Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013) vs Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)

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MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013) compared with MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)

	AppleMacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013)	AppleMacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
Overview
Released
Released	February 2013	May 2015
Display
Screen size
Screen size	15.4″	15.4″
Resolution
Resolution	2880 × 1800	2880 × 1800
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Brightness
Brightness	–	300 nits
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	Retina 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 Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.	Retina display; LED-backlit IPS; millions of colours
Pixel density
Pixel density	220 ppi	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
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i7-3635QM, Intel Core i7-3740QM or Intel Core i7-3840QM	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 (1 GB GDDR5)	Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 or AMD Radeon R9 M370X (2 GB GDDR5)
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB	16 GB
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 768 GB	256 GB to 1 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	Quad-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.	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 and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1 GB GDDR5 memory; automatic graphics switching	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 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.	16 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3L onboard memory
Storage type
Storage type	Flash 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.	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	95 Wh	99.5 Wh (better)
Weight
Weight	2.02 kg (better)	2.04 kg
Thickness
Thickness	18 mm	18 mm
Width × depth
Width × depth	358.9 × 247.1 mm	358.9 × 247.1 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Built-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.	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 2 Power Adapter with cable management	85 W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter with cable management system
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure	Aluminium enclosure
Colours
Colours	Silver	–
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, 2 × Thunderbolt, MagSafe 2, headphone jack, SD card slot, HDMI	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, 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.	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 up to two external displays at 2560 × 1600, with millions of colours; DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI adapters sold separately	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	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	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Dual microphones
In the box
In the box	MacBook Pro with Retina display, MagSafe 2 Power Adapter, AC wall plug and power cord; OS X Mountain Lion and iLife apps	MacBook Pro; MagSafe 2 Power Adapter; power cord; AC wall plug