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MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) vs MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) against MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
FigureMacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2
Price£1,5993launch price£9994launch price
ChipCore i72.2GHz quad-core IntelCore i52.7GHz dual-core Intel
CPU4-coreCPU2-coreCPU
Memory16GBmemory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base128GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to9 hrsvideo playback, claimedUp to12 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released19 May 20155Released9 March 20156Released
Security updates16 September 20247Security updates ended16 September 20247Security updates ended
Price
The MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) is £1,599 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 (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) · 358.9 × 247.1 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 (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2
Dimensions18 x 358.9 x 247.1 mm18 x 314 x 219 mm
Weight2.04 kg1.58 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 slotMagSafe 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 ports22
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 2Thunderbolt 2
USB-A ports22
HDMIHDMI portHDMI port
SD card slotYesYes
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeYesYes
KeyboardFull-size backlit keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted T arrangement)Full-size backlit keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted T arrangement)
Touch IDNo Touch ID.8No Touch ID.9

Display

Display: Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2
Display size15.4 in13.3 in
Resolution2880 x 18002560 x 1600
Pixel density220 ppi227 ppi
Display typeRetina displayRetina display
Brightness300 nits300 nits
Wide colour (P3)No wide colour (P3) display.10No wide colour (P3) display.11

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2
Chip2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i72.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.10Intel processor, not Apple silicon.11
CPU cores42
GraphicsIntel Iris Pro GraphicsIntel Iris Graphics 6100
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 4.0GHz2.7GHz 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)16GB8GB
Memory (maximum)16GB16GB
Memory options16GB8GB or 16GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents12No, as Apple documents12
Storage (base)256GB128GB
Storage (maximum)1TB1TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB or 1TB128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2
Battery capacity99.5 Wh74.9 Wh
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles131,000 cycles13
Video playback (claimed)9 h12 h
Wireless web (claimed)9 h10 h
Included power adapter85 W60 W
Fast chargingNo fast charging.8No fast charging.9

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 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
Bluetooth4.24.0
EthernetNo Ethernet port.8No Ethernet port.9
External displays (base)22

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2
Camera720p FaceTime HD camera720p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersStereo speakersStereo speakers
MicrophonesDual microphonesDual microphones

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2
Shipped withOS X Yosemite14OS X Yosemite15
Newest macOSmacOS Monterey16macOS Monterey16
Model identifierMacBookPro11,4 or MacBookPro11,516MacBookPro12,116
Model year20152015

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)9561791817
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)3,371171,78117

Sources

  1. 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

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

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  8. 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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  9. 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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  10. 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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  11. 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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  12. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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

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  14. 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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  15. 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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  16. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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

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Not published by Apple

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015). 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.

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015). 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, 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 (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)? · 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.