Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) vs Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)

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MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) compared with MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)

	AppleMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)	AppleMacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
Overview
Released
Released	November 2016	May 2015
Display
Screen size
Screen size	15.4″	15.4″
Resolution
Resolution	2880 × 1800	2880 × 1800
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Brightness
Brightness	500 nits (better)	300 nits
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	Retina display; LED-backlit IPS; millions of colours	Retina display; LED-backlit IPS; millions of colours
Pixel density
Pixel density	220 ppi	220 ppi
Colour range
Colour range	Wide colour (P3)	Standard colour gamut (sRGB)
Display features
Display features	Scaled resolutions of 1920 × 1200, 1680 × 1050, 1280 × 800 or 1024 × 640	Apple specifies a 900:1 contrast ratio; scaled resolutions of 1920 × 1200, 1680 × 1050, 1280 × 800 or 1024 × 640
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i7-6700HQ, Intel Core i7-6820HQ or Intel Core i7-6920HQ	Intel Core i7-4770HQ, Intel Core i7-4870HQ or Intel Core i7-4980HQ
CPU cores
CPU cores	4	4
CPU threads
CPU threads	8	8
Graphics
Graphics	AMD Radeon Pro 450, AMD Radeon Pro 460 or AMD Radeon Pro 455	Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 or AMD Radeon R9 M370X (2 GB GDDR5)
Memory
Memory	16 GB	16 GB
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 2 TB (better)	256 GB to 1 TB
CPU
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.	Quad-core Intel Core i7 at 2.2 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.4 GHz, 2.5 GHz with up to 3.7 GHz, or 2.8 GHz with up to 4 GHz; all with 6 MB shared L3 cache. Exact i7-4770HQ and i7-4870HQ identifiers confirmed by Macworld, and i7-4980HQ by EveryMac.
GPU
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 Iris Pro integrated graphics; discrete-graphics configurations add AMD Radeon R9 M370X with 2 GB GDDR5 and automatic graphics switching. Upgrading the processor on the integrated-graphics base does not add the Radeon GPU.
Memory type
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 1600 MHz DDR3L onboard memory
Storage type
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 flash storage; 256 GB integrated-graphics base configurable to 512 GB or 1 TB, and 512 GB discrete-graphics base configurable to 1 TB
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 10 hours	Up to 9 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	76 Wh	99.5 Wh (better)
Weight
Weight	1.83 kg (better)	2.04 kg
Thickness
Thickness	15.5 mm (better)	18 mm
Width × depth
Width × depth	349.3 × 240.7 mm	358.9 × 247.1 mm
Battery life detail
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.	Lithium-polymer battery; up to 9 hours wireless web or iTunes movie playback and 30 days standby. Apple's battery tests used the 2.2 GHz Core i7, 16 GB memory and 256 GB storage. Weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger
Charger	87 W USB-C Power Adapter	85 W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter with cable management system
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure	Aluminium enclosure
Colours
Colours	Silver; Space Grey	–
Connections
Ports
Ports	4 × Thunderbolt 3, headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt 2, 2 × USB-A, HDMI, headphone jack, SD card slot, MagSafe 2
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 5	Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.2	4.2
Webcam
Webcam	720p FaceTime HD	720p FaceTime HD
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
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.	Two 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 displays
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	Two 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.
Keyboard
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 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys, inverted-T arrow keys and ambient light sensor
Trackpad
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
Speakers	Stereo speakers with high dynamic range	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Three microphones	Dual microphones
Biometrics
Biometrics	Touch ID fingerprint sensor; Apple T1 chip	–
In the box
In the box	15-inch MacBook Pro; 87 W USB-C Power Adapter; 2 m USB-C Charge Cable	MacBook Pro; MagSafe 2 Power Adapter; power cord; AC wall plug