MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) vs MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
Quick look
| Figure | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1 | MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,7493launch price | £9994launch price |
| Chip | Core i52.4GHz quad-core Intel | Core i52.7GHz dual-core Intel |
| CPU | 4-coreCPU | 2-coreCPU |
| Memory | 8GBmemory, base | 8GBmemory, base |
| Storage | 256GBstorage, base | 128GBstorage, base |
| Battery life | Up to10 hrsvideo playback, claimed | Up to12 hrsvideo playback, claimed |
| Released | 21 May 20195Available online; Apple gave no in-store day | 9 March 20156Released |
| Security updates | Not available7Security updates | 16 September 20248Security updates ended |
- Price
- The MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, 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
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, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1 | MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 14.9 x 304.1 x 212.4 mm | 18 x 314 x 219 mm |
| Weight | 1.37 kg | 1.58 kg |
| Colours | Silver, Space Gray | Not available9 |
| 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, 3.5 mm headphone jack, SDXC card slot |
| Thunderbolt ports10 | 4 | 2 |
| Thunderbolt version | Thunderbolt 3 | Thunderbolt 2 |
| USB-A ports | No USB-A ports.11 | 2 |
| HDMI | No HDMI port.12 | HDMI port |
| SD card slot | No SD card slot.12 | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
| MagSafe | No MagSafe port.11 | Yes |
| Keyboard | Full-size backlit keyboard with Touch Bar and Touch ID | 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.13 |
| Touch Bar | Yes | Not available14 |
Display
| Specification | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1 | MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)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 | 300 nits |
| Wide colour (P3) | Yes | No wide colour (P3) display.15 |
Chip and memory
| Specification | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1 | MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | 2.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 | 2.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 |
| Apple silicon | Intel processor, not Apple silicon.11 | Intel processor, not Apple silicon.15 |
| CPU cores | 4 | 2 |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 | Intel Iris Graphics 6100 |
| Chip options | 2.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 or 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 | 2.7GHz 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) | 8GB | 8GB |
| Memory (maximum) | 16GB | 16GB |
| Memory options | 8GB or 16GB | 8GB or 16GB |
| Memory upgradeable by user | No, as Apple documents16 | No, as Apple documents16 |
| Storage (base) | 256GB | 128GB |
| Storage (maximum) | 2TB | 1TB |
| Storage options | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB |
Battery and power
| Specification | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1 | MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 58 Wh | 74.9 Wh |
| Rated charge cycles | 1,000 cycles17 | 1,000 cycles17 |
| Video playback (claimed) | 10 h | 12 h |
| Wireless web (claimed) | 10 h | 10 h |
| Included power adapter | 61 W | 60 W |
| Fast charging | No fast charging.12 | No fast charging.13 |
Connectivity
| Specification | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1 | MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | 802.11ac Wi-Fi | 802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| Ethernet | No Ethernet port.12 | No Ethernet port.13 |
| External displays (base) | 2 | 2 |
Camera and audio
| Specification | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1 | MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)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, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1 | MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2 |
|---|---|---|
| Shipped with | macOS Mojave18 | OS X Yosemite19 |
| Newest macOS | macOS Sequoia20 | macOS Monterey20 |
| Model identifier | MacBookPro15,220 | MacBookPro12,120 |
| Model year | 2019 | 2015 |
Benchmarks
| Specification | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)1 | MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2 |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core) | 1,15821 | 91821 |
| Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core) | 3,76921 | 1,78121 |
Sources
- ↩
Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) - Technical Specifications ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces first 8-core MacBook Pro, the fastest Mac notebook ever ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display & MacBook Air ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces first 8-core MacBook Pro, the fastest Mac notebook ever ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display & MacBook Air ·
↩Security updates: no end date published.
↩endoflife.date — Apple macOS ·
↩Not published by Apple.
↩Different Thunderbolt generations. MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports): Thunderbolt 3. MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015): Thunderbolt 2.
↩MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports): No USB-A ports. No MagSafe port. Intel processor, not Apple silicon.
↩MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No fast charging. No Ethernet port.
↩MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015): No Touch ID. No fast charging. No Ethernet port.
↩Doesn’t apply: this Mac predates the Touch Bar
↩MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015): No wide colour (P3) display. 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 ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces first 8-core MacBook Pro, the fastest Mac notebook ever ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display & MacBook Air ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model ·
↩Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) ·
↩
Not published by Apple
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, 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, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces first 8-core MacBook Pro, the fastest Mac notebook ever, 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, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)?
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.