Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M3) vs Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)

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 (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
AppleMacBook Pro 14″ (M3)AppleMacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
Overview
ReleasedNovember 2023March 2015
Display
Screen size14.2″13.3″
Resolution3024 × 1964 (better)2560 × 1600
PanelMini-LEDIPS LCD
Refresh rate120 Hz–
Brightness600 nits (better)300 nits
HDR peak brightness1,600 nits–
TouchscreenNoNo
Display typeLiquid Retina XDR display with mini-LED backlightingRetina display; LED-backlit IPS; millions of colours
Pixel density254 ppi227 ppi
Colour rangeWide colour (P3); 1 billion coloursStandard colour gamut (sRGB)
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 ToneApple specifies a 900:1 contrast ratio; scaled resolutions of 1680 × 1050, 1440 × 900 or 1024 × 640
Performance
ProcessorApple M3Intel Core i5-5257U, Intel Core i5-5287U or Intel Core i7-5557U
CPU cores82
CPU threads–4
Graphics10-core GPUIntel Iris Graphics 6100
Memory8 GB, 16 GB or 24 GB (better)8 GB or 16 GB
Storage512 GB to 2 TB (better)128 GB to 1 TB
CPU8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency coresDual-core Intel Core i5 at 2.7 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz, Core i5 at 2.9 GHz with up to 3.3 GHz, or Core i7 at 3.1 GHz with up to 3.4 GHz. Exact i5-5257U, i5-5287U and i7-5557U identifiers confirmed by Notebookcheck; Core i5 processors have 3 MB shared L3 cache and Core i7 has 4 MB.
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 decodeIntel Iris Graphics 6100 integrated graphics
AI engine16-core Neural Engine–
Memory typeUnified memory; 8 GB or 16 GB, configurable to 24 GB8 GB of 1866 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory, configurable to 16 GB
Memory bandwidth100 GB/s–
Storage typeSSD; 512 GB or 1 TB, configurable to 2 TBPCIe-based flash storage; Apple lists 128 GB and 256 GB bases with 2.7 GHz processors, each configurable to 2.9 GHz Core i5 or 3.1 GHz Core i7. The 512 GB base has a 2.9 GHz processor, configurable to Core i7 and 1 TB storage. Its general configure-to-order list also says up to 1 TB without specifying every processor/storage combination.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 22 hoursUp to 10 hours
Battery capacity69.6 Wh74.9 Wh (better)
Weight1.55 kg (better)1.58 kg
Thickness15.5 mm (better)18 mm
Width × depth312.6 × 221.2 mm314 × 219 mm
Battery life detailUp to 15 hours wireless web; marketed as 70 Wh, with actual rating 69.6 Wh in Apple’s footnoteLithium-polymer battery; up to 10 hours wireless web, 12 hours iTunes movie playback or 30 days standby. Apple tested 2.9 GHz Core i5 systems for web and movie playback, and 2.7 GHz Core i5 systems for standby. Weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger70 W USB-C Power Adapter60 W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter with cable management system
Fast chargingWith optional 96 W USB-C Power Adapter–
Materials100% recycled aluminium enclosureAluminium enclosure
ColoursSilver, Space Grey–
Connections
Ports2 × Thunderbolt 3, HDMI, SD card slot, MagSafe 3, headphone jack2 × Thunderbolt 2, 2 × USB-A, HDMI, headphone jack, SD card slot, MagSafe 2
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6EWi-Fi 5
Bluetooth5.34.0
Webcam1080p FaceTime HD720p FaceTime HD
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 supportTwo Thunderbolt 2 ports up to 20 Gb/s with native Mini DisplayPort video, two USB 3 ports up to 5 Gb/s, HDMI, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 2 power and 3.5 mm headphone jack with digital/analogue line output and iPhone headset support; separate Thunderbolt Ethernet and FireWire adaptors available
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 HzTwo external displays up to 3840 × 2160 alongside the built-in screen; HDMI supports 1080p at up to 60 Hz, 3840 × 2160 at 30 Hz or 4096 × 2160 at 24 Hz. Mini DisplayPort adaptors provide DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI and HDMI.
KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, including 12 full-height function keysFull-size backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys, inverted-T arrow keys and ambient light sensor
TrackpadForce Touch trackpadForce Touch trackpad with pressure sensing, Force clicks and Multi-Touch gestures
SpeakersSix-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo; spatial audio with Dolby AtmosStereo speakers
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with directional beamformingDual microphones
BiometricsTouch ID–
In the box14-inch MacBook Pro, 70 W USB-C Power Adapter, USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable (2 m)MacBook Pro; MagSafe 2 Power Adapter; power cord; AC wall plug

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