Apple MacBook Pro 16″ (M1 Pro / M1 Max) vs Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2006)

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

MacBook Pro 16″ (M1 Pro / M1 Max) compared with MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2006)
AppleMacBook Pro 16″ (M1 Pro / M1 Max)AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2006)
Overview
ReleasedOctober 2021November 2006
Display
Screen size16.2″17″
Resolution3456 × 2234 (better)1680 × 1050
PanelMini-LED–
Refresh rate120 Hz–
Brightness500 nits (better)300 nits
HDR peak brightness1,600 nits–
TouchscreenNoNo
Display typeLiquid Retina XDR display with mini-LED backlightingWidescreen TFT display; optional glossy finish with millions of colours. Exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished in the maker sources read.
Pixel density254 ppi–
Colour rangeWide colour (P3); 1 billion colours–
Display features1,000,000:1 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
ProcessorApple M1 Pro or Apple M1 MaxIntel Core 2 Duo 2.33 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2006)
CPU cores102
Graphics16-core GPU, 24-core GPU or 32-core GPUATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3)
Memory16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB (better)2 GB or 3 GB
Storage512 GB to 8 TB (better)100 GB to 200 GB
CPUM1 Pro or M1 Max with 10-core CPU, comprising 8 performance cores and 2 efficiency coresDual-core Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.33 GHz, with 4 MB shared L2 cache and 667 MHz frontside bus. The record retains the maker’s clock and model without an unverified Intel SKU.
GPUM1 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 acceleratorsATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3)
AI engine16-core Neural Engine–
Memory typeUnified memory; 16 GB or 32 GB with M1 Pro, 32 GB or 64 GB with M1 Max667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots; 2 GB standard, configurable to 3 GB.
Memory bandwidth200 GB/s (M1 Pro); 400 GB/s (M1 Max)–
Storage typeSSD; 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 options160 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive, configurable to 100 GB at 7200 rpm or 200 GB at 4200 rpm. 8× SuperDrive with 4× double-layer DVD+R writing.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 21 hoursUp to 5.5 hours
Battery capacity99.6 Wh (better)68 Wh
Weight2.1 kg–
Thickness16.8 mm–
Width × depth355.7 × 248.1 mm–
Battery life detailUp 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 footnoteRemovable 68 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 5.5 hours in Apple’s test. Apple publishes 6.8 lb and a 15.4 × 10.4 × 1.0-inch enclosure; weight varies by configuration. Unpublished metric fields omitted.
Charger140 W USB-C power adapter included85 W MagSafe Power Adapter
Fast chargingWith the included 140 W USB-C adapter and USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable–
Materials100% recycled aluminium enclosureAluminium enclosure
ColoursSilver, Space GreySilver
Connections
Ports3 × Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, SD card slot, MagSafe 3, headphone jack3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6AirPort Extreme 802.11g; 802.11n requires the optional software enabler
Bluetooth5.02.0 + EDR
Webcam1080p FaceTime HDBuilt-in iSight camera
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Port detailThree 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 support3 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 displaysM1 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 HzOne external display up to 2560 × 1600 alongside the built-in screen through dual-link DVI; included VGA adapter, optional composite/S-video adapter.
KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, including 12 full-height function keysFull-size backlit keyboard with ambient light sensors, 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys; embedded numeric keypad
TrackpadForce Touch trackpadScrolling trackpad with a separate button; two-finger scrolling, tap, double-tap and drag.
SpeakersSix-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo; spatial audio with Dolby AtmosBuilt-in stereo speakers
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with directional beamformingBuilt-in omnidirectional microphone under the left speaker grille
BiometricsTouch ID–
In the box16-inch MacBook Pro, 140 W USB-C adapter, USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable (2 m)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’s 24 October announcement says this model would ship the following week, crossing the month boundary; Macworld’s contemporary laboratory report confirms that actual shipping began in November. An exact first-sale day is unestablished.

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