Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M3) vs Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010)

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

MacBook Pro 14″ (M3) compared with MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010)
AppleMacBook Pro 14″ (M3)AppleMacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010)
Overview
ReleasedNovember 2023April 2010
Display
Screen size14.2″15.4″
Resolution3024 × 1964 (better)1440 × 900
PanelMini-LEDTN LCD
Refresh rate120 Hz–
Brightness600 nits–
HDR peak brightness1,600 nits–
TouchscreenNoNo
Display typeLiquid Retina XDR display with mini-LED backlightingGlossy LED-backlit display; an antiglare option is available. TN technology is named by the exact-model Notebookcheck review. Optional 1680 × 1050 glossy or antiglare display remains in details because its exact panel technology is unverified.
Pixel density254 ppi–
Colour rangeWide colour (P3); 1 billion colours–
Display features1,000,000:1 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
ProcessorApple M3Intel Core i5 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010), Intel Core i5 2.53 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010) or Intel Core i7 2.66 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)
CPU cores82
Graphics10-core GPUNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics or NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (512 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Memory8 GB, 16 GB or 24 GB (better)4 GB or 8 GB
Storage512 GB to 2 TB (better)128 GB to 512 GB
CPU8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency coresDual-core Intel Core i5 at 2.4 or 2.53 GHz with 3 MB shared L3 cache, or Core i7 at 2.66 GHz with 4 MB. Maker-clock records avoid unverified Intel SKU assumptions; unpublished peak clock fields are omitted.
GPU10-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing; media engine supports H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW, video and ProRes encode/decode, and AV1 decodeAutomatic switching between Intel HD Graphics (256 MB shared system memory) and GeForce GT 330M. Core i5 configurations have 256 MB GDDR3 and Core i7 has 512 MB.
AI engine16-core Neural Engine–
Memory typeUnified memory; 8 GB or 16 GB, configurable to 24 GB4 GB or 8 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots.
Memory bandwidth100 GB/s–
Storage typeSSD; 512 GB or 1 TB, configurable to 2 TBLower 2.4 GHz base has a 320 GB and upper bases a 500 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA drive. Maker options include 500 GB at 5400 or 7200 rpm, and 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB SSD; upper CPU rows omit an unconfirmed 320 GB drive. 8× SuperDrive with double-layer DVD writing.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 22 hoursUp to 9 hours
Battery capacity69.6 Wh77.5 Wh (better)
Weight1.55 kg (better)2.54 kg
Thickness15.5 mm (better)24.1 mm
Width × depth312.6 × 221.2 mm364 × 249 mm
Battery life detailUp to 15 hours wireless web; marketed as 70 Wh, with actual rating 69.6 Wh in Apple’s footnoteBuilt-in lithium-polymer battery; Apple claims 8–9 hours of wireless productivity. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger70 W USB-C Power Adapter85 W MagSafe Power Adapter
Fast chargingWith optional 96 W USB-C Power Adapter–
Materials100% recycled aluminium enclosureAluminium unibody enclosure and glass trackpad
ColoursSilver, Space GreySilver
Connections
Ports2 × Thunderbolt 3, HDMI, SD card slot, MagSafe 3, headphone jack2 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6EAirPort Extreme 802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth5.32.1 + EDR
Webcam1080p FaceTime HDBuilt-in iSight camera
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Port detailTwo Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports with charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4 up to 40 Gb/s; HDMI; SDXC slot; MagSafe 3; 3.5 mm jack with high-impedance headphone support2 USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, MagSafe, Mini DisplayPort, SD card slot, separate combined optical digital audio input/line input and optical digital audio output/headphone output.
External displaysOne external display with the built-in screen active; macOS Sonoma 14.6 or later supports two with the lid closed: primary up to 6K 60 Hz (or 4K 144 Hz), secondary up to 5K 60 Hz (or 4K 100 Hz), according to Apple’s updated display support page; original tech specs state HDMI up to 4K 120 HzSupports an external display up to 2560 × 1600 pixels alongside the built-in screen. DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI and third-party HDMI adapters are sold separately; HDMI carries audio.
KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, including 12 full-height function keysBacklit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys.
TrackpadForce Touch trackpadGlass Multi-Touch trackpad with inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate and three/four-finger gestures.
SpeakersSix-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo; spatial audio with Dolby AtmosBuilt-in stereo speakers with subwoofers
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with directional beamformingOmnidirectional microphone under the left speaker grille; supports an iPhone headset microphone.
BiometricsTouch ID–
In the box14-inch MacBook Pro, 70 W USB-C Power Adapter, USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable (2 m)MacBook Pro, 85 W MagSafe Power Adapter with AC wall plug and power cord, display cleaning cloth, software DVDs and documentation. Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife; Apple Remote and display adapters sold separately.

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