner to put it, like a coffee table
Great video, also, camera quality has skyrocketed!
Thanks for video , next video can you show us your workspace ? (Chair , table any tools in your daily work) i been searching for equipment that make me relax, feel productive when i m working in front of monitor more than 10 hours
never dout, you must have a very satisfy career ! great content, thank you so much
i'm a 14" kind of dev. I used to have the 16" but since i'm docked to a decent monitor 80% of the time i think portability wins out. Also... something about a massive laptop feels imposing when you take it out into the world. Not just the portability factor, but I get a feeling of vulnerability / dread that such an expensive tool could get damaged.
A lot depends on our eyes as well. I have good vision luckily and can make out tiny text on the 14"... though it does take effort and is not ideal. Options are good!
I don't know why anyone who isn't traveling would use a laptop without docking it to multiple large monitors, a better keyboard with a keyboard tray, and a mouse. A fantastic laptop that is undocked pales in comparison to a mediocre docked laptop.
I actually really like using the keyboard and trackpad on the MacBooks. In my opinion the trackpad is superior to a mouse. This also means that when I’m away from my desk, I use the MacBook in exactly the same way.
very helpful video thanks
Here is something I’m using with my 13 inch M1 and iPad: sidecar! I love it! Two full windows anywhere I sit
you managed to put a lot of my thoughts and what i’ve been saying to most people over the years 😂
when I got my first 15 inch laptop I seriously couldn’t go back, screen real estate is too important.
With the 15/16 inch I don’t need an external display, my workflow is faster just using the laptop screen actually. But on smaller screens I just can’t do it, they look like toys compared to the big guns.
Can you use the 16 on your lap? That is my main concern
Some say the 16” is better on your lap because it’s more stable, you don’t have to keep your legs together so much to support it, longer battery life and possibly cooler also, not to mention the obviously bigger screen.
Really wish they made a 16" M1 MBA or 16" M1 MBP with old enclosure. Battery life would be insane, and it would be the perfect laptop for people who don't do video editing. Sucks that the 16" starts at $2500 when not everyone needs that power, but a ton of people want a larger display.
Exactly how I feel! Not gonna lie, I’ve been considering the m1 iMac since it’s the most portable mac with a big screen and a reasonable price tag. But it’s only really portable in the house. I used to have a 17” MBP that I used for 6 years. Traveled with that beast in my backpack on public transportation. It was totally worth it.
If they made 17” M1 with plastics body and price lower than 1300USD . It means LG gram will die LOL
I just want a Macbook Air with support for two external monitors. I don’t need a huge amount of power, I don’t need much in the way of graphics, but I do use a dual monitor docking setup.
Same here. Replacing a 2015 15 one bought for 1799. Aint planning to create movies on it… its just a laptop and i must also gave the screen. All tech is like crazy expansive though right now - windows 16 inch worksrations r actually often more expensive. Not that i would ever waste my money on one. Hopefully it will last 6 years like my old one. Or resell it. Cant do that with any other brand.
Congratulations, now you have what you asked - large screen MBA
the screen size can be ignored if you use it in clamp shell and put it on external display but if you are going pure mobile, 16 would be great
Bob, you need to build a course,(Android development or other) like seriously dude. There are many out there but just your delivery and attention to detail let's me feel like your customers would definitely get their $$$ worth. I'll be the first to sign up. Thanks for all the info, I'm new to the dev scene and considering the 16" myself, I have a 13" right now and only use it in clamshell on a monitor, would prefer something larger when I don't want to be stuck at my desk. Thanks for all the info!! ... Oh and you really need to build a course :)
I used 14" HP laptop back in the days and I liked it very much. It seemed like perfect size for a business laptop. Now I'm thinking I like to see more code fit into screen and the 16" is light enough not to bother me.
The 16” m1max 64 Gg ram is where it’s at!
I was struggling with this also but it is easier for since I am older and my eyesight is getting worse every year so I take a big risk getting the 14 inch as 4 years from now I will need to go right up to the screen to see anything :). I went with the 16 inch and I am getting it next Tuesday hopefully it will be portable enough.
Im a simple man, I see D3V Tec video I watch D3V Tec video
I’m not programmer. Just start learning swift on my M1 MBP. Here is my thoughts.
1.multiple or bigger screen is the most important, Always need to search for documents.
2.Good ergonomic setup. Chair,desk,keyboard,good screen,everything must be comfortable. Cuz you will sit for hours
3.bigger Ram for different environments
4.CPU is not very important,but low power consumption is good, So original M1 cpu still the best cpu ever
I really need to start writing the unit tests first. But I really prefer first of all doing the front-end stuff, because the client understands better what he receives as a product and then I do the magic on the back-end :)
This is really how apps are built 🤣
Coding the class in parallel with the unit test class, is the way to program to ensure not forgetting some tests…
My plans now are just to wait for the next macbook air or save more to get the 14" Macbook Pro.
