Apple MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008) vs Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleMacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008) | AppleMacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | October 2008 | October 2011 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 13.3″ | 13.3″ |
| Resolution | 1280 × 800 | 1280 × 800 |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Display type | Glossy LED-backlit widescreen display with millions of colours; exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished by Apple. | 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, 1280 × 800 native resolution and millions of colours. Panel technology, refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple. |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 or Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 | Intel Core i5-2435M or Intel Core i7-2640M |
| CPU cores | 2 | 2 |
| CPU threads | – | 4 |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (256 MB shared DDR3) | Intel HD Graphics 3000 |
| Memory | 2 GB or 4 GB | 4 GB or 8 GB (better) |
| Storage | 128 GB to 320 GB | 128 GB to 750 GB (better) |
| CPU | 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. | Dual-core Intel Core i5 at 2.4 GHz with 3 MB L3 cache or Core i7 at 2.8 GHz with 4 MB L3 cache. Exact i5-2435M and i7-2640M identities are confirmed by EveryMac. |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (256 MB shared DDR3) | Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384 MB DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory |
| Memory type | Two SO-DIMM slots for 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-8500); 2 GB standard, configurable to 4 GB. | 4 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3 memory in two SO-DIMM slots; configurable to 8 GB. |
| Storage type | 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. | Core i5 starts with a 500 GB 5400-rpm hard drive and offers 750 GB. Core i7 starts with 750 GB. Both offer 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB SSDs. 8× slot-loading SuperDrive supports DVD±R DL, DVD±RW and CD-RW. |
| Battery and size | ||
| Battery life (maker's claim) | – | Up to 7 hours |
| Battery capacity | 45 Wh | 63.5 Wh (better) |
| Weight | 2.04 kg | 2.04 kg |
| Thickness | 24.1 mm | 24.1 mm |
| Width × depth | 325 × 227 mm | 325 × 227 mm |
| Battery life detail | 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. | Built-in 63.5 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 7 hours wireless web in Apple’s test. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. |
| Charger | 60 W MagSafe Power Adapter | 60 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management |
| Materials | Aluminium unibody enclosure | Aluminium unibody enclosure and glass trackpad |
| Colours | Aluminium | Silver |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe | 2 × USB-A, MagSafe, headphone jack, SD card slot, Ethernet, Thunderbolt |
| Wi-Fi | AirPort Extreme draft 802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g | 802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g |
| Bluetooth | 2.1 + EDR | 2.1 + EDR |
| Webcam | iSight camera | FaceTime HD camera |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Port detail | 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. | One Thunderbolt port up to 10 Gb/s, two USB 2.0 ports up to 480 Mb/s, FireWire 800 up to 800 Mb/s, 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet, SDXC card slot, MagSafe, combined headphone/line input with digital output and Kensington lock slot. Thunderbolt supports native Mini DisplayPort output; DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI and HDMI require separate adapters. |
| External displays | One external display up to 2560 × 1600 alongside the built-in screen; Mini DisplayPort adapters sold separately. | Built-in display plus one external display up to 2560 × 1600, both at millions of colours; dual display and video mirroring. |
| Keyboard | 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 | Full-size backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys. |
| Trackpad | Glass Multi-Touch trackpad with integrated button; supports scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe and four-finger swipe. | Multi-Touch trackpad supports inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three- and four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and drag. |
| Speakers | Built-in stereo speakers | Stereo speakers with subwoofer |
| Microphones | Built-in omnidirectional microphone | Omnidirectional microphone |
| In the box | 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. | MacBook Pro, display cleaning cloth, 60 W MagSafe power adapter, AC wall plug, power cord and documentation; OS X Lion and iLife. |
More comparisons
- Apple MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008) vs Apple MacBook Air 13″ (M5)
- Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011) vs Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M5 Pro or M5 Max)
- Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011) vs Apple MacBook Pro 16″ (M5 Pro or M5 Max)
- Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011) vs Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M5)
- Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011) vs Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M4 Pro or M4 Max)
- Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011) vs Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M4)
- Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011) vs Apple MacBook Pro 16″ (M4 Pro or M4 Max)
- Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011) vs Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M3 Pro / M3 Max)
- Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011) vs Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M3)
- Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011) vs Apple MacBook Pro 13″ (M1)
- Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) vs Apple MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008)
- Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) vs Apple MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008)
- Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) vs Apple MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008)
- Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011) vs Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012)
- Apple MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008) vs Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012)
- Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011) vs Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2010)

