Apple MacBook Pro 16″ (M1 Pro / M1 Max) vs Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013)

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 (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013)
AppleMacBook Pro 16″ (M1 Pro / M1 Max)AppleMacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013)
Overview
ReleasedOctober 2021February 2013
Display
Screen size16.2″15.4″
Resolution3456 × 2234 (better)2880 × 1800
PanelMini-LEDIPS LCD
Refresh rate120 Hz–
Brightness500 nits–
HDR peak brightness1,600 nits–
TouchscreenNoNo
Display typeLiquid Retina XDR display with mini-LED backlightingRetina LED-backlit IPS display with millions of colours; native 2880 × 1800 and scaled modes of 1920 × 1200, 1680 × 1050, 1280 × 800 and 1024 × 640. Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.
Pixel density254 ppi220 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 i7-3635QM, Intel Core i7-3740QM or Intel Core i7-3840QM
CPU cores104
CPU threads–8
Graphics16-core GPU, 24-core GPU or 32-core GPUNVIDIA GeForce GT 650M (1 GB GDDR5)
Memory16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB (better)8 GB or 16 GB
Storage512 GB to 8 TB (better)256 GB to 768 GB
CPUM1 Pro or M1 Max with 10-core CPU, comprising 8 performance cores and 2 efficiency coresQuad-core Core i7-3635QM at 2.4 GHz (Turbo Boost up to 3.4 GHz, 6 MB shared L3 cache), Core i7-3740QM at 2.7 GHz (up to 3.7 GHz, 6 MB), or Core i7-3840QM at 2.8 GHz (up to 3.8 GHz, 8 MB). The lower base offers both faster processor options; the upper base can upgrade from 2.7 GHz to 2.8 GHz. Primate Labs documents exact chip identities, cross-checked against Intel.
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 acceleratorsIntel HD Graphics 4000 and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1 GB GDDR5 memory; automatic graphics switching
AI engine16-core Neural Engine–
Memory typeUnified memory; 16 GB or 32 GB with M1 Pro, 32 GB or 64 GB with M1 Max1600 MHz DDR3L onboard memory; the lower base has 8 GB, configurable to 16 GB. The upper base has 16 GB as standard. Memory cannot be upgraded after purchase.
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 optionsFlash storage; lower 2.4 GHz base has 256 GB, configurable to 512 GB or 768 GB. The upper 2.7 GHz base has 512 GB, configurable to 768 GB. All three processor options and both memory sizes are explicitly available through the lower base; duplicate upper-base combinations appear once.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 21 hoursUp to 7 hours
Battery capacity99.6 Wh (better)95 Wh
Weight2.1 kg2.02 kg (better)
Thickness16.8 mm (better)18 mm
Width × depth355.7 × 248.1 mm358.9 × 247.1 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 footnoteBuilt-in 95 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 7 hours wireless web or 30 days standby under Apple's test conditions. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger140 W USB-C power adapter included85 W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter with cable management
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 jack2 × USB-A, 2 × Thunderbolt, MagSafe 2, headphone jack, SD card slot, HDMI
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth5.04.0
Webcam1080p FaceTime HD720p FaceTime HD
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 supportTwo USB 3 ports up to 5 Gb/s, two Thunderbolt ports up to 10 Gb/s with native Mini DisplayPort output, HDMI, SDXC, MagSafe 2 and headphone/optical digital audio output and support for Apple iPhone headset with microphone. Ethernet and FireWire require separate Thunderbolt adapters.
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 HzBuilt-in screen plus up to two external displays at 2560 × 1600, with millions of colours; DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI adapters sold separately
KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, including 12 full-height function keysFull-size backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys, four arrow keys and ambient light sensor
TrackpadForce Touch trackpadMulti-Touch trackpad with inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and drag
SpeakersSix-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo; spatial audio with Dolby AtmosStereo speakers
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with directional beamformingDual microphones
BiometricsTouch ID–
In the box16-inch MacBook Pro, 140 W USB-C adapter, USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable (2 m)MacBook Pro with Retina display, MagSafe 2 Power Adapter, AC wall plug and power cord; OS X Mountain Lion and iLife apps

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