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MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) vs iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)

MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)1iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook against iMac
FigureMacBook1iMac2
Price£1,0493launch price£1,9994launch price
ChipCore M1.1GHz dual-core IntelCore i53.5GHz quad-core Intel
CPU2-coreCPU4-coreCPU
Memory8GBmemory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base1TBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to10 hrsvideo playback, claimed Not available5No battery
Released10 April 20156Available online; Apple gave no in-store day16 October 20147Available online; Apple gave no in-store day
Security updates2 February 20268Security updates ended2 February 20268Security updates ended
Price
The MacBook is £1,049 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the iMac is £1,999 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
Kind of Mac
The MacBook is a laptop; the iMac is an all-in-one. The MacBook has a battery, whereas the iMac has none.

True to scale

MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) · 280.5 × 196.5 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 (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
SpecificationMacBook1iMac2
Dimensions3.5–13.1 x 280.5 x 196.5 mm516 x 650 x 203 mm
Weight0.92 kg9.54 kg
ColoursSilver, Gold, Space GrayNot available9
PortsUSB-C port, 3.5 mm headphone jackTwo Thunderbolt 2 ports, four USB 3 ports, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45), headphone port
Thunderbolt portsNo Thunderbolt ports.102
Thunderbolt versionNot available11Thunderbolt 2
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.104
HDMINo HDMI port.12No HDMI port.13
SD card slotNo SD card slot.12Yes
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeNo MagSafe port.12Not available14
KeyboardFull-size keyboard with LED-backlit keysApple Wireless Keyboard
Touch IDNo Touch ID.12No Touch ID.13

Display

Display: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
SpecificationMacBook1iMac2
Display size12 in27 in
Resolution2304 x 14405120 x 2880
Pixel density226 ppiNot available9
Display typeRetina displayRetina display with IPS technology

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
SpecificationMacBook1iMac2
Chip1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core M3.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.10Intel processor, not Apple silicon.15
CPU cores24
GraphicsIntel HD Graphics 5300AMD Radeon R9 M290X with 2GB of GDDR5 memory
Chip options1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core M; 1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core M; 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core M3.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 or 4.0GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Memory (base)8GB8GB
Memory (maximum)8GB32GB
Memory options8GB8GB, 16GB or 32GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents16Yes, as Apple documents17
Storage (base)256GB1TB
Storage (maximum)512GB3TB
Storage options256GB or 512GB1TB or 3TB Fusion Drive, or 256GB, 512GB or 1TB flash storage (SSD)

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
SpecificationMacBook1iMac2
Battery capacity39.7 WhNot available5
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles18Not available5
Video playback (claimed)10 hNot available5
Wireless web (claimed)9 hNot available5
Included power adapter29 WNot available19
Fast chargingNo fast charging.12Not available5

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
SpecificationMacBook1iMac2
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth4.04.0
EthernetNo Ethernet port.1210/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45)
External displays (base)11

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
SpecificationMacBook1iMac2
Camera480p FaceTime cameraFaceTime HD camera
SpeakersStereo speakersStereo speakers
MicrophonesDual microphonesDual microphones

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
SpecificationMacBook1iMac2
Shipped withOS X Yosemite20OS X Yosemite7
Newest macOSmacOS Big Sur21macOS Big Sur22
Model identifierMacBook8,121iMac15,122
Model year20152014

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) - Tech Specs · Default for MacBook · 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 Unveils All-New MacBook · 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 Unveils All-New MacBook · Apple’s figure · read 11 Oct 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. 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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  10. MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015): No Thunderbolt ports. No USB-A ports. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) - Tech Specs. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  11. Doesn’t apply: no Thunderbolt port

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  12. MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No MagSafe port. No Touch ID. No fast charging. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) - Tech Specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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

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  15. 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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  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) — Install memory in an iMac · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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

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  19. Doesn’t apply: internal power supply, no power adapter in the box

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  20. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Unveils All-New MacBook · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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

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

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Not published by Apple

MacBook. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: brightness, refresh rate, wide colour (P3), 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 (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) - Tech Specs; Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Unveils All-New MacBook, read 9 Oct 2026.

iMac. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: brightness, refresh rate, wide colour (P3), 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 (Retina, 12-inch, Early 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.