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iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015) vs MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)

iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)2

Quick look

Quick look: iMac against MacBook Pro
FigureiMac1MacBook Pro2
Price£1,1993launch price£1,5994launch price
ChipCore i53.1GHz quad-core IntelCore i72.2GHz quad-core Intel
CPU4-coreCPU4-coreCPU
Memory8GBmemory, base16GBmemory, base
Storage1TBstorage, base256GBstorage, base
Battery life Not available5No batteryUp to9 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released13 October 20153Released19 May 20156Released
Security updates16 September 20247Security updates ended16 September 20247Security updates ended
Price
The iMac is £1,199 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Pro is £1,599 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
Kind of Mac
The iMac is an all-in-one; the MacBook Pro is a laptop. The MacBook Pro has a battery, whereas the iMac has none.

True to scale

iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015) · 528 × 450 mm frontMacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) · 358.9 × 247.1 mm footprint

An all-in-one and a laptop are different shapes, so they stand side by side rather than superposed: the front face of one and the footprint of the other, from Apple’s published dimensions, at one scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.

Specifications

Each figure is from the source marked by its Mac’s name unless it carries its own small number, which links to where that figure was read.

Body

Body: Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Dimensions450 x 528 x 175 mm18 x 358.9 x 247.1 mm
Weight5.68 kg2.04 kg
PortsTwo Thunderbolt 2 ports, four USB 3 ports, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45), 3.5 mm headphone jackMagSafe 2 power port, two Thunderbolt 2 ports (up to 20 Gbps), two USB 3 ports (up to 5 Gbps), HDMI port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, SDXC card slot
Thunderbolt ports22
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 2Thunderbolt 2
USB-A ports42
HDMINo HDMI port.8HDMI port
SD card slotYesYes
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeNot available9Yes
KeyboardMagic KeyboardFull-size backlit keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted T arrangement)
Touch IDNo Touch ID.8No Touch ID.10

Display

Display: Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Display size21.5 in15.4 in
Resolution4096 x 23042880 x 1800
Pixel densityNot available11220 ppi
Display typeRetina 4K display with IPS technologyRetina display
BrightnessNot available11300 nits
Wide colour (P3)Yes12No wide colour (P3) display.13

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Chip3.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i52.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.14Intel processor, not Apple silicon.13
CPU cores44
GraphicsIntel Iris Pro Graphics 6200Intel Iris Pro Graphics
Chip options3.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 or 3.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i72.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz; 2.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz; configurable to 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 4.0GHz
Memory (base)8GB16GB
Memory (maximum)16GB16GB
Memory options8GB or 16GB16GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents15No, as Apple documents16
Storage (base)1TB256GB
Storage (maximum)2TB1TB
Storage options1TB hard drive, 1TB or 2TB Fusion Drive, or 256GB or 512GB flash storage (SSD)17256GB, 512GB or 1TB

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Battery capacityNot available599.5 Wh
Rated charge cyclesNot available51,000 cycles18
Video playback (claimed)Not available59 h
Wireless web (claimed)Not available59 h
Included power adapterNot available1985 W
Fast chargingNot available5No fast charging.10

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
Bluetooth4.04.2
Ethernet10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45)No Ethernet port.10
External displays (base)12

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
CameraFaceTime HD camera720p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersStereo speakersStereo speakers
MicrophonesDual microphonesDual microphones

Platform

Platform: Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Shipped withOS X El Capitan20OS X Yosemite21
Newest macOSmacOS Monterey22macOS Monterey23
Model identifieriMac16,222MacBookPro11,4 or MacBookPro11,523
Model year20152015

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)1,0802495624
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)3,122243,37124

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015) - Technical Specification · Default for iMac · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Pro · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates iMac Family with Stunning New Retina Displays · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Introduces 15-inch MacBook Pro with Force Touch Trackpad & New £1,599 iMac with Retina 5K Display · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  5. Doesn’t apply: no battery

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  6. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Introduces 15-inch MacBook Pro with Force Touch Trackpad & New £1,599 iMac with Retina 5K Display · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  7. endoflife.date — Apple macOS · third-party figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  8. iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015): No HDMI port. No Touch ID. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015) - Technical Specification. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  9. Doesn’t apply: MagSafe is a notebook charging port

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  10. MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015): No Touch ID. No fast charging. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  11. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015) - Technical Specification; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates iMac Family with Stunning New Retina Displays. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  12. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates iMac Family with Stunning New Retina Displays · Apple’s figure · read 3 Oct 2026

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  13. MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015): No wide colour (P3) display. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  14. iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015): Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015) - Technical Specification. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  15. Apple Support (UK) — Install memory in an iMac · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  16. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  17. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015) - Technical Specification · Apple’s figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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  18. Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops · Apple’s figure · read 15 Oct 2026

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  19. Doesn’t apply: internal power supply, no power adapter in the box

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  20. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates iMac Family with Stunning New Retina Displays · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  21. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Introduces 15-inch MacBook Pro with Force Touch Trackpad & New £1,599 iMac with Retina 5K Display · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  22. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  23. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  24. Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) · third-party figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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Not published by Apple

iMac. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: colours, refresh rate, nano-texture option, GPU cores, storage upgradeable by user, maximum continuous power. Geekbench 7 Metal: the Mac chart has no Metal score for this Mac (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015) - Technical Specification; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates iMac Family with Stunning New Retina Displays, read 9 Oct 2026.

MacBook Pro. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: colours, refresh rate, nano-texture option, GPU cores, storage upgradeable by user. Geekbench 7 Metal: the Mac chart has no Metal score for this Mac (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) - Technical Specifications; Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Introduces 15-inch MacBook Pro with Force Touch Trackpad & New £1,599 iMac with Retina 5K Display, read 9 Oct 2026.

If you own one of them

Whether to move is a different question from which is better. Each Mac has a page on it: what its successor changes (the newest Mac in its line where Apple sells one, otherwise the Mac this site treats as its replacement, which can be in another line), what it fetches and whether it still gets updates. Should I upgrade my iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)?

The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.