Skip to content
MacIQ

Should I upgrade my MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017)?

9 years old · Not on the current macOS; endoflife.date lists Ventura security support as ended 15 September 2025

MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017)1MacBook Air (13-inch, M5)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook against MacBook Air M5
FigureMacBook1MacBook Air M52
Price£1,2493launch price£1,2994Apple UK store
ChipCore m31.2GHz dual-core IntelM5chip
CPU2-coreCPU10-coreCPU
GPUNot available5GPU8-coreGPU
Memory8GBmemory, base16GBunified memory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base512GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to12 hrsvideo playback, claimedUp to18 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released7 June 20176ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 5 June 2017.11 March 20267ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 4 March 2026.
Security updates15 September 20258Security updates endedNot available9Security updates

Software support

Security updates
Not available10
macOS
macOS Ventura, not the current macOSThe MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) is not on the current macOS (macOS 27 Golden Gate); the newest it runs is macOS Ventura. endoflife.date lists security support for Ventura as ended on 15 September 2025.

MacBook and the MacBook Air M5

Apple no longer sells the MacBook 12-inch; this site’s fixed list of ended lines names the MacBook Air 13-inch line as its replacement. The newest base-tier Mac in the MacBook Air 13-inch line that Apple still sells.

Specifications

Body

Body: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Air M52
Dimensions3.5–13.1 x 280.5 x 196.5 mm11.3 x 304.1 x 215 mm
Weight0.92 kg1.23 kg
ColoursRose Gold, Space Gray, Gold, SilverSky Blue, Silver, Starlight, Midnight
PortsUSB-C port, 3.5 mm headphone jackTwo Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, MagSafe 3 charging port, 3.5mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt portsNo Thunderbolt ports.112
Thunderbolt versionNot available12Thunderbolt 4
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.11No USB-A ports.13
HDMINo HDMI port.14No HDMI port.15
SD card slotNo SD card slot.14No SD card slot.15
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeNo MagSafe port.14Yes
KeyboardFull-size keyboard with LED-backlit keysBacklit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
Touch IDNo Touch ID.14Yes

Display

Display: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Air M52
Display size12 in13.6 in
Resolution2304 x 14402560 x 1664
Pixel density226 ppi224 ppi
Display typeRetina displayLiquid Retina display
BrightnessNot available5500 nits
Wide colour (P3)Not available5Yes
Nano-texture optionNot available5No nano-texture display option.15

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Air M52
Chip1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core m3Apple M5 chip
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.11Yes
CPU cores210
Super coresNot available16417
Efficiency coresNot available16617
GPU coresNot available58
GraphicsIntel HD Graphics 6158-core GPU, 10-core GPU18
Neural Engine coresNot available1916
Chip options1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core m3; 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5; 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i7M5 with 10-core CPU and 8-core GPU or 10-core GPU
Memory (base)8GB16GB
Memory (maximum)16GB32GB
Memory options8GB or 16GB16GB, 24GB or 32GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents20No, as Apple documents20
Memory bandwidthNot available21153 GB/s
Storage (base)256GB512GB
Storage (maximum)512GB4TB
Storage options256GB or 512GB512GB, 1TB, 2TB or 4TB
Media engineNot available19Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decode

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Air M52
Battery capacity41.4 Wh53.8 Wh
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles221,000 cycles22
Video playback (claimed)2312 h18 h
Wireless web (claimed)10 h15 h
Included power adapter30 WNo power adapter in the box.15
Fast chargingNo fast charging.14Yes

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Air M52
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-FiWi‑Fi 7 (802.11be)
Bluetooth4.26
EthernetNo Ethernet port.14No Ethernet port.15
External displays (base)12

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Air M52
Camera480p FaceTime camera12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View
Camera resolutionNot available2412 MP
SpeakersStereo speakersFour-speaker sound system
MicrophonesDual microphonesThree-mic array with directional beamforming

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Air M52
Newest macOSmacOS Ventura25macOS 27 Golden Gate26
Model identifierMacBook10,127Mac17,328
Model year20172026

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 Air M5 (13-inch) and priced within a quarter of its £1,299 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 (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) or, where that pair is not one this site indexes, with the MacBook Air M5 (13-inch).

Trade-in and used prices

No used or trade-in figures for the MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017): 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 Air M5 (13-inch) is £1,299 new at Apple’s UK price as read on 22 September 2026; we hold no trade-in figure for the MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) yet.

More

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  2. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) - Tech Specs · Default for MacBook Air M5 · Apple’s figure · read 14 Sep 2026

    ↩

  3. Apple UK Store (archived 7 June 2017) — 12-inch MacBook, 1.2GHz dual-core Core m3, 8GB, 256GB, £1,249.00 · third-party figure · read 11 Oct 2026

    ↩

  4. Apple UK store — 13-inch MacBook Air M5, 10-core CPU, 8-core GPU — From £1,299 · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

    ↩

  5. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) - Technical Specifications; Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac receives major update featuring more powerful graphics, faster processors, Thunderbolt 3 and brighter displays; Identify your MacBook model; macOS Ventura is compatible with these computers. Read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

  6. Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac receives major update featuring more powerful graphics, faster processors, Thunderbolt 3 and brighter displays · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  7. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces the new MacBook Air with M5 · Apple’s figure · read 14 Sep 2026

    ↩

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

    ↩

  9. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

    ↩

  10. Apple publishes no end date of its own; the date in the macOS row is endoflife.date’s record, not Apple’s. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 2 Oct 2026

    ↩

  11. MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017): No Thunderbolt ports. No USB-A ports. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  12. Doesn’t apply: no Thunderbolt port

    ↩

  13. MacBook Air (13-inch, M5): No USB-A ports. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) - Tech Specs. Read 14 Sep 2026

    ↩

  14. MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017): 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, 2017) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

  15. MacBook Air (13-inch, M5): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No nano-texture display option. No power adapter in the box. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) - Tech Specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

  16. Doesn’t apply: this is an Intel processor, and Apple lists a total core count only

    ↩

  17. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

    ↩

  18. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 14 Oct 2026

    ↩

  19. Doesn’t apply: Apple silicon feature; this Mac has an Intel processor

    ↩

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

    ↩

  21. Doesn’t apply: Apple publishes it only for Apple silicon

    ↩

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

    ↩

  23. Two different Apple tests. MacBook: iTunes movie playback. MacBook Air M5: Video streaming.

    ↩

  24. Not published by Apple (Apple states resolution: 480p FaceTime camera)

    ↩

  25. Apple Support (UK) — macOS Ventura is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

    ↩

  26. Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

    ↩

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

    ↩

  28. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model · Apple’s figure · read 14 Sep 2026

    ↩

Not published by Apple

MacBook. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. 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, 2017) - Technical Specifications; Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac receives major update featuring more powerful graphics, faster processors, Thunderbolt 3 and brighter displays; Identify your MacBook model; macOS Ventura is compatible with these computers, read 9 Oct 2026.

MacBook Air M5. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) - Tech Specs; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces the new MacBook Air with M5; Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers, read 9 Oct 2026.

Mac and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc. MacIQ is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by Apple Inc., holds no stock and takes no commission.