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Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012) vs Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M3 Pro / M3 Max)

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleMacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012)AppleMacBook Pro 14″ (M3 Pro / M3 Max)
Overview
ReleasedJune 2012November 2023
Display
Screen size13.3″14.2″
Resolution1280 × 8003024 × 1964
PanelTN LCDMini-LED
Refresh rate–120 Hz
Brightness–600 nits
HDR peak brightness–1,600 nits
TouchscreenNoNo
Display type13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy display, 1280 × 800 native resolution and millions of colours. TN panel identified by Notebookcheck’s exact-model review; brightness and refresh rate unpublished by Apple.Liquid Retina XDR display with mini-LED backlighting
Pixel density–254 ppi
Colour range–Wide colour (P3); 1 billion colours
Display features–1,000,000:1 contrast; 1,000 nits sustained full-screen HDR brightness; ProMotion adaptive refresh up to 120 Hz; fixed 47.95, 48, 50, 59.94 and 60 Hz rates; True Tone
Performance
ProcessorIntel Core i5-3210M or Intel Core i7-3520MApple M3 Pro or Apple M3 Max
CPU cores211, 12, 14 or 16
CPU threads4–
GraphicsIntel HD Graphics 400014-core GPU, 18-core GPU, 30-core GPU or 40-core GPU
Memory4 GB or 8 GB18 GB, 36 GB, 48 GB, 64 GB, 96 GB or 128 GB
Storage128 GB to 1 TB512 GB to 8 TB
CPU2.5 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz and 3 MB L3 cache, or 2.9 GHz dual-core Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz and 4 MB L3 cache. i5-3210M identified by Notebookcheck; i7-3520M by EveryMac.M3 Pro: 11-core CPU (5 performance, 6 efficiency) or 12-core CPU (6 performance, 6 efficiency); M3 Max: 14-core CPU (10 performance, 4 efficiency) or 16-core CPU (12 performance, 4 efficiency)
GPUIntel HD Graphics 4000M3 Pro: 14-core or 18-core GPU; M3 Max: 30-core or 40-core GPU; hardware-accelerated ray tracing; H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW media engine with AV1 decode; M3 Max has two video encode and two ProRes encode/decode engines
AI engine–16-core Neural Engine
Memory type1600 MHz DDR3 in two SO-DIMM slots. Core i5 has 4 GB, configurable to 8 GB; Core i7 has 8 GB.Unified memory; M3 Pro supports 18 GB or 36 GB; 14-core M3 Max supports 36 GB or 96 GB; 16-core M3 Max supports 48 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB
Memory bandwidth–150 GB/s (M3 Pro); 300 GB/s (14-core M3 Max) or 400 GB/s (16-core M3 Max)
Storage typeCore i5 has a 500 GB 5400-rpm hard drive, configurable to 750 GB or 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB SSD. Core i7 has a 750 GB 5400-rpm hard drive, configurable to 1 TB or the same SSD capacities. Rows follow the CPU-specific maker storage sections. 8× slot-loading SuperDrive supports DVD±R DL, DVD±RW and CD-RW.SSD; M3 Pro starts at 512 GB and supports up to 4 TB; M3 Max starts at 1 TB and supports up to 8 TB
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 7 hoursUp to 18 hours
Battery capacity63.5 Wh–
Weight2.06 kg1.61 kg
Thickness24.1 mm15.5 mm
Width × depth325 × 227 mm312.6 × 221.2 mm
Battery life detailBuilt-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.Up to 12 hours wireless web; Apple’s main specification states 72.4 Wh, but the generic footnote gives 69.6 Wh for the 14-inch model; capacity omitted from the main comparison because these figures conflict
Charger60 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management70 W USB-C adapter with 11-core M3 Pro; 96 W adapter with 12-core M3 Pro or M3 Max, optional on the entry configuration
Fast charging–With 96 W USB-C Power Adapter
MaterialsAluminium unibody enclosure and glass trackpad100% recycled aluminium enclosure
ColoursSilverSilver, Space Black
Connections
Ports2 × USB-A, MagSafe, headphone jack, SD card slot, Ethernet, Thunderbolt3 × Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, SD card slot, MagSafe 3, headphone jack
Wi-Fi802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/gWi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth4.05.3
Webcam720p FaceTime HD camera1080p FaceTime HD
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Port detailOne Thunderbolt port up to 10 Gb/s, two USB 3 ports up to 5 Gb/s, one FireWire 800 port up to 800 Mb/s, Gigabit Ethernet, SDXC card slot, MagSafe, headphone port with digital/analogue audio line output and iPhone headset support and Kensington lock slot. Thunderbolt provides native Mini DisplayPort output; DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI and HDMI require separate adapters.Three Thunderbolt 4 ports with charging, DisplayPort and USB 4 up to 40 Gb/s; HDMI; SDXC slot; MagSafe 3; 3.5 mm jack with high-impedance headphone support
External displaysBuilt-in display plus one external display up to 2560 × 1600, both at millions of colours; dual display and video mirroring.M3 Pro supports two at 6K 60 Hz over Thunderbolt or one at 6K 60 Hz plus one at 4K 144 Hz over HDMI; M3 Max supports three at 6K 60 Hz plus one at 4K 144 Hz, or two at 6K 60 Hz plus one at 8K 60 Hz or 4K 240 Hz; HDMI alone supports 8K 60 Hz or 4K 240 Hz
KeyboardFull-size backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor, 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys.Backlit Magic Keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, including 12 full-height function keys
TrackpadMulti-Touch trackpad supports inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three- and four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and drag.Force Touch trackpad
SpeakersStereo speakers with subwooferSix-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo; spatial audio with Dolby Atmos
MicrophonesOmnidirectional microphoneStudio-quality three-mic array with directional beamforming
Biometrics–Touch ID
In the boxMacBook Pro, display cleaning cloth, 60 W MagSafe power adapter, AC wall plug, power cord and documentation; OS X Lion and iLife.14-inch MacBook Pro, 70 W or 96 W USB-C Power Adapter, USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable (2 m)

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