Skip to content
MacIQ

MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) vs MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)

MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) against MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
FigureMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)2
Price£2,3493launch price£1,5994launch price
ChipCore i72.6GHz quad-core IntelCore i72.2GHz quad-core Intel
CPU4-coreCPU4-coreCPU
Memory16GBmemory, base16GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base256GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to10 hrsvideo playback, claimedUp to9 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released27 October 20165Announced, no on-sale date given19 May 20156Released
Security updates16 September 20247Security updates ended16 September 20247Security updates ended
Price
The MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) is £2,349 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) is £1,599 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) · 349.3 × 240.7 mm footprintMacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) · 358.9 × 247.1 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 (15-inch, 2016) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)2
Dimensions15.5 x 349.3 x 240.7 mm18 x 358.9 x 247.1 mm
Weight1.83 kg2.04 kg
ColoursSilver, Space GrayNot available8
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 ports942
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 2
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.102
HDMINo HDMI port.11HDMI port
SD card slotNo SD card slot.11Yes
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeNo MagSafe port.10Yes
KeyboardFull-size backlit keyboard with Touch Bar with integrated Touch ID sensorFull-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.12
Touch BarYesNot available13

Display

Display: Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)2
Display size15.4 in15.4 in
Resolution2880 x 18002880 x 1800
Pixel density220 ppi220 ppi
Display typeRetina displayRetina display
Brightness500 nits300 nits
Wide colour (P3)YesNo wide colour (P3) display.14

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)2
Chip2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i72.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.10Intel processor, not Apple silicon.14
CPU cores44
GraphicsRadeon Pro 450 with 2GB of GDDR5 memory and automatic graphics switching; Intel HD Graphics 530Intel Iris Pro Graphics
Chip options2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz; 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz; configurable to 2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz2.2GHz 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)16GB16GB
Memory (maximum)16GB16GB
Memory options16GB16GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents15No, as Apple documents15
Storage (base)256GB256GB
Storage (maximum)2TB1TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB256GB, 512GB or 1TB

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)2
Battery capacity76 Wh99.5 Wh
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles161,000 cycles16
Video playback (claimed)10 h9 h
Wireless web (claimed)10 h9 h
Included power adapter87 W85 W
Fast chargingNo fast charging.17No fast charging.12

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)2
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
Bluetooth4.24.2
EthernetNo Ethernet port.11No Ethernet port.12
External displays (base)42

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)2
Camera720p FaceTime HD camera720p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersStereo speakers with high dynamic rangeStereo speakers
MicrophonesThree microphonesDual microphones

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)2
Shipped withmacOS Sierra5OS X Yosemite18
Newest macOSmacOS Monterey19macOS Monterey19
Model identifierMacBookPro13,319MacBookPro11,4 or MacBookPro11,519
Model year20162015

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)9932095620
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)3,571203,37120

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

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

    ↩

  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Unveils Groundbreaking New MacBook Pro · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  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

    ↩

  5. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Unveils Groundbreaking New MacBook Pro · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

    ↩

  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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  8. Not published by Apple. 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

    ↩

  9. Different Thunderbolt generations. MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016): Thunderbolt 3. MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015): Thunderbolt 2.

    ↩

  10. MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016): No USB-A ports. No MagSafe port. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  11. MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

  12. 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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  14. 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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  17. MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016): No fast charging. Checked: Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro. Read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

  18. 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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

Not published by Apple

MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016). 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 (15-inch, 2016) - Technical Specifications; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Unveils Groundbreaking New MacBook Pro; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model, read 9 Oct 2026.

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 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, 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 MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)? · 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.