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MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) vs MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)

MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) against MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
FigureMacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2
Price£1,7493launch price£9994launch price
ChipCore i52.3GHz quad-core IntelCore i52.7GHz dual-core Intel
CPU4-coreCPU2-coreCPU
Memory8GBmemory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base128GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to10 hrsvideo playback, claimedUp to12 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released12 July 20185Available online; Apple gave no in-store day9 March 20156Released
Security updatesNot available7Security updates16 September 20248Security updates ended
Price
The MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) is £1,749 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) is £999 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) · 304.1 × 212.4 mm footprintMacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) · 314 × 219 mm footprint

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

Body: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2
Dimensions14.9 x 304.1 x 212.4 mm18 x 314 x 219 mm
Weight1.37 kg1.58 kg
ColoursSilver, Space GrayNot available9
PortsFour Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, 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 ports1042
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 2
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.112
HDMINo HDMI port.12HDMI port
SD card slotNo SD card slot.12Yes
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeNo MagSafe port.11Yes
KeyboardFull-size backlit keyboard with Touch Bar and Touch IDFull-size backlit keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted T arrangement)
Touch IDYesNo Touch ID.13
Touch BarYesNot available14

Display

Display: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2
Display size13.3 in13.3 in
Resolution2560 x 16002560 x 1600
Pixel density227 ppi227 ppi
Display typeRetina displayRetina display
Brightness500 nits300 nits
Wide colour (P3)YesNo wide colour (P3) display.15

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2
Chip2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i52.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.11Intel processor, not Apple silicon.15
CPU cores42
GraphicsIntel Iris Plus Graphics 655Intel Iris Graphics 6100
Chip options2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 or 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i72.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz; 2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz; configurable to 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz
Memory (base)8GB8GB
Memory (maximum)16GB16GB
Memory options8GB or 16GB8GB or 16GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents16No, as Apple documents16
Storage (base)256GB128GB
Storage (maximum)2TB1TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2
Battery capacity58 Wh74.9 Wh
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles171,000 cycles17
Video playback (claimed)10 h12 h
Wireless web (claimed)10 h10 h
Included power adapter61 W60 W
Fast chargingNo fast charging.12No fast charging.13

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
Bluetooth5.04.0
EthernetNo Ethernet port.12No Ethernet port.13
External displays (base)22

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2
Camera720p FaceTime HD camera720p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersStereo speakers with high dynamic rangeStereo speakers
MicrophonesThree microphonesDual microphones

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2
Shipped withNot available18OS X Yosemite19
Newest macOSmacOS Sequoia20macOS Monterey20
Model identifierMacBookPro15,220MacBookPro12,120
Model year20182015

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)1,1142191821
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)3,772211,78121

Sources

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

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display & MacBook Air · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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

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  6. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display & MacBook Air · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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

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

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  9. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) - Technical Specifications; Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display & MacBook Air. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  10. Different Thunderbolt generations. MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports): Thunderbolt 3. MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015): Thunderbolt 2.

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  11. 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

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  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

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  13. MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015): No Touch ID. No fast charging. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  14. Doesn’t apply: this Mac predates the Touch Bar

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  15. MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015): No wide colour (P3) display. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 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) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops · Apple’s figure · read 15 Oct 2026

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  18. 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

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  19. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display & MacBook Air · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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

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

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Not published by Apple

MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, 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, 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.

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015). 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, Early 2015) - Technical Specifications; Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display & MacBook Air, 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, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)?

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