I'm 100% with TDD as well.
once I go big ...I never go back ..I got the 16inch. had the 15inch before that ...... like you said I spend almost 10 hrs a day on the screen so its important to have the right size
This is awesome! Very practical. Good points for those of us who sit at a computer just about all day. After this video, I know I picked the wrong one, lol! But that's good.
what did you get? just curious, im planning to get one
@@brianbantigue3625 At first, I got the 14" one, but my hands are big so the palm rest on the 14" is not as comfortable. So I got the 16" MacBook pro and after almost a year it has been nothing but smooth sailing. Awesome computer. Think about what you want and how you will use it on a daily basis, and that will give your decision in the right direction. I got extra SSD and RAM for the long haul. No complaints from me. :)
@@reyjes appreciate your response, i have big monitor and wfh as web dev im planning to get rid of my windows desktop which is very slow and not properly setup i been thinking for upgrade and mcbook pro is on my head so either 14 or 16.
@@brianbantigue3625 Check out some of the videos by Alex Ziskind. He has a lot of content/reviews on MacBooks for developers.
Spot on! Coding is still best done on a desktop so the 16” does best to replicate that setup as much as possible. A lot of scrolling involved and most if not all IDEs have a left panel which reduces your workable area. And most importantly, save your eyesight. Mine deteriorated year after year until I got a huge 4k display.
Wait, then is just me and everyone else I know that since long ago use external monitors for coding? 13, 14, 15 and 16 inches it doesn’t matter if you’re already have 1 or 2 27” or 34” monitors setup.
@@Vera150607When you get a laptop, you don’t intend to use it always with an external display connected but you want to use it as a portable device as well, and larger laptops provide bigger screen real estate when you’re on the go. If the display size doesn’t matter at all for you as you always use your device with your external monitor, I think that getting a desktop would make much more sense.
@@jhykr when I get a laptop my main focus is portability vs performance, any laptop nowadays bigger than 14” isn’t anything but “portable”, whiteout mentioning the bigger the screen the less battery lifespan you’ll have, even with new apple MacBook Pro.
I'm coming from a combination of an Alienware A17 R4 which is huge and a HP Envy 13" which is tiny. My A17 is basically a desktop replacement. I can't carry that thing around. The 16" MBP is so much smaller it fits into the bag i use with my Envy 13". I can easily live with that level of portability. And the screen looks fantastic, except for scrolling. That looks weird.
@@Vera150607well battery life will be better with the 16 inch if you are not gaming a lot. It has a bigger battery that provides more power than the extra screen size uses.
I don't know man... for me I feel like whatever size a laptop screen is, it is always going to be "smaller" if that makes sense. And since the whole idea of a laptop is portability I feel like the 14" is more suitable (for me at least). Because if I REALLY want screen real estate, it means I'm doing something "more serious" or requires more time to work on. I would just continue work on my desktop in that case. It's going to be more powerful anyways, and has a better keyboard, and it will naturally be more ergonomic since I would be sitting at my desk, using my ergonomic chair and have the monitor be easily adjustable to be eye level (something impossible on a laptop no matter what screen size you have).
Just my $0.02
Same - I use all my apps in full screen anyway, and swipe between them (browser ,vscode, terminals). Just being able to see more lines is not worth the heavier weight and worse portability, in my opinion. I never ever have 2 files open side by side, and besides, another file is literally a tap away. So.. 14 wins
Same bro I am in Software Design specifically UI and UX.
I was wondering which one I should get but I'm ordering 16 inch, I dont use external displays, also new MacBooks got so good mini led displays. 16 inch is best option if someone want code without using external display, my old 13 inch is "good" but 16 is a big game changer.
I went with silver. I loved the 2000-era MacBooks. ;-)
Please do review, 32GB vs 64GB and Swap memory performance if possible
I switched from 14" to 16" MBP and the difference is night and day. Added weight in my backpack is nothing compared to the screen size and the speakers of MBP 16"
I am waiting for Mac Mini Max with 64Gb. I prefer 27" monitor. But what to do when you are on a road? A good question. It was a problem until recently Microsoft introduced web Visual Studio. I am happy with iPad mini now. Crazy? Maybe, but every person is a crazy in own way.
How’s the battery life for the max when you regular things like watching tv video especially on lower power mode
That's a really cool window m
valid point
How many hours of battery I can expect for web develop? Thanks!
