Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)?
Announced 27 October 2016 (no on-sale date given) · Not on the current macOS; endoflife.date lists Monterey security support as ended 16 September 2024
Quick look
| Figure | MacBook Pro1 | MacBook Pro M5 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,3493launch price | £2,9994Apple UK store |
| Chip | Core i72.6GHz quad-core Intel | M5 Prochip |
| CPU | 4-coreCPU | 18-coreCPU |
| GPU | Not available5GPU | 20-coreGPU |
| Memory | 16GBmemory, base | 24GBunified memory, base |
| Storage | 256GBstorage, base | 1TBstorage, base |
| Battery life | Up to10 hrsvideo playback, claimed | Up to24 hrsvideo playback, claimed |
| Released | 27 October 20166Announced, no on-sale date given | 11 March 20267ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 4 March 2026. |
| Security updates | 16 September 20248Security updates ended | Not available9Security updates |
Software support
- Security updates
- Not available10
- macOS
- macOS Monterey, not the current macOSThe MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) is not on the current macOS (macOS 27 Golden Gate); the newest it runs is macOS Monterey. endoflife.date lists security support for Monterey as ended on 16 September 2024.
MacBook Pro and the MacBook Pro M5 Pro
Apple no longer sells the MacBook Pro 15-inch; this site’s fixed list of ended lines names the MacBook Pro 16-inch line as its replacement. The newest Pro-tier Mac in the MacBook Pro 16-inch line that Apple still sells.
Specifications
Body
| Specification | MacBook Pro1 | MacBook Pro M5 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 15.5 x 349.3 x 240.7 mm | 16.8 x 355.7 x 248.1 mm |
| Weight | 1.83 kg | 2.14 kg |
| Colours | Silver, Space Gray | Space Black, Silver |
| Ports | Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, 3.5 mm headphone jack | Three Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 port, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Thunderbolt ports11 | 4 | 3 |
| Thunderbolt version | Thunderbolt 3 | Thunderbolt 5 |
| USB-A ports | No USB-A ports.12 | No USB-A ports.13 |
| HDMI | No HDMI port.14 | HDMI port |
| SD card slot | No SD card slot.14 | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
| MagSafe | No MagSafe port.12 | Yes |
| Keyboard | Full-size backlit keyboard with Touch Bar with integrated Touch ID sensor | Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID |
| Touch ID | Yes | Yes |
| Touch Bar | Yes | No Touch Bar.15 |
Display
| Specification | MacBook Pro1 | MacBook Pro M5 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 15.4 in | 16.2 in |
| Resolution | 2880 x 1800 | 3456 x 2234 |
| Pixel density | 220 ppi | 254 ppi |
| Display type | Retina display | Liquid Retina XDR display |
| Brightness | 500 nits | Not available16 |
| Brightness (SDR, outdoor) | Not available17 | 1,000 nits18 |
| Peak brightness (HDR) | Not available19 | 1,600 nits |
| Refresh rate | Not available5 | 120 Hz |
| Wide colour (P3) | Yes | Yes |
| Nano-texture option | Not available5 | Yes |
Chip and memory
| Specification | MacBook Pro1 | MacBook Pro M5 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | 2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 | Apple M5 Pro chip |
| Apple silicon | Intel processor, not Apple silicon.12 | Yes |
| CPU cores | 4 | 18 |
| Super cores | Not available20 | 618 |
| Performance cores | Not available20 | 1218 |
| GPU cores | Not available5 | 20 |
| Graphics | Radeon Pro 450 with 2GB of GDDR5 memory and automatic graphics switching; Intel HD Graphics 530 | 20-core GPU21 |
| Neural Engine cores | Not available22 | 16 |
| Chip options | 2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz; 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz; configurable to 2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz | M5 Pro with 18-core CPU and 20-core GPU18 |
| Memory (base) | 16GB | 24GB |
| Memory (maximum) | 16GB | 64GB18 |
| Memory options | 16GB | 24GB, 48GB or 64GB18 |
| Memory upgradeable by user | No, as Apple documents23 | No, as Apple documents23 |
| Memory bandwidth | Not available24 | 307 GB/s |
| Storage (base) | 256GB | 1TB |
| Storage (maximum) | 2TB | 4TB18 |
| Storage options | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB | 1TB, 2TB or 4TB18 |
| Media engine | Not available22 | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decode |
Battery and power
| Specification | MacBook Pro1 | MacBook Pro M5 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 76 Wh | 100 Wh |
| Rated charge cycles | 1,000 cycles25 | 1,000 cycles25 |
| Video playback (claimed)26 | 10 h | 24 h |
| Wireless web (claimed) | 10 h | 17 h |
| Included power adapter | 87 W | No power adapter in the box.15 |
| Fast charging | No fast charging.27 | Yes |
Connectivity
| Specification | MacBook Pro1 | MacBook Pro M5 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | 802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible | Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be) |
| Bluetooth | 4.2 | 6 |
| Ethernet | No Ethernet port.14 | No Ethernet port.15 |
| External displays (base) | 4 | 3 |
Camera and audio
| Specification | MacBook Pro1 | MacBook Pro M5 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | 720p FaceTime HD camera | 12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View |
| Camera resolution | Not available28 | 12 MP |
| Speakers | Stereo speakers with high dynamic range | High-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers |
| Microphones | Three microphones | Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming29 |
The rest of the range at the price
Macs from other lines with a price read from Apple’s UK store, released within a year of the MacBook Pro M5 Pro (16-inch) and priced within a quarter of its £2,999 at Apple’s UK price as read on 22 September 2026, nearest price first. Each links to its side-by-side table, with your MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) or, where that pair is not one this site indexes, with the MacBook Pro M5 Pro (16-inch).
