Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) vs Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) | AppleMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | November 2016 | May 2019 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 15.4″ | 15.4″ |
| Resolution | 2880 × 1800 | 2880 × 1800 |
| Panel | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Brightness | 500 nits | 500 nits |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Display type | Retina display; LED-backlit IPS; millions of colours | Retina display; LED-backlit IPS; millions of colours |
| Pixel density | 220 ppi | 220 ppi |
| Colour range | Wide colour (P3) | Wide colour (P3) |
| Display features | Scaled resolutions of 1920 × 1200, 1680 × 1050, 1280 × 800 or 1024 × 640 | True Tone; scaled resolutions of 1920 × 1200, 1680 × 1050, 1280 × 800 or 1024 × 640 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Intel Core i7-6700HQ, Intel Core i7-6820HQ or Intel Core i7-6920HQ | Intel Core i7-9750H, Intel Core i9-9880H or Intel Core i9-9980HK |
| CPU cores | 4 | 6 or 8 |
| CPU threads | 8 | 12 or 16 |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon Pro 450, AMD Radeon Pro 460 or AMD Radeon Pro 455 | AMD Radeon Pro 555X, AMD Radeon Pro 560X, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 or AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 |
| Memory | 16 GB | 16 GB or 32 GB (better) |
| Storage | 256 GB to 2 TB | 256 GB to 4 TB (better) |
| CPU | Quad-core Intel Core i7 at 2.6 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.5 GHz and 6 MB shared L3 cache, or at 2.7 GHz with up to 3.6 GHz and 8 MB cache; both configurable to 2.9 GHz with up to 3.8 GHz and 8 MB cache. Ars confirms the i7-6700HQ, i7-6820HQ and i7-6920HQ identifiers. | 2.6 GHz six-core Intel Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 4.5 GHz, or 2.3 GHz eight-core Core i9 with up to 4.8 GHz. Configurable to 2.4 GHz eight-core Core i9 with up to 5.0 GHz. Exact i7-9750H, i9-9880H and i9-9980HK identifiers corroborated by Notebookcheck and TechRadar. |
| GPU | Intel HD Graphics 530 with automatic switching to discrete Radeon graphics. The 2.6 GHz base has Radeon Pro 450 with 2 GB GDDR5; the 2.7 GHz base has Radeon Pro 455 with 2 GB GDDR5; each is configurable to Radeon Pro 460 with 4 GB GDDR5. | Intel UHD Graphics 630 with automatic switching to discrete Radeon Pro graphics. The six-core base has Radeon Pro 555X with 4 GB GDDR5, configurable to 560X. The eight-core base has Radeon Pro 560X with 4 GB GDDR5, configurable to Vega 16 or Vega 20 with 4 GB HBM2. |
| Memory type | 16 GB of 2133 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory. Apple publishes this system speed; Intel lists LPDDR3-1866 in its generic processor specifications. | 16 GB of 2400 MHz DDR4 onboard memory, configurable to 32 GB |
| Storage type | PCIe-based onboard SSD; 256 GB base with 2.6 GHz processor configurable to 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB; 512 GB base with 2.7 GHz processor configurable to 1 TB or 2 TB. The optional 2.9 GHz processor retains its base configuration's graphics and storage choices. | PCIe-based onboard SSD; six-core model starts at 256 GB, eight-core at 512 GB. Configurable to 1 TB, 2 TB or 4 TB; the six-core model can also be configured to 512 GB. |
| Battery and size | ||
| Battery life (maker's claim) | Up to 10 hours | Up to 10 hours |
| Battery capacity | 76 Wh | 83.6 Wh (better) |
| Weight | 1.83 kg | 1.83 kg |
| Thickness | 15.5 mm | 15.5 mm |
| Width × depth | 349.3 × 240.7 mm | 349.3 × 240.7 mm |
| Battery life detail | Lithium-polymer battery; up to 10 hours wireless web or iTunes movie playback and 30 days standby. Apple's October 2016 tests used the 2.6 GHz Core i7, 16 GB memory and 256 GB SSD. Weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. | 83.6 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 10 hours wireless web or Apple TV app video playback and up to 30 days standby. Apple tested preproduction models in April 2019. Weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. |
| Charger | 87 W USB-C Power Adapter | 87 W USB-C Power Adapter |
| Materials | Aluminium enclosure | Aluminium enclosure |
| Colours | Silver; Space Grey | Silver; Space Grey |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 4 × Thunderbolt 3, headphone jack | 4 × Thunderbolt 3, headphone jack |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 5 | Wi-Fi 5 |
| Bluetooth | 4.2 | 5.0 |
| Webcam | 720p FaceTime HD | 720p FaceTime HD |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Port detail | Four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports support charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt up to 40 Gb/s and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; 3.5 mm headphone jack. VGA, HDMI and Thunderbolt 2 output require separate adaptors. | Four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports support charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt up to 40 Gb/s and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; 3.5 mm headphone jack. VGA, HDMI, DVI and Thunderbolt 2 output require separate adaptors. |
| External displays | Built-in screen plus two 5120 × 2880 displays at 60 Hz with over a billion colours, or four 4096 × 2304 displays at 60 Hz with over a billion colours | Built-in screen plus two 5120 × 2880 displays at 60 Hz with over a billion colours, or four 4096 × 2304 displays at 60 Hz with over a billion colours |
| Keyboard | Full-size backlit keyboard with 64 US or 65 ISO keys, four arrow keys, Touch Bar and ambient light sensor; second-generation butterfly mechanism | Full-size backlit keyboard with 64 US or 65 ISO keys, four arrow keys and Touch Bar |
| Trackpad | Force Touch trackpad with pressure sensing, Force clicks and Multi-Touch gestures | Force Touch trackpad with pressure sensing, Force clicks and Multi-Touch gestures |
| Speakers | Stereo speakers with high dynamic range | Stereo speakers with high dynamic range |
| Microphones | Three microphones | Three microphones |
| Biometrics | Touch ID fingerprint sensor; Apple T1 chip | Touch ID fingerprint sensor; Apple T2 Security Chip supports secure boot and encrypted storage |
| In the box | 15-inch MacBook Pro; 87 W USB-C Power Adapter; 2 m USB-C Charge Cable | 15-inch MacBook Pro; 87 W USB-C Power Adapter; 2 m USB-C Charge Cable. Apple said the updated model was available on its UK website and app on 21 May 2019, with selected stores to follow later that week. |
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