I plug my current 16” MBP to my 32” external monitor and the laptop sits there only for email. Not sure if its worth for me to upgrade because i work mainly with Atom and I don’t require much processing power. But if i upgrade one day, it will be to the 14”
Same reason. I got a 32” 4K monitor. All the laptop monitor shows is Slack and email.
This was actually helpful tips! Im still debating 14 vs 16, cant make up my mind on the 14 vs 16 because the 16 looks so bulky even to have on your lap on in bed, what are your thoughts if its not on a desk ?
Yeah casual portable use (wipping it out on my lap, etc.) is the reason I decided on a 14". I'm not very tall and a 16" is too bulky for a portable use, and the intel 16" was already too much (heat & battery life aside...), the new one is even bigger. For desk use I just dock it in a TB3 dock with multiple monitors.
One more important use case for 2 windows side by side: code reviews
I went 16" for develpment 👍
why not use an external display ?
The new 16" MBP is dimensionally smaller than most windows 15.6" laptops.
If anything, they need to make an 18" MBP that would have slightly smaller dimensions of the old 17" MBP.
When it comes to screen real estate when coding, more is better.
I was taken aback by the aspect ratio. After hooking up to a 16:10 monitor in the hope of extending my workstation, the MBP screen shrunk by about 10-20% to match it. The measured hypotenuse became approximately 15.4”, losing almost an entire inch. Kinda upsetting.
damn it I'm still on the fence ...
This is out of scope for what you seem to use your laptop for, but you're also the only person that's seemingly testing the real world performance to a high degree.
Are you willing to install Parallels + Windows 11 and testing gaming on your M1 Max MacBook?
I want to get one for work, but I also do PC gaming and I don't want to have to carry two different laptops when I travel for work.
Also worth mentioning: it's way easier to do (wo)manspreading while working on a 16 inch.
Bob, great insight. Have you noticed any blooming on Dark background IDEs with lighter fonts or with just white texts on dark screens?
It’s not a flaw of the screen it’s the default color calibration that apple has built into the display color profile. Calibrating is a chore but that’s how you minimize the bloom.
Hi, finally review for software developers, THANK YOU.
Question: I am a 2nd year SE university student and want to buy M1 pro, should I go with 32 GB of memory OR 16 is enough?
I don't do anything as heavy as you do.
Thank you in advance.
16 is plenty enough, if you dont use 10 docker instances at the same time.
14” for mobility and external monitor for productivity.
16 inch have larger screen, better sounding speaker, larger battery, larger internal fan(hence less noise and better cooling), 140 watt power brick and larger trackpad, all that for just $200 and 500g/1.2pounds heavier, I'd pick 16 inch anyday
new youtuber was born
Thank you
Dude, you should really try VIM or Spacemacs
Why not use an iMac, preferably with an equal size secondary display, side by side?
I've done this or similar for decades. Screen real estate is king!
Useful and objective videos Bob! I have a question - if you can spend some time, do you can demonstrate the disk speed in a real-life scenario with let's say 50k-60k-150k small files ( code and images or just generated dummy files ) moving around, to an external disk, inside or outside docker and overall disk subsystem performance for typical web development, DevOps, backup, and disaster recovery situations, etc. Cloud storage is ok, but we still use large volumes of web assets locally all day every day.
Despite that I totally enjoy the portability of smaller devices, the older I get the more I incline toward devices with larger screen. Chunkier for sure, but the increased estate worth it, and less strain to my eyes. 1kg different doesn't matter much.
Totally agree!
Well, my MacBook is always connected to 32" external monitor (unless I’m working outdoors, but that’s not what happens every day), so I’d be pretty much good with 11" if that was an option.
Everyone has different needs for sure. I love having the 16 for use outdoors.
You said in your earlier video that you use persistently around 47G of RAM in your typical workflow .. does 14” inch comes with 64G RAM option at all?
It does! Like the 16-in model you will need to get the M1 Max chip in order to support 64 gigs.
for the best screen real estate , I would choose the iMac 27"
You could just connect a screen, mouse and a keyboard to your 14 inch laptop and get a much better working position and have lees weight to carry when you travel. A long term working position with a laptop is not to recommend.
The fan noise on the 14 is worse than the 16. I swapped my order because of this.
why m1 max 64gb ram ?? for development the 1tb 16gb should more than enough
Have you Never try a 32“ external 4 K Monitor on a 14“ MacBook Pro ?
I had ordered the 14 inches, but finally canceled the order and I got the 16 inches.
I prefer 14 inch MacBook pro... I can connect MacBook pro to external monitor 27inch if need bigger screen.
