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M1 Mac mini vs. MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) - Specs Comparison

Here is a comparison between the specifications of the M1 Mac mini and MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015), including differences in the chip, memory, storage, display, battery, ports, and more.

By Conor Banett

January 24, 2024 10:13 am

M1 Mac mini vs. MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)

The 2020 M1 Mac mini features the 10W Apple M-Series ARM 64-bit 8-core Apple M1 (8C, 8G) with a clock speed of 3.20 GHz. While the MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) features the 47W 4th Generation Intel Crystal Well quad-core Intel Core i7-4770HQ up to quad-core Intel Core i7-4980HQ with the boost speed up to 4.00 GHz.

If you are in the market looking for a laptop and don't know what's the difference between the M1 Mac mini (2020) and the 15.4″ MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) , we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

M1 Mac mini vs. MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015): Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it M1 Mac mini	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)
Availability
Released	2020	2015
Release Info	Announced on November 10th, 2020	Announced on March 9th, 2015 Available on March 9th, 2015
Pricing	$699 Apple M1 Chip \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $899 Apple M1 Chip \| 8GB RAM \| 512GB SSD	$1,999 Intel Core i7 4770HQ\| 16GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $2,499 Intel Core i7 4870HQ \| 16GB RAM \| 512GB SSD

Display	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)
Size		15.4 Inches
Info		Retina display 15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2880-by-1800 native resolution at 220 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors Supported scaled resolutions: 1920 by 1200 1680 by 1050 1280 by 800 1024 by 640 300 nits brightness Standard color gamut (sRGB) 900:1 contrast ratio

Exterior	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)
Size Comparison
Dimensions	7.7” x 7.7” x 1.4” (197 mm x 197 mm x 36 mm)	14.13” x 9.73” x 0.71” (358.9 mm x 247.1 mm x 18 mm)
Weight	2.6 lb (1.2 kg)	Starting at 4.49 lb (2.04 kg)
Colors	Silver	Silver
Keyboard and Trackpad		Full-size backlit keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted “T” arrangement) with ambient light sensor Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures
Ports	Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports with support for: DisplayPort Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40Gb/s) USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s) Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI, and VGA supported using adapters (sold separately) 2 x USB Type-A ports Supports data transfers up to 5 Gbps. 1 x Gigabit Ethernet port 1 x HDMI 2.0 1 x 3.5 mm headphone jack	2 x Thunderbolt 2 ports Supports data transfers up to 20 Gbps. 2 x USB 3.0 ports Supports data transfers up to 5 Gbps. 1 x HDMI port 1 x 3.5 mm headphone jack 1 x SDXC card reader 1 x MagSafe 2 power port

Internal Specs	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)
Processor	Apple M1 8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W	4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4770HQ 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.20 → 3.40 GHz, 5 MB Cache, 47W 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4870HQ 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.50 → 3.70 GHz, 6 MB Cache, 47W 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4980HQ 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.80 → 4.00 GHz, 6 MB Cache, 47W
Integrated Graphics	Apple M1 Apple M1 iGPU 8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz	4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4770HQ Intel® Iris® Pro Graphics 5200 40 Execution Units, 200 → 1200 MHz 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4870HQ Intel® Iris® Pro Graphics 5200 40 Execution Units, 200 → 1200 MHz 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4980HQ Intel® Iris® Pro Graphics 5200 40 Execution Units, 200 → 1300 MHz
Discrete Graphics		AMD Radeon R9 M370X with 2GB of GDDR5 memory
Memory	8GB 4266 MHz LPDDR4X onboard memory Configurable to 16GB	16GB 1600 MHz DDR3L onboard memory
Storage	256GB512GB SSD Configurable to 1TB or 2TB	256GB512GB configurable to 1TB SSD

Connectivity	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)
Wi-Fi	802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible	802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology	Bluetooth 4.2 wireless technology
Ethernet	10/100/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)

Battery	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)
Size		99.4 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life		Up to 9 hours of wireless web Up to 9 hours of iTunes movie playback Up to 30 days of standby time
Power Supply	150W built-in power supply	85W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.

Software	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)
OS	Shipped with macOS Catalina	Shipped with OS X Yosemite
Built-in Apps	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewiTunesiBooksApp StoreTime Machine

Camera & Audio	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)
Camera		720p FaceTime HD camera
Audio	Built-in speaker 3.5mm headphone jack HDMI 2.0 port supports multichannel audio output	Stereo speakers Dual microphones 3.5 mm headphone jack Support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone Support for audio line out (digital/analog)

Misc	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)
Sensors		Ambient light sensor
In the box	Mac mini Power cord	15‑inch MacBook Pro MagSafe 2 Power Adapter Power cord AC wall plug
Warranty	Your Mac mini comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase AppleCare+ for Mac to extend your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and add up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $99 for external enclosure damage, or $299 for other repairable damage, plus applicable tax.	Your MacBook Pro with Retina display comes with 90 days of free telephone support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan to extend your service and support to three years from your computer’s purchase date. Only the AppleCare Protection Plan provides you with direct telephone support from Apple technical experts and the assurance that repairs will be handled by Apple‑authorized technicians using genuine Apple parts. For more information, visit Apple Support or call 800-823-2775.
More	Video Support Simultaneously supports up to two displays: One display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz connected via Thunderbolt and one display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz connected via HDMI 2.0 Thunderbolt 3 digital video output supports Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C Thunderbolt 2, DVI, and VGA output supported using adapters (sold separately) HDMI 2.0 display video output Support for one display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz DVI output using HDMI to DVI Adapter (sold separately)	Video Support Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 3840 by 2160 pixels on up to two external displays, both at millions of colors Thunderbolt digital video output Native Mini DisplayPort output DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI, and HDMI output supported using Mini DisplayPort adapters (sold separately) HDMI video output Support for 1080p resolution at up to 60Hz Support for 3840-by-2160 resolution at 30Hz Support for 4096-by-2160 resolution at 24Hz