Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) vs Apple MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) compared with MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008)

	AppleMacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016)	AppleMacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008)
Overview
Released
Released	April 2016	October 2008
Display
Screen size
Screen size	12″	13.3″
Resolution
Resolution	2304 × 1440 (better)	1280 × 800
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	–
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	Retina display; LED-backlit IPS; 16:10 aspect ratio; millions of colours	Glossy LED-backlit widescreen display with millions of colours; exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished by Apple.
Pixel density
Pixel density	226 ppi	–
Display features
Display features	Scaled resolutions of 1440 × 900, 1280 × 800 or 1024 × 640	–
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core m3-6Y30, Intel Core m5-6Y54 or Intel Core m7-6Y75	Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 or Intel Core 2 Duo P8600
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	–
Graphics
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 515	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (256 MB shared DDR3)
Memory
Memory	8 GB (better)	2 GB or 4 GB
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 512 GB (better)	128 GB to 320 GB
CPU
CPU	Dual-core Intel Core m3 at Apple's configured 1.1 GHz, up to 2.2 GHz; Core m5 at 1.2 GHz, up to 2.7 GHz; or Core m7 at 1.3 GHz, up to 3.1 GHz. All have 4 MB L3 cache. Exact m3-6Y30, m5-6Y54 and m7-6Y75 identifiers confirmed by Notebookcheck; Apple's configured base clocks differ from Intel's nominal frequencies.	2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 or 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo P8600, with 3 MB shared L2 cache and 1066 MHz front-side bus. Exact chip identities are confirmed by Geekbench’s contemporary tested-machine configurations and Notebookcheck.
GPU
GPU	Intel HD Graphics 515	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (256 MB shared DDR3)
Memory type
Memory type	8 GB of 1866 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory	Two SO-DIMM slots for 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-8500); 2 GB standard, configurable to 4 GB.
Storage type
Storage type	PCIe-based onboard flash storage; 256 GB with the Core m3 base or 512 GB with Core m5; either can be ordered with Core m7	5400 rpm Serial ATA hard drive: 160 GB standard at 2.0 GHz or 250 GB at 2.4 GHz, with 250 GB or 320 GB hard drives and a 128 GB solid-state drive available to order. 8x SuperDrive; the 160 GB base drive is not included for the higher-clocked model.
Cooling
Cooling	Fanless design with no moving parts or vents	–
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 11 hours	–
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	41.4 Wh	45 Wh (better)
Weight
Weight	0.92 kg (better)	2.04 kg
Thickness
Thickness	13.1 mm (better)	24.1 mm
Width × depth
Width × depth	280.5 × 196.5 mm	325 × 227 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 10 hours wireless web, 11 hours iTunes movie playback or 30 days standby; lithium-polymer. Maker specification sheet says 41.4 Wh; TechRadar's spec table says 39.4 Wh. Chassis tapers from 3.5 to 13.1 mm; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.	Removable 45 Wh lithium-polymer battery. Maker reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. Battery-life hours omitted because the archived maker specification does not publish them.
Charger
Charger	29 W USB-C Power Adapter	60 W MagSafe Power Adapter
Materials
Materials	Aluminium unibody enclosure	Aluminium unibody enclosure
Colours
Colours	Rose Gold, Space Grey, Gold, Silver	Aluminium
Connections
Ports
Ports	USB-C, headphone jack	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 5	AirPort Extreme draft 802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.0	2.1 + EDR
Webcam
Webcam	480p FaceTime	iSight camera
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	USB-C supports charging, USB 3.1 Gen 1 up to 5 Gb/s and native DisplayPort 1.2; VGA and HDMI through separate multiport adaptors. The 3.5 mm jack supports iPhone headsets with remote and microphone. No Thunderbolt support (Macworld).	Two USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, MagSafe, Mini DisplayPort, separate combined optical digital audio input/line input and combined optical digital audio output/headphone output. No FireWire; display adapters sold separately.
External displays
External displays	One display up to 3840 × 2160 at 30 Hz alongside the built-in display, at millions of colours	One external display up to 2560 × 1600 alongside the built-in screen; Mini DisplayPort adapters sold separately.
Keyboard
Keyboard	Full-size keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO individually backlit keys, 12 function keys, four arrow keys and an ambient light sensor; shallow butterfly mechanism (Macworld)	Full-size keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function/media keys and four arrow keys; backlit at 2.4 GHz, unlit at 2.0 GHz
Trackpad
Trackpad	Force Touch with pressure sensing, Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing and Multi-Touch gestures	Glass Multi-Touch trackpad with integrated button; supports scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe and four-finger swipe.
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers	Built-in stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Built-in omnidirectional microphone
In the box
In the box	MacBook; 29 W USB-C Power Adapter; USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)	MacBook, display cleaning cloth, removable battery, 60 W MagSafe Power Adapter with AC wall plug and power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation. Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and iLife ’08 at launch.