Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M5) vs Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2010)

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

MacBook Pro 14″ (M5) compared with MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2010)
AppleMacBook Pro 14″ (M5)AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2010)
Overview
ReleasedOctober 2025April 2010
Display
Screen size14.2″17″
Resolution3024 × 1964 (better)1920 × 1200
PanelMini-LEDTN LCD
Refresh rate120 Hz–
Brightness1,000 nits–
HDR peak brightness1,600 nits–
TouchscreenNoNo
Display typeLiquid Retina XDR displayGlossy LED-backlit display; an antiglare option is available. TN technology is named by the exact-model Notebookcheck review. Glossy and antiglare options retain 1920 × 1200 resolution.
Pixel density254 ppi–
Colour rangeWide colour (P3); 1 billion colours–
Screen finishStandard, or nano-texture as an option–
Display features1,000,000:1 contrast; 1,000 nits sustained full-screen XDR brightness; ProMotion up to 120 Hz, with fixed 47.95, 48, 50, 59.94 and 60 Hz rates; True Tone–
Performance
ProcessorApple M5Intel Core i5 2.53 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010) or Intel Core i7 2.66 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)
CPU cores102
Graphics10-core GPUNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (512 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Memory16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB (better)4 GB or 8 GB
Storage1 TB to 4 TB (better)128 GB to 512 GB
CPU10-core CPU with 4 super cores and 6 efficiency coresDual-core Intel Core i5 at 2.53 GHz with 3 MB shared L3 cache, or optional Core i7 at 2.66 GHz with 4 MB. Maker-clock records avoid unverified Intel SKU assumptions; unpublished peak clock fields are omitted.
GPUNeural Accelerators; hardware-accelerated ray tracing; Media Engine with H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW acceleration and AV1 decodeAutomatic switching between Intel HD Graphics (256 MB shared system memory) and GeForce GT 330M. All 17-inch configurations have 512 MB GDDR3.
AI engine16-core Neural Engine–
Memory typeUnified memory4 GB or 8 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots.
Memory bandwidth153 GB/s–
Storage typeSSD, configurable up to 4 TB500 GB Serial ATA hard drive at 5400 or optional 7200 rpm; optional 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB SSD. All storage choices are available with either processor. 8× SuperDrive with double-layer DVD writing.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 24 hoursUp to 9 hours
Battery capacity72.4 Wh95 Wh (better)
Weight1.55 kg (better)2.99 kg
Thickness15.5 mm (better)25 mm
Width × depth312.6 × 221.2 mm393 × 267 mm
Battery life detailUp to 16 hours wireless web; lithium-polymer batteryBuilt-in lithium-polymer battery; Apple claims 8–9 hours of wireless productivity. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
ChargerSold separately in the UK (70 W or 96 W Apple USB-C adapters offered); needs at least 60 W over USB PD85 W MagSafe Power Adapter
Fast chargingWith a 96 W or higher USB PD power source–
Materials100% recycled aluminium enclosure; 45% recycled content overallAluminium unibody enclosure and glass trackpad
ColoursSpace Black, SilverSilver
Connections
Ports3 × Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, SD card slot, MagSafe 3, headphone jack3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6EAirPort Extreme 802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth5.32.1 + EDR
Webcam12MP Center StageBuilt-in iSight camera
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Port detail3 × Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) with charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 (up to 40 Gb/s); HDMI with multichannel audio output; SDXC card slot; MagSafe 3; 3.5 mm headphone jack with high-impedance headphone support3 USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, MagSafe, Mini DisplayPort, ExpressCard/34 slot, separate combined optical digital audio input/line input and optical digital audio output/headphone output.
External displaysUp to two over any mix of Thunderbolt and HDMI at 6K 60 Hz or 4K 144 Hz, or one at up to 8K 60 Hz, 5K 120 Hz or 4K 240 Hz, alongside the built-in displaySupports 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, 78 (ANSI) 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 sound system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo; Spatial Audio with Dolby AtmosBuilt-in stereo speakers with subwoofers
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with directional beamforming; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modesOmnidirectional microphone under the left speaker grille; supports an iPhone headset microphone.
BiometricsTouch ID–
In the box14-inch MacBook Pro, USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m), polishing cloth (nano-texture display only); power adapter sold separatelyMacBook 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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