Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012) vs Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)

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MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012) compared with MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)

	AppleMacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012)	AppleMacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
Overview
Released
Released	June 2012	May 2015
Display
Screen size
Screen size	15.4″	15.4″
Resolution
Resolution	1440 × 900 or 1680 × 1050	2880 × 1800 (better)
Panel
Panel	TN LCD	IPS LCD
Brightness
Brightness	–	300 nits
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	15.4-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 Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.	Retina display; LED-backlit IPS; millions of colours
Pixel density
Pixel density	–	220 ppi
Colour range
Colour range	–	Standard colour gamut (sRGB)
Display features
Display features	–	Apple specifies a 900:1 contrast ratio; scaled resolutions of 1920 × 1200, 1680 × 1050, 1280 × 800 or 1024 × 640
Screen finish
Screen finish	Standard glossy screen; configurable to a 1680 × 1050 higher-resolution glossy or antiglare screen	–
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i7-3615QM, Intel Core i7-3720QM or Intel Core i7-3820QM	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	NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M (512 MB GDDR5) or NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M (1 GB GDDR5)	Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 or AMD Radeon R9 M370X (2 GB GDDR5)
Memory
Memory	4 GB or 8 GB	16 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 1 TB	256 GB to 1 TB
CPU
CPU	Quad-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.	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 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 upgrade	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	1600 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.	16 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3L onboard memory
Storage type
Storage type	2.3 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.	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 7 hours	Up to 9 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	77.5 Wh	99.5 Wh (better)
Weight
Weight	2.56 kg	2.04 kg (better)
Thickness
Thickness	24.1 mm	18 mm (better)
Width × depth
Width × depth	364 × 249 mm	358.9 × 247.1 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.	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	85 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management	85 W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter with cable management system
Materials
Materials	Aluminium unibody enclosure	Aluminium enclosure
Colours
Colours	Silver	–
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, Thunderbolt, MagSafe, Ethernet, headphone jack, SD card slot	2 × Thunderbolt 2, 2 × USB-A, HDMI, headphone jack, SD card slot, MagSafe 2
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g	Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.0	4.2
Webcam
Webcam	720p FaceTime HD	720p FaceTime HD
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	Two 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.	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 one external display up to 2560 × 1600, with millions of colours; DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI or HDMI audio/video through separate Mini DisplayPort adapters	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 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys, four arrow keys and ambient light sensor	Full-size backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys, inverted-T arrow keys and ambient light sensor
Trackpad
Trackpad	Glass Multi-Touch trackpad with inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and drag	Force Touch trackpad with pressure sensing, Force clicks and Multi-Touch gestures
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers with subwoofer	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Omnidirectional microphone	Dual microphones
In the box
In the box	MacBook 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 buyers	MacBook Pro; MagSafe 2 Power Adapter; power cord; AC wall plug