Skip to content
MacIQ

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019) vs MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019)1MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)2

Quick look

Quick look: iMac against MacBook Pro
FigureiMac1MacBook Pro2
Price£1,7493launch price£1,7494launch price
ChipCore i53.0GHz 6-core IntelCore i52.3GHz quad-core Intel
CPU6-coreCPU4-coreCPU
Memory8GBmemory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage1TBstorage, base256GBstorage, base
Battery life Not available5No batteryUp to10 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released19 March 20196Available online; Apple gave no in-store day12 July 20187Available online; Apple gave no in-store day
Security updatesNot available8Security updatesNot available8Security updates
Price
The iMac is £1,749 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Pro is £1,749 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 5K, 27-inch, 2019) · 650 × 516 mm frontMacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) · 304.1 × 212.4 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 5K, 27-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Dimensions516 x 650 x 203 mm14.9 x 304.1 x 212.4 mm
Weight9.42 kg1.37 kg
ColoursNot available9Silver, Space Gray
PortsTwo Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, four USB 3 ports, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45), 3.5 mm headphone jackFour Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports24
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 3
USB-A ports4No USB-A ports.10
HDMINo HDMI port.11No HDMI port.12
SD card slotYesNo SD card slot.12
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeNot available13No MagSafe port.10
KeyboardMagic KeyboardFull-size backlit keyboard with Touch Bar and Touch ID
Touch IDNo Touch ID.11Yes
Touch BarNot available14Yes

Display

Display: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Display size27 in13.3 in
Resolution5120 x 28802560 x 1600
Pixel densityNot available9227 ppi
Display typeRetina 5K displayRetina display
Brightness500 nits500 nits
Wide colour (P3)YesYes

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Chip3.0GHz 6-core Intel Core i52.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i5
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.15Intel processor, not Apple silicon.10
CPU cores64
GraphicsRadeon Pro 570X with 4GB of GDDR5 memoryIntel Iris Plus Graphics 655
Chip options3.0GHz 6-core Intel Core i5, 3.1GHz 6-core Intel Core i5, 3.7GHz 6-core Intel Core i5, or 3.6GHz 8-core Intel Core i92.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 or 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Memory (base)8GB8GB
Memory (maximum)64GB16GB
Memory options8GB, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB8GB or 16GB
Memory upgradeable by userYes, as Apple documents16No, as Apple documents17
Storage (base)1TB256GB
Storage (maximum)3TB2TB
Storage options1TB, 2TB or 3TB Fusion Drive, or 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB SSD256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Battery capacityNot available558 Wh
Rated charge cyclesNot available51,000 cycles18
Video playback (claimed)Not available510 h
Wireless web (claimed)Not available510 h
Included power adapterNot available1961 W
Fast chargingNot available5No fast charging.12

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth4.25.0
Ethernet10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45)No Ethernet port.12
External displays (base)22

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
CameraFaceTime HD camera720p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersStereo speakersStereo speakers with high dynamic range
MicrophonesMicrophoneThree microphones

Platform

Platform: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Shipped withmacOS Mojave20Not available21
Newest macOSmacOS Sequoia22macOS Sequoia23
Model identifieriMac19,122MacBookPro15,223
Model year20192018

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)1,289241,11424
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)4,780243,77224

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications · Default for iMac · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  2. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Pro · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac gets a 2x performance boost · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple updates MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  5. Doesn’t apply: no battery

    ↩

  6. Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac gets a 2x performance boost · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

    ↩

  7. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple updates MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

    ↩

  8. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

    ↩

  9. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac gets a 2x performance boost. Read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

  10. MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports): No USB-A ports. No MagSafe port. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  11. iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019): No HDMI port. No Touch ID. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

  12. MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No fast charging. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

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

    ↩

  14. Doesn’t apply: the Touch Bar was only fitted to MacBook Pro

    ↩

  15. iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019): Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  20. Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac gets a 2x performance boost · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

  21. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple updates MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros. Read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

Not published by Apple

iMac. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: 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 5K, 27-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac gets a 2x performance boost, read 9 Oct 2026.

MacBook Pro. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: 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 (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple updates MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros, 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 5K, 27-inch, 2019)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)?

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