- Mac Studio M5 Max vs MacBook Pro M5 Pro (16-inch)Mac Studio M5 Max is £2,499 at Apple’s UK price as read on 22 September 2026The Mac Studio M5 Max is a desktop; the MacBook Pro M5 Pro (16-inch) is a laptop. The MacBook Pro M5 Pro (16-inch) has a built-in 16.2-inch display, a camera and a battery, whereas the Mac Studio M5 Max has none of them.
- MacBook Pro M5 Pro (14-inch) vs MacBook Pro M5 Pro (16-inch)MacBook Pro M5 Pro (14-inch) is £2,499 at Apple’s UK price as read on 22 September 2026
Trade-in and used prices
No used or trade-in figures for the MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016): we have not matched it to a CeX listing we can confirm is this exact Mac, and we would rather show nothing than a near miss.
The MacBook Pro M5 Pro (16-inch) is £2,999 new at Apple’s UK price as read on 22 September 2026; we hold no trade-in figure for the MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) yet.
More
Sources
Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) - Technical Specifications ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, M5 Pro or M5 Max) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Unveils Groundbreaking New MacBook Pro ·
↩Apple UK store — 16-inch MacBook Pro M5 Pro, 18-core CPU, 20-core GPU — From £2,999 ·
↩Not published by Apple.
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Unveils Groundbreaking New MacBook Pro ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces MacBook Pro with all-new M5 Pro and M5 Max ·
↩endoflife.date — Apple macOS ·
↩Security updates: no end date published.
↩Apple publishes no end date of its own; the date in the macOS row is endoflife.date’s record, not Apple’s.
↩Different Thunderbolt generations. MacBook Pro: Thunderbolt 3. MacBook Pro M5 Pro: Thunderbolt 5.
↩MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016): No USB-A ports. No MagSafe port. Intel processor, not Apple silicon.
↩MacBook Pro (16-inch, M5 Pro): No USB-A ports.
↩MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No Ethernet port.
↩MacBook Pro (16-inch, M5 Pro): No Touch Bar. No power adapter in the box. No Ethernet port.
↩Doesn’t apply: Apple’s one SDR brightness figure is the outdoor one
↩Doesn’t apply: Apple lists no outdoor brightness for this display
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, M5 Pro or M5 Max) - Tech Specs ·
↩Doesn’t apply: Apple lists no separate HDR peak for this display
↩Doesn’t apply: this is an Intel processor, and Apple lists a total core count only
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, M5 Pro or M5 Max) - Tech Specs ·
↩Doesn’t apply: Apple silicon feature; this Mac has an Intel processor
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory ·
↩Doesn’t apply: Apple publishes it only for Apple silicon
↩Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops ·
↩Two different Apple tests. MacBook Pro: iTunes movie playback. MacBook Pro M5 Pro: Video streaming.
↩MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016): No fast charging.
↩Not published by Apple (Apple states resolution: 720p FaceTime HD camera)
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, M5 Pro or M5 Max) - Tech Specs ·
↩Not published by Apple.
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model ·
↩Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) ·
↩
Not published by Apple
MacBook Pro. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: 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 (15-inch, 2016) - Technical Specifications; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Unveils Groundbreaking New MacBook Pro; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model, read 9 Oct 2026.
MacBook Pro M5 Pro. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, M5 Pro or M5 Max) - Tech Specs; Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces MacBook Pro with all-new M5 Pro and M5 Max, read 9 Oct 2026.
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