jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I have a 13" Apple, but I don't use it for processing. It's small and convenient to set up anywhere or to bring with me when I travel. I also have an old Dell laptop with a much larger screen. It's big and heavy, and I wouldn't consider traveling with it. I've always used desktops as my "real" computer. Unless you plan to do a lot of traveling with the laptop, I would get the larger one. You can still bring it with you, but using it at home would be a nicer experience.

JoAnneK01 Loc: Lahaina, Hawaii

Being in my mid 70s I always go for the larger screen especially if I'm going to be doing any serious post processing photos. If not, then I would go with the smaller screen. I currently use my 15" MacBook Pro w/Retina screen as my travel computer. I like to be able to see as much detail in my photos as possible. Although, I recently purchased a MacBook Air for two of my grandkids I was deeply impressed with how light it is. Have been thinking that I'll just take a few more SD cards with me in the future and do my processing when I get home on my iMac 27.

fourg1b2006 Loc: Long Island New York

Big screen...a no brainer.

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

I'm 70 and had a similar debate. I opted for the 13 because of portability and comfort when using it ...on.my lap. It was great to take it with me on vacation so I could download memory cards. A 13 will fit easily into backpack/luggage. I don't feel the least bit hampered by the smaller size. Maybe if you're a professional a 15 would make sense.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

I have 2 laptops, one 15 and one 17, travel and processing, works for me, considering an upgrade, higher power 15 and an external monitor at about 22", might be easier to see

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

My suggestion is to purchase a quality large monitor in addition to a laptop. It will connect via an HDMI cable to the laptop. It is a bit difficult post processing images on a small laptop screen. Either laptop is adequate for handling Photoshop Classic (CC).
Mark

Papa Joe Loc: Midwest U.S.

Well, by now you've received plenty of advice about the larger laptop being a better choice, and that's good advice.... but have you considered having BOTH portability AND large screen? With a small additional investment, you can add an even larger screen for your photography work at your desk or photo station and then use the smaller screen of the lighter computer when portability is needed. Just another thought. Good luck with your choice.
(I should have read ALL the replies... I see some, already posted are similar to what I'm suggesting).

lsimpkins Loc: SE Pennsylvania

DS, I picked up a 13" XPS in February at Costco. Mine has the Core i7 with the same SSD and RAM that you mention. It just fits in my smaller backpack and I take it on almost all my trips. Every evening I copy images from my camera into LR CC (now Classic CC). It is very quick on photo edits, but I must admit there are a couple of minor quirks (such as the Identity Plate) using LR on its 3200x1800 touchscreen display. I have not tried Photoshop on it yet.

The best of both worlds might be to get the 13" model, but when doing serious editing connect it to a larger external monitor. It does have a Thunderbolt (USB-C) output and adapters to HDMI are readily available and inexpensive. I also find that using a mouse for editing is easier for me (and more precise) than either the touch screen or trackpad.

Best wishes

StevenG Loc: Long Island, NY

I have a 15 in. MacBook Pro. It is very portable. However, as I get older and my eyesight gets poorer, the screen begins to look smaller. I am considering switching to a larger desktop. My suggestion is to go with the larger screen.
Steve

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Get the larger screen. The cost is probably not that much greater over the life of the laptop. You have to keep in mind that these are diagonal measurements so the actual area is much larger on a 15" vs a 13" screen. If you want you can always add a monitor at home later on. I have a 15" MacBook Pro...love it.

Best,
Todd Ferguson

LouV Loc: Juno Beach, FL

[quote=markngolf]My suggestion is to purchase a quality large monitor in addition to a laptop.....


I agree completely. I use an XPS 13 because it fits easily in both my camera bag and backpack. It’s works well enough for LR except for looking at thumbnails. Buf, really, the 15 in screen is not going to be that much better. So, at home, as Mark suggests, I connect it to a 24 in monitor via a USB-c to hdmi cable.

Jeffers

For qualification, I'm 74 and lost without my glasses. I have a Dell XPS 13 9350 and it is without qualification, the most amazing computer I've owned. My advice to you is buy the Dell XPS 13 9360 and with the money you saved on the bigger computer, buy a good large screen monitor for your desk. At home you can plug the monitor into your XPS and you have the big screen you want.

As a travel computer, my XPS is compact and battery life is 8-9 hours. The touchscreen is as clear and touch-responsive as a Galaxy 10 TAB. If you get a Tomtoc case, it's a perfect size. In one pocket I keep a mouse for Elements work and a portable Hotspot for 4G. I used to think the Hotspot would be a pain and easy to walk off and forget. But to use it, I turn it on and stick it back in the case - then I have a 4G SPX. You could easily fit the charging chord in the other case pocket if you wanted to.

Due to failure of my large computer, I've had to do some pretty complex projects on the 13" XPS and it's never let me down. Even when doing way-advanced fine edge work in Elements. I do a fair amount of graphics art so I have to embed PowerPoint art (arrows, boxes, text) into some of my images. My 17" desktop does screenshots at 96 dpi. The SPX does them at 240 dpi. When I adjust them to 300 dpi for printing, the XPS screenshot is much, much clearer.

Yes, I'm probably biased by now, but I think I have good reason to be.

Mike Ga Loc: Long Island, NY

I have a 14 in laptop but back it up with a 27in Benq monitor. This is the best of both worlds for me.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

I've given up on LapTops (they die on me) and gone back to a DeskTop Tower, a Dell XPS i7 4core (8 thread), 3.4GHz, 32GB RAM, Windows 10 machine! Right now I am using a 22" monitor but eventually plan to buy a 32" extra wide monitor. I had a top of the line HP LapTop (2009) 18" huge one. But it was nothing but trouble. Also 63.

gsmith051 Loc: Fairfield Glade, TN

I’d go with the larger screen. My laptop has a larger screen but it will still fit in my back pack. Usually I take an iPad with me to save weight. The laptop is a Dell weighting 6 pounds. That plus a camera and three lenses is a little much. /George