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MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) vs iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)

MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016)1iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook against iMac
FigureMacBook1iMac2
Price£1,0493launch price£8994launch price
ChipCore m31.1GHz dual-core IntelCore i51.6GHz dual-core Intel
CPU2-coreCPU2-coreCPU
Memory8GBmemory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base1TBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to11 hrsvideo playback, claimed Not available5No battery
Released20 April 20163ReleasedIn Apple Stores; available online from 19 April 2016.13 October 20154Released
Security updates16 September 20246Security updates ended16 September 20246Security updates ended
Price
The MacBook is £1,049 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the iMac is £899 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 2016) · 280.5 × 196.5 mm footprintiMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015) · 528 × 450 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 2016) against Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
SpecificationMacBook1iMac2
Dimensions3.5–13.1 x 280.5 x 196.5 mm450 x 528 x 175 mm
Weight0.92 kg5.68 kg
ColoursRose Gold, Space Gray, Gold, SilverNot available7
PortsUSB-C port, 3.5 mm headphone jackTwo Thunderbolt 2 ports, four USB 3 ports, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45), 3.5 mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt portsNo Thunderbolt ports.82
Thunderbolt versionNot available9Thunderbolt 2
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.84
HDMINo HDMI port.10No HDMI port.11
SD card slotNo SD card slot.10Yes
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeNo MagSafe port.10Not available12
KeyboardFull-size keyboard with LED-backlit keysMagic Keyboard
Touch IDNo Touch ID.10No Touch ID.11

Display

Display: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) against Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
SpecificationMacBook1iMac2
Display size12 in21.5 in
Resolution2304 x 14401920 x 1080
Pixel density226 ppiNot available7
Display typeRetina displayLED-backlit display with IPS technology

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) against Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
SpecificationMacBook1iMac2
Chip1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core m31.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.8Intel processor, not Apple silicon.13
CPU cores22
GraphicsIntel HD Graphics 515Intel HD Graphics 6000
Chip options1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core m3; 1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core m5; 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core m71.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 or 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i5
Memory (base)8GB8GB
Memory (maximum)8GB16GB
Memory options8GB8GB or 16GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents14No, as Apple documents15
Storage (base)256GB1TB
Storage (maximum)512GB2TB
Storage options256GB or 512GB1TB hard drive, 1TB or 2TB Fusion Drive, or 256GB flash storage (SSD)

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) against Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
SpecificationMacBook1iMac2
Battery capacity41.4 WhNot available5
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles16Not available5
Video playback (claimed)11 hNot available5
Wireless web (claimed)10 hNot available5
Included power adapter29 WNot available17
Fast chargingNo fast charging.10Not available5

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) against Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
SpecificationMacBook1iMac2
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth4.04.0
EthernetNo Ethernet port.1010/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45)
External displays (base)11

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) against Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
SpecificationMacBook1iMac2
Camera480p FaceTime cameraFaceTime HD camera
SpeakersStereo speakersStereo speakers
MicrophonesDual microphonesDual microphones

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) against Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
SpecificationMacBook1iMac2
Shipped withOS X El Capitan18OS X El Capitan19
Newest macOSmacOS Monterey20macOS Monterey21
Model identifierMacBook9,120iMac16,121
Model year20162015

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015) - Technical Specification · Default for iMac · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates MacBook with Latest Processors, Longer Battery Life & New Rose Gold Finish · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates iMac Family with Stunning New Retina Displays · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  5. Doesn’t apply: no battery

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

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  7. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015) - Technical Specification; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates iMac Family with Stunning New Retina Displays. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  8. MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016): No Thunderbolt ports. No USB-A ports. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  9. Doesn’t apply: no Thunderbolt port

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  10. MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016): 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 2016) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  11. iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015): No HDMI port. No Touch ID. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015) - Technical Specification. Read 9 Oct 2026

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

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  13. iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015): Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015) - Technical Specification. Read 15 Sep 2026

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

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

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  18. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates MacBook with Latest Processors, Longer Battery Life & New Rose Gold Finish · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  19. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates iMac Family with Stunning New Retina Displays · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  20. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook 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. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: brightness, refresh rate, wide colour (P3), nano-texture option, GPU cores, storage upgradeable by user. 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) — MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) - Technical Specifications; Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates MacBook with Latest Processors, Longer Battery Life & New Rose Gold Finish, 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 (21.5-inch, Late 2015) - Technical Specification; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates iMac Family with Stunning New Retina Displays, 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 2016)? · Should I upgrade my iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)?

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