Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011) vs Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006)

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MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011) compared with MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006)

	AppleMacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011)	AppleMacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006)
Overview
Released
Released	February 2011	October 2006
Display
Screen size
Screen size	15.4″	15.4″
Resolution
Resolution	1440 × 900	1440 × 900
Brightness
Brightness	–	300 nits
Panel
Panel	TN LCD	–
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	LED-backlit glossy widescreen LCD, millions of colours; TN panel explicitly confirmed by Notebookcheck's exact Early 2011 2.0 GHz glossy review. Apple does not publish refresh rate or brightness.	Widescreen TFT display; optional glossy finish with millions of colours. Exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished in the maker sources read.
Screen finish
Screen finish	Base glossy 1440 × 900; optional 1680 × 1050 high-resolution glossy or antiglare displays. Higher-resolution options are described here rather than assigned an unverified panel type in the configuration rows.	–
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i7-2635QM, Intel Core i7-2720QM or Intel Core i7-2820QM	Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2006) or Intel Core 2 Duo 2.33 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2006)
CPU cores
CPU cores	4	2
CPU threads
CPU threads	8	–
Graphics
Graphics	AMD Radeon HD 6490M or AMD Radeon HD 6750M	ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (128 MB GDDR3) or ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3)
Memory
Memory	4 GB or 8 GB (better)	1 GB, 2 GB or 3 GB
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 750 GB (better)	120 GB to 200 GB
CPU
CPU	Quad-core Intel Core i7-2635QM at 2.0 GHz or Core i7-2720QM at 2.2 GHz, with 6 MB shared L3 cache. The 2.2 GHz base is configurable to Core i7-2820QM at 2.3 GHz with 8 MB cache. Exact identities are confirmed by Notebookcheck; Macworld confirms the faster processor is an upgrade of the higher base.	Dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.16 GHz or 2.33 GHz, with 4 MB shared L2 cache and 667 MHz frontside bus.
GPU
GPU	Automatic switching between Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384 MB shared main memory and AMD Radeon HD 6490M with 256 MB GDDR5 on the 2.0 GHz base, or Radeon HD 6750M with 1 GB GDDR5 on the 2.2 GHz base and its 2.3 GHz upgrade	ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (128 MB GDDR3); ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3). GPU memory varies with processor configuration.
Memory type
Memory type	4 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3, two 2 GB SO-DIMMs; two slots support up to 8 GB	667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots, up to 3 GB. Lower base starts with 1 GB and higher with 2 GB.
Storage type
Storage type	Core i7-2635QM base has a 500 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive; Core i7-2720QM base has a 750 GB 5400-rpm drive. Both bases support 750 GB 5400-rpm or 500 GB 7200-rpm hard drive, or 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB SSD. The 500 GB row on the lower base includes its standard 5400-rpm and optional 7200-rpm drives; on the higher base and its processor upgrade it represents the 7200-rpm option. Memory and storage upgrades apply to either base. 8× slot-loading SuperDrive supports DVD±R DL, DVD±RW and CD-RW.	Launch notice confirms a 120 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA drive for both bases. The retained specification table instead lists 160 GB for the higher base; both maker-confirmed capacities are represented. Optional 160 GB 5400-rpm or 200 GB 4200-rpm drives. Slot-loading 6× SuperDrive with double-layer DVD writing.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 7 hours	Up to 5 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	77.5 Wh (better)	60 Wh
Weight
Weight	2.54 kg	–
Thickness
Thickness	24.1 mm	–
Width × depth
Width × depth	364 × 249 mm	–
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Built-in 77.5 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 7 hours wireless web under Apple's test conditions. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.	Removable 60 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 5 hours in Apple’s test. Apple publishes a reference weight of 5.6 lb and enclosure measuring 14.1 × 9.6 × 1.0 inches; weight varies by configuration. Unpublished metric fields omitted.
Charger
Charger	85 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management	85 W MagSafe Power Adapter
Materials
Materials	Aluminium unibody enclosure and glass trackpad	Aluminium enclosure
Colours
Colours	Silver	Silver
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, Thunderbolt, MagSafe, headphone jack, SD card slot, Ethernet	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g	AirPort Extreme 802.11g; 802.11n requires the optional software enabler
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	2.1 + EDR	2.0 + EDR
Webcam
Webcam	720p FaceTime HD (Macworld)	Built-in iSight camera
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	Two USB 2.0 ports up to 480 Mb/s, Thunderbolt up to 10 Gb/s, FireWire 800 up to 800 Mb/s, 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet, SDXC card slot, MagSafe, separate digital/analogue audio line input and line output/headphone minijacks, and Kensington lock slot. Native Mini DisplayPort output; DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI and HDMI audio/video through separate adapters.	2 USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 and FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, MagSafe, dual-link DVI, ExpressCard/34, separate combined optical digital audio input/line input and combined optical digital audio output/headphone output, and Kensington lock slot. VGA adapter included; composite/S-video adapter optional.
External displays
External displays	Built-in screen plus one external display up to 2560 × 1600, both with millions of colours; dual display and video mirroring	One external display up to 2560 × 1600 alongside the built-in screen through dual-link DVI; included VGA adapter, optional composite/S-video adapter.
Keyboard
Keyboard	Full-size backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys	Full-size backlit keyboard with ambient light sensors, 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys; embedded numeric keypad
Trackpad
Trackpad	Glass Multi-Touch trackpad with inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and drag	Scrolling trackpad with a separate button; two-finger scrolling, tap, double-tap and drag.
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers with subwoofers	Built-in stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Omnidirectional microphone under the left speaker grille	Built-in omnidirectional microphone under the left speaker grille
In the box
In the box	MacBook Pro, display cleaning cloth, power adapter, AC wall plug, power cord, software DVDs and documentation; Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife ’11	MacBook Pro, removable battery, 85 W MagSafe Power Adapter with AC wall plug and power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation. Apple Remote and DVI-to-VGA adapter included. Mac OS X 10.4.8 Tiger and iLife ’06; Apple confirms 15-inch shipping on 24 October 2006.