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Should I upgrade my MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016)?

10 years old · Not on the current macOS; endoflife.date lists Monterey security support as ended 16 September 2024

MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016)1MacBook Air (13-inch, M5)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook against MacBook Air M5
FigureMacBook1MacBook Air M52
Price£1,0493launch price£1,2994Apple UK store
ChipCore m31.1GHz dual-core IntelM5chip
CPU2-coreCPU10-coreCPU
GPUNot available5GPU8-coreGPU
Memory8GBmemory, base16GBunified memory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base512GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to11 hrsvideo playback, claimedUp to18 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released20 April 20163ReleasedIn Apple Stores; available online from 19 April 2016.11 March 20266ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 4 March 2026.
Security updates16 September 20247Security updates endedNot available8Security updates

Software support

Security updates
Not available9
macOS
macOS Monterey, not the current macOSThe MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 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 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, Early 2016) 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.102
Thunderbolt versionNot available11Thunderbolt 4
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.10No USB-A ports.12
HDMINo HDMI port.13No HDMI port.14
SD card slotNo SD card slot.13No SD card slot.14
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeNo MagSafe port.13Yes
KeyboardFull-size keyboard with LED-backlit keysBacklit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
Touch IDNo Touch ID.13Yes

Display

Display: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) 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.14

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Air M52
Chip1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core m3Apple M5 chip
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.10Yes
CPU cores210
Super coresNot available15416
Efficiency coresNot available15616
GPU coresNot available58
GraphicsIntel HD Graphics 5158-core GPU, 10-core GPU17
Neural Engine coresNot available1816
Chip options1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core m3; 1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core m5; 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core m7M5 with 10-core CPU and 8-core GPU or 10-core GPU
Memory (base)8GB16GB
Memory (maximum)8GB32GB
Memory options8GB16GB, 24GB or 32GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents19No, as Apple documents19
Memory bandwidthNot available20153 GB/s
Storage (base)256GB512GB
Storage (maximum)512GB4TB
Storage options256GB or 512GB512GB, 1TB, 2TB or 4TB
Media engineNot available18Hardware-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, Early 2016) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Air M52
Battery capacity41.4 Wh53.8 Wh
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles211,000 cycles21
Video playback (claimed)2211 h18 h
Wireless web (claimed)10 h15 h
Included power adapter29 WNo power adapter in the box.14
Fast chargingNo fast charging.13Yes

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Air M52
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-FiWi‑Fi 7 (802.11be)
Bluetooth4.06
EthernetNo Ethernet port.13No Ethernet port.14
External displays (base)12

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Air M52
Camera480p FaceTime camera12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View
Camera resolutionNot available2312 MP
SpeakersStereo speakersFour-speaker sound system
MicrophonesDual microphonesThree-mic array with directional beamforming

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5)
SpecificationMacBook1MacBook Air M52
Shipped withOS X El Capitan24Not available25
Newest macOSmacOS Monterey26macOS 27 Golden Gate27
Model identifierMacBook9,126Mac17,328
Model year20162026

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, Early 2016) 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, Early 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 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, Early 2016) yet.

More

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) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) - Tech Specs · Default for MacBook Air M5 · Apple’s figure · read 14 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 UK store — 13-inch MacBook Air M5, 10-core CPU, 8-core GPU — From £1,299 · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  5. Not published by Apple. 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

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

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

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

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  9. 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

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

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

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  13. 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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  14. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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  24. 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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  25. Not published by Apple. 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

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

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

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

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Not published by Apple

MacBook. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, 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.

MacBook Air M5. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, storage upgradeable by user. 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.

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