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Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012) 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

AppleMacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012)AppleMacBook Pro 16″ (M1 Pro / M1 Max)
Overview
ReleasedJune 2012October 2021
Display
Screen size15.4″16.2″
Resolution1440 × 900 or 1680 × 10503456 × 2234
PanelTN LCDMini-LED
Refresh rate–120 Hz
Brightness–500 nits
HDR peak brightness–1,600 nits
TouchscreenNoNo
Display type15.4-inch LED-backlit widescreen display, millions of colours; TN technology identified in Macworld's comparison test of its Mid-2012 non-Retina unit. Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.Liquid Retina XDR display with mini-LED backlighting
Pixel density–254 ppi
Colour range–Wide colour (P3); 1 billion colours
Display features–1,000,000:1 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
Screen finishStandard glossy screen; configurable to a 1680 × 1050 higher-resolution glossy or antiglare screen–
Performance
ProcessorIntel Core i7-3615QM, Intel Core i7-3720QM or Intel Core i7-3820QMApple M1 Pro or Apple M1 Max
CPU cores410
CPU threads8–
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce GT 650M (512 MB GDDR5) or NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M (1 GB GDDR5)16-core GPU, 24-core GPU or 32-core GPU
Memory4 GB or 8 GB16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB
Storage128 GB to 1 TB512 GB to 8 TB
CPUQuad-core Intel Core i7-3615QM at 2.3 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.3 GHz and 6 MB L3 cache, or Core i7-3720QM at 2.6 GHz with up to 3.6 GHz and 6 MB cache; the higher base is configurable to Core i7-3820QM at 2.7 GHz with up to 3.7 GHz and 8 MB cache. Exact identities documented by EveryMac.M1 Pro or M1 Max with 10-core CPU, comprising 8 performance cores and 2 efficiency cores
GPUIntel HD Graphics 4000 plus NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with automatic graphics switching; 512 MB GDDR5 on the 2.3 GHz base or 1 GB GDDR5 on the 2.6 GHz base and its 2.7 GHz upgradeM1 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 type1600 MHz DDR3 memory; 4 GB on the 2.3 GHz base, configurable to 8 GB as two 4 GB modules; 8 GB on the 2.6 GHz base. Configurations retain the maker-supported 8 GB ceiling, excluding larger aftermarket upgrades.Unified 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 type2.3 GHz base has a 500 GB 5400 rpm hard drive; 2.6 GHz base has 750 GB at 5400 rpm. Either offers 750 GB at 7200 rpm, 1 TB at 5400 rpm or 128/256/512 GB SSD; the lower base also offers 750 GB at 5400 rpm. Configurations list the distinct capacities; the two 750 GB rotational-speed options remain explicit here. Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive.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 7 hoursUp to 21 hours
Battery capacity77.5 Wh99.6 Wh
Weight2.56 kg2.1 kg
Thickness24.1 mm16.8 mm
Width × depth364 × 249 mm355.7 × 248.1 mm
Battery life detailBuilt-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.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
Charger85 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management140 W USB-C power adapter included
Fast charging–With the included 140 W USB-C adapter and USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable
MaterialsAluminium unibody enclosure100% recycled aluminium enclosure
ColoursSilverSilver, Space Grey
Connections
Ports2 × USB-A, Thunderbolt, MagSafe, Ethernet, headphone jack, SD card slot3 × Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, SD card slot, MagSafe 3, headphone jack
Wi-Fi802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/gWi-Fi 6
Bluetooth4.05.0
Webcam720p FaceTime HD1080p FaceTime HD
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Port detailTwo USB 3 ports up to 5 Gb/s, Thunderbolt up to 10 Gb/s with native Mini DisplayPort output, Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 800 up to 800 Mb/s, SDXC, MagSafe and separate digital/analogue audio line input and output; Apple iPhone headset remote and microphone supported. Kensington lock slot and built-in SuperDrive; no HDMI port.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 one external display up to 2560 × 1600, with millions of colours; DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI or HDMI audio/video through separate Mini DisplayPort adaptersM1 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 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys, four arrow keys and ambient light sensorBacklit Magic Keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, including 12 full-height function keys
TrackpadGlass Multi-Touch trackpad with inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and dragForce Touch trackpad
SpeakersStereo speakers with subwooferSix-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo; spatial audio with Dolby Atmos
MicrophonesOmnidirectional microphoneStudio-quality three-mic array with directional beamforming
Biometrics–Touch ID
In the boxMacBook Pro, display cleaning cloth, 85 W MagSafe Power Adapter, AC wall plug, power cord and documentation; OS X Lion and iLife, with a free Mountain Lion upgrade offered to eligible launch buyers16-inch MacBook Pro, 140 W USB-C adapter, USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable (2 m)

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