Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006) vs Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleMacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006) | AppleMacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | October 2006 | October 2013 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 15.4″ | 15.4″ |
| Resolution | 1440 × 900 | 2880 × 1800 (better) |
| Panel | – | IPS LCD |
| Brightness | 300 nits | – |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Display type | Widescreen TFT display; optional glossy finish with millions of colours. Exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished in the maker sources read. | Retina LED-backlit IPS display, millions of colours; native 2880 × 1800, with scaled modes of 1920 × 1200, 1680 × 1050, 1280 × 800 and 1024 × 640. Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple. |
| Pixel density | – | 220 ppi |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2006) or Intel Core 2 Duo 2.33 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2006) | Intel Core i7-4750HQ, Intel Core i7-4850HQ or Intel Core i7-4960HQ |
| CPU cores | 2 | 4 |
| CPU threads | – | 8 |
| Graphics | ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (128 MB GDDR3) or ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3) | Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 or NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M (2 GB GDDR5) |
| Memory | 1 GB, 2 GB or 3 GB | 8 GB or 16 GB (better) |
| Storage | 120 GB to 200 GB | 256 GB to 1 TB (better) |
| CPU | 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. | Quad-core Intel Core i7-4750HQ at 2 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.2 GHz, i7-4850HQ at 2.3 GHz with up to 3.5 GHz, or i7-4960HQ at 2.6 GHz with up to 3.8 GHz; all with 6 MB shared L3 cache. Exact identities documented by EveryMac and cross-checked against Intel. |
| GPU | ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (128 MB GDDR3); ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3). GPU memory varies with processor configuration. | Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 on all configurations; the higher base adds NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 2 GB GDDR5 and automatic graphics switching. Upgrading the lower base processor does not add the NVIDIA GPU. |
| Memory type | 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots, up to 3 GB. Lower base starts with 1 GB and higher with 2 GB. | 1600 MHz DDR3L onboard memory; 8 GB with the Iris Pro-only base, configurable to 16 GB; 16 GB with the NVIDIA-equipped base |
| Storage type | 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. | PCIe-based flash storage; Iris Pro-only base has 256 GB, configurable to 512 GB or 1 TB, with any of its three processor choices. NVIDIA-equipped base has 512 GB, configurable to 1 TB, with the 2.3 GHz or 2.6 GHz processor. |
| Battery and size | ||
| Battery life (maker's claim) | Up to 5 hours | Up to 8 hours |
| Battery capacity | 60 Wh | 95 Wh (better) |
| Weight | – | 2.02 kg |
| Thickness | – | 18 mm |
| Width × depth | – | 358.9 × 247.1 mm |
| Battery life detail | 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. | Built-in 95 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 8 hours wireless web, 8 hours iTunes movie playback or 30 days standby under Apple's test conditions. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. |
| Charger | 85 W MagSafe Power Adapter | 85 W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter with cable management |
| Materials | Aluminium enclosure | Aluminium enclosure |
| Colours | Silver | Silver |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe | 2 × USB-A, 2 × Thunderbolt 2, MagSafe 2, headphone jack, SD card slot, HDMI |
| Wi-Fi | AirPort Extreme 802.11g; 802.11n requires the optional software enabler | 802.11ac (draft specification); compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | 2.0 + EDR | 4.0 |
| Webcam | Built-in iSight camera | 720p FaceTime HD |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Port detail | 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. | Two USB 3 ports up to 5 Gb/s, two Thunderbolt 2 ports up to 20 Gb/s with native Mini DisplayPort output, HDMI, SDXC, MagSafe 2 and headphone jack; support for digital/analogue audio line output and Apple iPhone headset remote and microphone. Ethernet and FireWire require separate Thunderbolt adapters. |
| External displays | One external display up to 2560 × 1600 alongside the built-in screen through dual-link DVI; included VGA adapter, optional composite/S-video adapter. | Built-in screen plus up to two external displays at 2560 × 1600, with millions of colours; HDMI supports 1080p at up to 60 Hz, 3840 × 2160 at 30 Hz or 4096 × 2160 at 24 Hz. DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI adapters sold separately. |
| Keyboard | Full-size backlit keyboard with ambient light sensors, 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys; embedded numeric keypad | Full-size backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys, four arrow keys and ambient light sensor |
| Trackpad | Scrolling trackpad with a separate button; two-finger scrolling, tap, double-tap and drag. | Multi-Touch trackpad with inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and drag |
| Speakers | Built-in stereo speakers | Stereo speakers |
| Microphones | Built-in omnidirectional microphone under the left speaker grille | Dual microphones |
| In the box | 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. | MacBook Pro with Retina display, MagSafe 2 Power Adapter, AC wall plug and power cord; OS X Mavericks, iLife apps and qualifying free iWork apps |
More comparisons
- Apple MacBook Pro 16″ (M5 Pro or M5 Max) vs Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)
- Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M5 Pro or M5 Max) vs Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)
- Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M5 Pro or M5 Max) vs Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006)
- Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006) vs Apple MacBook Pro 16″ (M5 Pro or M5 Max)
- Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M5) vs Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006)
- Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M5) vs Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)
- Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M4 Pro or M4 Max) vs Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)
- Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M4) vs Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)
- Apple MacBook Pro 16″ (M4 Pro or M4 Max) vs Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)
- Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M4 Pro or M4 Max) vs Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006)
- Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M4) vs Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006)
- Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006) vs Apple MacBook Pro 16″ (M4 Pro or M4 Max)
- Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M3 Pro / M3 Max) vs Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)
- Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M3) vs Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)
- Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M3 Pro / M3 Max) vs Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006)
- Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M3) vs Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006)

