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MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) vs MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)

MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) against MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
FigureMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)2
Price£2,3493launch price£1,5994launch price
ChipCore i72.2GHz 6-core IntelCore i72.2GHz quad-core Intel
CPU6-coreCPU4-coreCPU
Memory16GBmemory, base16GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base256GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to10 hrsvideo playback, claimedUp to8 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released12 July 20185Available online; Apple gave no in-store day29 July 20146Released
Security updatesNot available7Security updates2 February 20268Security updates ended
Price
The MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) is £2,349 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014) is £1,599 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) · 349.3 × 240.7 mm footprintMacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014) · 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, 2018) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)2
Dimensions15.5 x 349.3 x 240.7 mm18 x 358.9 x 247.1 mm
Weight1.83 kg2.02 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, Headphone port, 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 (15-inch, 2018) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)2
Display size15.4 in15.4 in
Resolution2880 x 18002880 x 1800
Pixel density220 ppi220 ppi
Display typeRetina displayRetina display
Brightness500 nitsNot available9
Wide colour (P3)YesNot available9

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)2
Chip2.2GHz 6-core Intel Core i72.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.11Intel processor, not Apple silicon.15
CPU cores64
GraphicsRadeon Pro 555X with 4GB of GDDR5 memoryIntel Iris Pro Graphics
Chip options2.2GHz 6-core Intel Core i7, 2.6GHz 6-core Intel Core i7 or 2.9GHz 6-core Intel Core i92.2GHz 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)32GB16GB
Memory options16GB or 32GB16GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents16No, as Apple documents16
Storage (base)256GB256GB
Storage (maximum)4TB1TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB or 4TB256GB, 512GB or 1TB

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)2
Battery capacity83.6 Wh95 Wh
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles171,000 cycles17
Video playback (claimed)10 h8 h
Wireless web (claimed)10 h8 h
Included power adapter87 W85 W
Fast chargingNo fast charging.18No fast charging.13

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)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)42

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)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, 2018) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)2
Shipped withNot available19OS X Mavericks20
Newest macOSmacOS Sequoia21macOS Big Sur21
Model identifierMacBookPro15,121MacBookPro11,2 or MacBookPro11,321
Model year20182014

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)1,2262294922
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)4,819223,38022

Sources

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

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014) · 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 MacBook Pro with Retina Display · 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 MacBook Pro with Retina Display · 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, 15-inch, Mid 2014) - Technical Specifications; Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates MacBook Pro with Retina Display. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  10. Different Thunderbolt generations. MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018): Thunderbolt 3. MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014): Thunderbolt 2.

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

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  12. MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  13. MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014): No Touch ID. No fast charging. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014) - 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, 15-inch, Mid 2014): Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014) - 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. MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018): No fast charging. Checked: Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  19. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple updates MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  20. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates MacBook Pro with Retina Display · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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

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

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Not published by Apple

MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018). 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, 2018) - Technical Specifications; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple updates MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model, read 9 Oct 2026.

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-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, 15-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 (15-inch, 2018)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)?

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