Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) vs Apple MacBook Pro 16″ (M1 Pro / M1 Max)

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) compared with MacBook Pro 16″ (M1 Pro / M1 Max)
AppleMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)AppleMacBook Pro 16″ (M1 Pro / M1 Max)
Overview
ReleasedJuly 2018October 2021
Display
Screen size15.4″16.2″
Resolution2880 × 18003456 × 2234 (better)
PanelIPS LCDMini-LED
Refresh rate–120 Hz
Brightness500 nits500 nits
HDR peak brightness–1,600 nits
TouchscreenNoNo
Display typeRetina display; LED-backlit IPS; millions of coloursLiquid Retina XDR display with mini-LED backlighting
Pixel density220 ppi254 ppi
Colour rangeWide colour (P3)Wide colour (P3); 1 billion colours
Display featuresTrue Tone; scaled resolutions of 1920 × 1200, 1680 × 1050, 1280 × 800 or 1024 × 6401,000,000:1 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
ProcessorIntel Core i7-8750H, Intel Core i7-8850H or Intel Core i9-8950HKApple M1 Pro or Apple M1 Max
CPU cores610
CPU threads12–
GraphicsAMD Radeon Pro 555X, AMD Radeon Pro 560X, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 or AMD Radeon Pro Vega 2016-core GPU, 24-core GPU or 32-core GPU
Memory16 GB or 32 GB16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB (better)
Storage256 GB to 4 TB512 GB to 8 TB (better)
CPUSix-core Intel Core i7 at 2.2 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.1 GHz and 9 MB L3 cache, or Core i7 at 2.6 GHz with up to 4.3 GHz and 9 MB L3 cache; both configurable to Core i9 at 2.9 GHz with up to 4.8 GHz and 12 MB L3 cache. Exact i7-8750H, i7-8850H and i9-8950HK identifiers confirmed by MacGeneration.M1 Pro or M1 Max with 10-core CPU, comprising 8 performance cores and 2 efficiency cores
GPUIntel UHD Graphics 630 with automatic switching to discrete Radeon Pro graphics. The 2.2 GHz base has Radeon Pro 555X with 4 GB GDDR5, configurable to 560X with 4 GB GDDR5. The 2.6 GHz base has 560X, configurable to Vega 16 or Vega 20 with 4 GB HBM2; Vega options became available on 14 November 2018.M1 Pro with 16-core GPU; M1 Max with 24-core or 32-core GPU; hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW with video decode and encode engines and ProRes acceleration; M1 Max has two ProRes accelerators
AI engine–16-core Neural Engine
Memory type16 GB of 2400 MHz DDR4 onboard memory, configurable to 32 GBUnified memory; 16 GB or 32 GB with M1 Pro, 32 GB or 64 GB with M1 Max
Memory bandwidth–200 GB/s (M1 Pro); 400 GB/s (M1 Max)
Storage typePCIe-based onboard SSD; 256 GB base with 2.2 GHz processor configurable to 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB or 4 TB; 512 GB base with 2.6 GHz processor configurable to 1 TB, 2 TB or 4 TB. Core i9 upgrades retain the storage and graphics options of their base configuration.SSD; M1 Pro starts at 512 GB with 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB or 8 TB options; Apple lists M1 Max starting at 1 TB with 2 TB, 4 TB or 8 TB options
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 10 hoursUp to 21 hours
Battery capacity83.6 Wh99.6 Wh (better)
Weight1.83 kg (better)2.1 kg
Thickness15.5 mm (better)16.8 mm
Width × depth349.3 × 240.7 mm355.7 × 248.1 mm
Battery life detailLithium-polymer battery; up to 10 hours wireless web or iTunes movie playback and 30 days standby. Apple's June 2018 tests used the 2.6 GHz Core i7, 16 GB memory and 512 GB SSD. Weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.Up to 21 hours Apple TV app movie playback or 14 hours wireless web; marketed as 100 Wh, with actual rating 99.6 Wh in Apple's footnote
Charger87 W USB-C Power Adapter140 W USB-C power adapter included
Fast charging–With the included 140 W USB-C adapter and USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable
MaterialsAluminium enclosure100% recycled aluminium enclosure
ColoursSilver; Space GreySilver, Space Grey
Connections
Ports4 × Thunderbolt 3, headphone jack3 × Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, SD card slot, MagSafe 3, headphone jack
Wi-FiWi-Fi 5Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth5.05.0
Webcam720p FaceTime HD1080p FaceTime HD
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Port detailFour 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.Three Thunderbolt 4 ports with charging, DisplayPort and USB 4 up to 40 Gb/s; HDMI; SDXC slot; MagSafe 3; 3.5 mm jack with high-impedance headphone support
External displaysBuilt-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 coloursM1 Pro supports up to two external displays at 6K 60 Hz; M1 Max up to three at 6K 60 Hz plus one at 4K 60 Hz; HDMI supports one at 4K 60 Hz
KeyboardFull-size backlit keyboard with 64 US or 65 ISO keys, four arrow keys, Touch Bar and ambient light sensor; third-generation keyboard designed for quieter typingBacklit Magic Keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, including 12 full-height function keys
TrackpadForce Touch trackpad with pressure sensing, Force clicks and Multi-Touch gesturesForce Touch trackpad
SpeakersStereo speakers with high dynamic rangeSix-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo; spatial audio with Dolby Atmos
MicrophonesThree microphonesStudio-quality three-mic array with directional beamforming
BiometricsTouch ID fingerprint sensor; Apple T2 Security Chip supports secure boot and encrypted storageTouch ID
In the box15-inch MacBook Pro; 87 W USB-C Power Adapter; 2 m USB-C Charge Cable16-inch MacBook Pro, 140 W USB-C adapter, USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable (2 m)

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