Hey do you use VirtualBox at all in your work? I heard the new M1 and up Macs are not good for dual or even single booting any Linux distributions (I use Kali sometimes), but I haven't seen a mention of spinning up VM's of Linux.
I have not tried, but I am going to get another machine to do these kinds of test on. Very interested in linux performance.
Containers are more of a thing than virtual machines nowadays so I would be more interested in container support for Apple silicon. There is indeed a Kali Linux Docker container image for M1.
Hey, how about 14inch + iPad pro as the second display ?
That's a great thought! I have used the iPad as an external monitor and it is generally a great addon. However it struggles to be helpful on a plane or in my lap which are two valid use cases for me. Hence the 16" seemed like a better option.
Use a collapsible computer stand for better ergonomics.
The only thing I’ve had any reservations about my shipped MBP is the color… glad Apple gave only a binary choice… everything else was driven by my use cases. Thanks for the encouragement to avoid the technical debt inherent in my default coding methodology, after my 16” gets here I’ll try to get into the habit of coding to the test, or at least building tests as I go. Thanks for the vid!
ahh that bgm..
Size is the only factor that counts with these laptops. The parts inside are identical. Bigger screen would make the 16 my choice. But I’m a photographer. So it’s obvious.
Yes, and that was an important consideration for me as well.
I wear multiple hats at work and I find my workflow to be pretty similar to yours (I do soft dev and QC), so having two windows side by side is almost a second nature to me at this point. Coming from a 2014 13” i5, I was certain that 16” would do wonders and this video reassured me. Only thing I can’t try, I think, at an Apple Store is to try the ergonomics of the 16” lying down. I work remotely, and like you, I’m at the computer for about 10 hours a day. It’s no surprise that I move around a lot during the day. I sometimes lie down while resting the 13” macbook on my stomach. I really wonder if I can pull this off with the 16”. So, not the color, not the config, this is legit the only thing I’m worried about 😂 I’d really appreciate a reply if you ever used it in a similar way.
Why not get a 34 inch ultra wide curved display? It’s not than expansive.
@@waynecake5867 and resting that on my stomach while lying down?…yup
@@ulpaper23 So you work while lying down? So jealous.
@@waynecake5867 lol a coder’s life..I already mentioned this in my initial comment though
@@ulpaper23 I'm also a CS student, but I love my curved monitor more than my bed haha.
Great vid, just to add a bit, we should also take into account the 14's thermal performance not being as good as the 16's. So you're looking at higher temps for the same work. Also I'm not sure about this but the battery being smaller means reduced wattage so your chips aren't being juiced as high as they could be, and also the default charger operates at a lower power. The speakers are smaller too.
Unless you really need the portability of the 14, enough to overlook the above drawbacks, 16 is the way to go.
TDD 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
Yes! TDD all day!
You work 8+ on a laptop. I am also a software developer and I would never work (no coding) longer than 1-2h on a non-external monitor. For coding I need a bigger external screen.
I work 10-12 hours a day on my 13" macbook. No issues whatsoever, and I prefer working on a laptop. Display is much better, and even ergonomics for me is better on a laptop.
I am working as a software developer for over a decade, and I hate working on laptops. They are awesome, because you have your development environment at your finger tips, but whether 13, 14 or 16 - they all are too small.
I have a 34" 5120*2160 display - and its ideal. I wouldn't want to use the laptop over a long period of time - any laptop.
And for temporary work, I prefer something very portable, which is why I have a 13,3" laptop.
That is really great feedback, Igor. I tend to agree with you. It's not something I want to do all the time but am glad I can because I do code every-single-day. Nice sometimes to move to a couch since I am doing it for 8-10 hours a day, on the road, vacation, etc.
@@D3VTec Isnt the 16 too big for sitting with it in your lap on a couch?
So I'm a CS student and when I sit in the classroom I'm sitting there for like at least 3 hours so I guess a 16" is way better because I'm not constantly on the move right? I just don't know which one to take...
How large are your desks? The weight difference is not that much, and the 16" is much nicer for programming on IMO. If you are cycling to class or riding a bus the smaller size might be more convenient.
@@D3VTec I go with a bus and then train 🤔. 16” will fit on all the desks. WDYT?
What ram size is enough for software developer using docker , android studio , xcode and visual studio? 16 or 32?
32.
32GB - my 2015 16GB Macbook Pro uses 14+GB when I have Android Studio, 3 IntelliJ instances, Slack and Chrome with 3-4 tabs open. I'm buying 16" M1 Pro 32GB. Pro gives you additional battery life compared to Max and you save $$$.
There is nothing ergonomically on laptops as to say.. You should work on an external monitor if you want anything close to good ergonomics.
Or a riser