Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) vs Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012)

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

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) compared with MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012)

	AppleMacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)	AppleMacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012)
Overview
Released
Released	March 2015	October 2012
Display
Screen size
Screen size	13.3″	13.3″
Resolution
Resolution	2560 × 1600	2560 × 1600
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Brightness
Brightness	300 nits	–
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	Retina display; LED-backlit IPS; millions of colours	Retina LED-backlit IPS display with millions of colours; native 2560 × 1600 and scaled modes of 1680 × 1050, 1440 × 900 and 1024 × 640. Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.
Pixel density
Pixel density	227 ppi	227 ppi
Colour range
Colour range	Standard colour gamut (sRGB)	–
Display features
Display features	Apple specifies a 900:1 contrast ratio; scaled resolutions of 1680 × 1050, 1440 × 900 or 1024 × 640	–
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-5257U, Intel Core i5-5287U or Intel Core i7-5557U	Intel Core i5-3210M or Intel Core i7-3520M
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	4
Graphics
Graphics	Intel Iris Graphics 6100	Intel HD Graphics 4000
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB (better)	8 GB
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 1 TB (better)	128 GB to 768 GB
CPU
CPU	Dual-core Intel Core i5 at 2.7 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz, Core i5 at 2.9 GHz with up to 3.3 GHz, or Core i7 at 3.1 GHz with up to 3.4 GHz. Exact i5-5257U, i5-5287U and i7-5557U identifiers confirmed by Notebookcheck; Core i5 processors have 3 MB shared L3 cache and Core i7 has 4 MB.	Dual-core Intel Core i5-3210M at 2.5 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz and 3 MB shared L3 cache, or Core i7-3520M at 2.9 GHz with up to 3.6 GHz and 4 MB cache. Exact processor identities documented by Ars Technica.
GPU
GPU	Intel Iris Graphics 6100 integrated graphics	Intel HD Graphics 4000 integrated graphics
Memory type
Memory type	8 GB of 1866 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory, configurable to 16 GB	8 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3L onboard memory; no higher memory option
Storage type
Storage type	PCIe-based flash storage; Apple lists 128 GB and 256 GB bases with 2.7 GHz processors, each configurable to 2.9 GHz Core i5 or 3.1 GHz Core i7. The 512 GB base has a 2.9 GHz processor, configurable to Core i7 and 1 TB storage. Its general configure-to-order list also says up to 1 TB without specifying every processor/storage combination.	Flash storage; 128 GB base configurable to 256 GB, 512 GB or 768 GB, and 256 GB base configurable to 512 GB or 768 GB. Both bases offer the Core i7 upgrade.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 10 hours	Up to 7 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	74.9 Wh (better)	74 Wh
Weight
Weight	1.58 kg (better)	1.62 kg
Thickness
Thickness	18 mm (better)	19 mm
Width × depth
Width × depth	314 × 219 mm	314 × 219 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Lithium-polymer battery; up to 10 hours wireless web, 12 hours iTunes movie playback or 30 days standby. Apple tested 2.9 GHz Core i5 systems for web and movie playback, and 2.7 GHz Core i5 systems for standby. Weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.	Built-in 74 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.
Charger
Charger	60 W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter with cable management system	60 W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter with cable management
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure	Aluminium enclosure
Colours
Colours	–	Silver
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × Thunderbolt 2, 2 × USB-A, HDMI, headphone jack, SD card slot, MagSafe 2	2 × USB-A, 2 × Thunderbolt, MagSafe 2, headphone jack, SD card slot, HDMI
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 5	802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.0	4.0
Webcam
Webcam	720p FaceTime HD	720p FaceTime HD
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	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	Two 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. Supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone. Ethernet and FireWire require separate Thunderbolt adapters.
External displays
External displays	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.	Built-in screen plus up to two external displays at 2560 × 1600, with millions of colours; DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI adapters sold separately
Keyboard
Keyboard	Full-size backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys, inverted-T arrow keys and ambient light sensor	Full-size backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys, four arrow keys and ambient light sensor
Trackpad
Trackpad	Force Touch trackpad with pressure sensing, Force clicks and Multi-Touch gestures	Glass Multi-Touch trackpad with inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and drag
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Dual microphones
In the box
In the box	MacBook Pro; MagSafe 2 Power Adapter; power cord; AC wall plug	MacBook Pro with Retina display, MagSafe 2 Power Adapter, AC wall plug and power cord; OS X Mountain Lion and iLife apps