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MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) vs MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)

MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook against MacBook Pro
FigureMacBook1MacBook Pro2
Price£1,0493launch price£9994launch price
ChipCore M1.1GHz dual-core IntelCore i52.7GHz dual-core Intel
CPU2-coreCPU2-coreCPU
Memory8GBmemory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base128GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to10 hrsvideo playback, claimedUp to12 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released10 April 20155Available online; Apple gave no in-store day9 March 20156Released
Security updates2 February 20267Security updates ended16 September 20247Security updates ended
Price
The MacBook is £1,049 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Pro is £999 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) · 280.5 × 196.5 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 (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Pro2
Dimensions3.5–13.1 x 280.5 x 196.5 mm18 x 314 x 219 mm
Weight0.92 kg1.58 kg
ColoursSilver, Gold, Space GrayNot available8
PortsUSB-C port, 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 portsNo Thunderbolt ports.92
Thunderbolt versionNot available10Thunderbolt 2
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.92
HDMINo HDMI port.11HDMI port
SD card slotNo SD card slot.11Yes
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeNo MagSafe port.11Yes
KeyboardFull-size keyboard with LED-backlit keysFull-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.11No Touch ID.12

Display

Display: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Pro2
Display size12 in13.3 in
Resolution2304 x 14402560 x 1600
Pixel density226 ppi227 ppi
Display typeRetina displayRetina display
BrightnessNot available13300 nits
Wide colour (P3)Not available13No wide colour (P3) display.14

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Pro2
Chip1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core M2.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.9Intel processor, not Apple silicon.14
CPU cores22
GraphicsIntel HD Graphics 5300Intel Iris Graphics 6100
Chip options1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core M; 1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core M; 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core M2.7GHz 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)8GB8GB
Memory (maximum)8GB16GB
Memory options8GB8GB or 16GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents15No, as Apple documents15
Storage (base)256GB128GB
Storage (maximum)512GB1TB
Storage options256GB or 512GB128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Pro2
Battery capacity39.7 Wh74.9 Wh
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles161,000 cycles16
Video playback (claimed)10 h12 h
Wireless web (claimed)9 h10 h
Included power adapter29 W60 W
Fast chargingNo fast charging.11No fast charging.12

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Pro2
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
Bluetooth4.04.0
EthernetNo Ethernet port.11No Ethernet port.12
External displays (base)12

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Pro2
Camera480p FaceTime camera720p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersStereo speakersStereo speakers
MicrophonesDual microphonesDual microphones

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Pro2
Shipped withOS X Yosemite17OS X Yosemite18
Newest macOSmacOS Big Sur19macOS Monterey20
Model identifierMacBook8,119MacBookPro12,120
Model year20152015

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Pro2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)6992191821
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)1,200211,78121

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) — MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Pro · 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 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 Unveils All-New MacBook · Apple’s figure · read 11 Oct 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. Not published by Apple. 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

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  9. 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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  10. Doesn’t apply: no Thunderbolt port

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  11. 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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  12. 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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  13. Not published by Apple. 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

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  14. 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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  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) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops · Apple’s figure · read 15 Oct 2026

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

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  18. 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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  19. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 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. Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) · third-party figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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Not published by Apple

MacBook. 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 (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) - Tech Specs; Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Unveils All-New MacBook, read 9 Oct 2026.

MacBook Pro. 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, 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 (Retina, 12-inch, Early 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.