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MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) vs iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)1iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Pro against iMac
FigureMacBook Pro1iMac2
Price£1,5993launch price£1,9994launch price
ChipCore i72.2GHz quad-core IntelCore i53.5GHz quad-core Intel
CPU4-coreCPU4-coreCPU
Memory16GBmemory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base1TBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to9 hrsvideo playback, claimed Not available5No battery
Released19 May 20156Released16 October 20147Available online; Apple gave no in-store day
Security updates16 September 20248Security updates ended2 February 20268Security updates ended
Price
The MacBook Pro is £1,599 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the iMac is £1,999 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
Kind of Mac
The MacBook Pro is a laptop; the iMac is an all-in-one. The MacBook Pro has a battery, whereas the iMac has none.

True to scale

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) · 358.9 × 247.1 mm footprintiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014) · 650 × 516 mm front

A laptop and an all-in-one are different shapes, so they stand side by side rather than superposed: the footprint of one and the front face of the other, from Apple’s published dimensions, at one scale. 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 (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1iMac2
Dimensions18 x 358.9 x 247.1 mm516 x 650 x 203 mm
Weight2.04 kg9.54 kg
PortsMagSafe 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 slotTwo Thunderbolt 2 ports, four USB 3 ports, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45), headphone port
Thunderbolt ports22
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 2Thunderbolt 2
USB-A ports24
HDMIHDMI portNo HDMI port.9
SD card slotYesYes
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeYesNot available10
KeyboardFull-size backlit keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted T arrangement)Apple Wireless Keyboard
Touch IDNo Touch ID.11No Touch ID.9

Display

Display: Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1iMac2
Display size15.4 in27 in
Resolution2880 x 18005120 x 2880
Pixel density220 ppiNot available12
Display typeRetina displayRetina display with IPS technology
Brightness300 nitsNot available12
Wide colour (P3)No wide colour (P3) display.13Not available12

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1iMac2
Chip2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i73.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.13Intel processor, not Apple silicon.14
CPU cores44
GraphicsIntel Iris Pro GraphicsAMD Radeon R9 M290X with 2GB of GDDR5 memory
Chip options2.2GHz 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 4.0GHz3.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 or 4.0GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Memory (base)16GB8GB
Memory (maximum)16GB32GB
Memory options16GB8GB, 16GB or 32GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents15Yes, as Apple documents16
Storage (base)256GB1TB
Storage (maximum)1TB3TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB or 1TB1TB or 3TB Fusion Drive, or 256GB, 512GB or 1TB flash storage (SSD)

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1iMac2
Battery capacity99.5 WhNot available5
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles17Not available5
Video playback (claimed)9 hNot available5
Wireless web (claimed)9 hNot available5
Included power adapter85 WNot available18
Fast chargingNo fast charging.11Not available5

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1iMac2
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth4.24.0
EthernetNo Ethernet port.1110/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45)
External displays (base)21

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1iMac2
Camera720p FaceTime HD cameraFaceTime HD camera
SpeakersStereo speakersStereo speakers
MicrophonesDual microphonesDual microphones

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1iMac2
Shipped withOS X Yosemite19OS X Yosemite7
Newest macOSmacOS Monterey20macOS Big Sur21
Model identifierMacBookPro11,4 or MacBookPro11,520iMac15,121
Model year20152014

Sources

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

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014) - Technical Specifications · Default for iMac · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. 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

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Introduces 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K Display · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  5. Doesn’t apply: no battery

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  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

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  7. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Introduces 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K Display · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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

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  9. iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014): No HDMI port. No Touch ID. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  10. Doesn’t apply: MagSafe is a notebook charging port

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  11. 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

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  12. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Introduces 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K Display. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  13. 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

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  14. iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014): Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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

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  16. Apple Support (UK) — Install memory in an iMac · 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. Doesn’t apply: internal power supply, no power adapter in the box

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  19. 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

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

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Not published by Apple

MacBook Pro. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: colours, 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.

iMac. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: colours, refresh rate, nano-texture option, GPU cores, storage upgradeable by user, maximum continuous power. Geekbench 7: the Mac chart has no entry for this Mac, so no figures are shown (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Introduces 27-inch 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 (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)? · Should I upgrade my iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)?

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