MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) vs MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)
Quick look
| Figure | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1 | MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,7493launch price | £9994launch price |
| Chip | Core i53.1GHz dual-core Intel | Core i52.6GHz dual-core Intel |
| CPU | 2-coreCPU | 2-coreCPU |
| Memory | 8GBmemory, base | 8GBmemory, base |
| Storage | 256GBstorage, base | 128GBstorage, base |
| Battery life | Up to10 hrsvideo playback, claimed | Up to9 hrsvideo playback, claimed |
| Released | 7 June 20175ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 5 June 2017. | 29 July 20146Released |
| Security updates | 15 September 20257Security updates ended | 2 February 20267Security updates ended |
- Price
- The MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) is £1,749 at launch, per Apple UK Store (archived 23 June 2017); the MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014) is £999 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
True to scale
Footprints from above, from Apple’s published dimensions, drawn to one scale and superposed. 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
| Specification | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1 | MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)2 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 14.9 x 304.1 x 212.4 mm | 18 x 314 x 219 mm |
| Weight | 1.37 kg | 1.57 kg |
| Colours | Silver, Space Gray | Not available8 |
| Ports | Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, 3.5 mm headphone jack | MagSafe 2 power port, two Thunderbolt 2 ports (up to 20 Gbps), two USB 3 ports (up to 5 Gbps), HDMI port, Headphone port, SDXC card slot |
| Thunderbolt ports9 | 4 | 2 |
| Thunderbolt version | Thunderbolt 3 | Thunderbolt 2 |
| USB-A ports | No USB-A ports.10 | 2 |
| HDMI | No HDMI port.11 | HDMI port |
| SD card slot | No SD card slot.11 | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
| MagSafe | No MagSafe port.10 | Yes |
| Keyboard | Full-size backlit keyboard with Touch Bar with integrated Touch ID sensor | Full-size backlit keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted T arrangement) |
| Touch ID | Yes | No Touch ID.12 |
| Touch Bar | Yes | Not available13 |
Display
| Specification | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1 | MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)2 |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 13.3 in | 13.3 in |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 2560 x 1600 |
| Pixel density | 227 ppi | 227 ppi |
| Display type | Retina display | Retina display |
| Brightness | 500 nits | Not available8 |
| Wide colour (P3) | Yes | Not available8 |
Chip and memory
| Specification | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1 | MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)2 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 | 2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 |
| Apple silicon | Intel processor, not Apple silicon.10 | Intel processor, not Apple silicon.14 |
| CPU cores | 2 | 2 |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650 | Intel Iris Graphics |
| Chip options | 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz; configurable to 3.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz, or 3.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 4.0GHz | 2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz; 2.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz; configurable to 3.0GHz dual-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz |
| Memory (base) | 8GB | 8GB |
| Memory (maximum) | 16GB | 16GB |
| Memory options | 8GB or 16GB | 8GB or 16GB |
| Memory upgradeable by user | No, as Apple documents15 | No, as Apple documents15 |
| Storage (base) | 256GB | 128GB |
| Storage (maximum) | 1TB | 1TB |
| Storage options | 256GB, 512GB or 1TB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB |
Battery and power
| Specification | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1 | MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)2 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 49.2 Wh | 71.8 Wh |
| Rated charge cycles | 1,000 cycles16 | 1,000 cycles16 |
| Video playback (claimed) | 10 h | 9 h |
| Wireless web (claimed) | 10 h | 9 h |
| Included power adapter | 61 W | 60 W |
| Fast charging | No fast charging.11 | No fast charging.12 |
Connectivity
| Specification | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1 | MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)2 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | 802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible | 802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible |
| Bluetooth | 4.2 | 4.0 |
| Ethernet | No Ethernet port.11 | No Ethernet port.12 |
| External displays (base) | 2 | 2 |
Camera and audio
| Specification | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1 | MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)2 |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | 720p FaceTime HD camera | 720p FaceTime HD camera |
| Speakers | Stereo speakers with high dynamic range | Stereo speakers |
| Microphones | Three microphones | Dual microphones |
Platform
| Specification | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1 | MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)2 |
|---|---|---|
| Shipped with | Not available17 | OS X Mavericks18 |
| Newest macOS | macOS Ventura19 | macOS Big Sur19 |
| Model identifier | MacBookPro14,219 | MacBookPro11,119 |
| Model year | 2017 | 2014 |
Benchmarks
| Specification | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1 | MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)2 |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core) | 1,00820 | 85820 |
| Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core) | 1,99920 | 1,64220 |
Sources
- ↩
Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014) - Technical Specifications ·
↩- ↩
Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates MacBook Pro with Retina Display ·
↩- ↩
Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates MacBook Pro with Retina Display ·
↩endoflife.date — Apple macOS ·
↩Not published by Apple.
↩Different Thunderbolt generations. MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports): Thunderbolt 3. MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014): Thunderbolt 2.
↩MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports): No USB-A ports. No MagSafe port. Intel processor, not Apple silicon.
↩MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No fast charging. No Ethernet port.
↩MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014): No Touch ID. No fast charging. No Ethernet port.
↩Doesn’t apply: this Mac predates the Touch Bar
↩MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014): Intel processor, not Apple silicon.
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops ·
↩Not published by Apple.
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates MacBook Pro with Retina Display ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model ·
↩Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) ·
↩
Not published by Apple
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports). 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, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac receives major update featuring more powerful graphics, faster processors, Thunderbolt 3 and brighter displays, read 9 Oct 2026.
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014). 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 (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014) - Technical Specifications; Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates MacBook Pro with Retina 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 MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)?
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.