Apple MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008) vs Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009)

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

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008) compared with MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009)

	AppleMacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008)	AppleMacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009)
Overview
Released
Released	October 2008	June 2009
Display
Screen size
Screen size	13.3″	13.3″
Resolution
Resolution	1280 × 800	1280 × 800
Panel
Panel	–	TN LCD
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	Glossy LED-backlit widescreen display with millions of colours; exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished by Apple.	LED-backlit glossy widescreen LCD, millions of colours; TN panel identified in Notebookcheck’s exact-model review. No antiglare option; refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 or Intel Core 2 Duo P8600	Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26 GHz (MacBook Pro 13-inch, Mid 2009) or Intel Core 2 Duo P8700
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (256 MB shared DDR3)	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
Memory
Memory	2 GB or 4 GB	2 GB, 4 GB or 8 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 320 GB	128 GB to 500 GB (better)
CPU
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 2 Duo at 2.26 GHz or 2.53 GHz with 3 MB shared L2 cache and 1066 MHz frontside bus. The upper P8700 identity is confirmed by Notebookcheck. EveryMac lists P7550 or P8400 for the lower model, so its chip record retains the maker’s model and clock without selecting one silicon variant.
GPU
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (256 MB shared DDR3)	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory
Memory type
Memory type	Two SO-DIMM slots for 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-8500); 2 GB standard, configurable to 4 GB.	1066 MHz DDR3 in two SO-DIMM slots, up to 8 GB. Lower model starts with 2 GB and supports 4 or 8 GB; upper starts with 4 GB and supports 8 GB.
Storage type
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.	Lower base has 160 GB and upper base 250 GB, both 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drives. Configurable 250 GB, 320 GB or 500 GB hard drive, or 128 GB or 256 GB SSD; rows preserve base memory and storage restrictions confirmed by Macworld. 8× slot-loading SuperDrive supports DVD±R DL, DVD±RW and CD-RW.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	–	Up to 7 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	45 Wh	60 Wh (better)
Weight
Weight	2.04 kg	2.04 kg
Thickness
Thickness	24.1 mm	24.1 mm
Width × depth
Width × depth	325 × 227 mm	325 × 227 mm
Battery life detail
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 60 Wh lithium-polymer battery from Apple’s model-specific sheet; the launch notice instead lists 58 Wh. Up to 7 hours wireless productivity in Apple’s launch test. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger
Charger	60 W MagSafe Power Adapter	60 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management
Materials
Materials	Aluminium unibody enclosure	Aluminium unibody enclosure and glass trackpad
Colours
Colours	Aluminium	Silver
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe	2 × USB-A, MagSafe, headphone jack, SD card slot, Ethernet
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	AirPort Extreme draft 802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g	802.11n draft; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	2.1 + EDR	2.1 + EDR
Webcam
Webcam	iSight camera	Built-in iSight camera
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
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.	Two USB 2.0 ports up to 480 Mb/s, FireWire 800 up to 800 Mb/s, Mini DisplayPort, 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet, SD card slot, MagSafe, combined headphone/line input with optical digital output, and Kensington lock slot. DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI require separate adapters.
External displays
External displays	One external display up to 2560 × 1600 alongside the built-in screen; Mini DisplayPort adapters sold separately.	Built-in screen plus one external display up to 2560 × 1600, both with millions of colours; dual display and video mirroring
Keyboard
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
Trackpad	Glass Multi-Touch trackpad with integrated button; supports scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe and four-finger swipe.	Glass Multi-Touch trackpad with scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger and four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and drag
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Built-in omnidirectional microphone	Omnidirectional microphone
In the box
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, software DVDs and documentation; Mac OS X Leopard and iLife ’09