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M1 Mac mini vs. MacBook Pro 15” (2017) - Specs Comparison

Here is a comparison between the specifications of the M1 Mac mini and MacBook Pro 15” (2017), 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” (2017)

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” (2017) features the 45W 7th Generation Intel Kaby Lake quad-core Intel Core i7-7700HQ up to quad-core Intel Core i7-7920HQ with the boost speed up to 4.10 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” (2017) , we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

M1 Mac mini vs. MacBook Pro 15” (2017): 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” (2017)
Key Features
What's new		7th-gen Intel Kaby Lake Core i7 processors up to 3.1 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.1 GHz Up to 16GB of LPDDR3 memory Powerful Radeon Pro discrete graphics with 2GB or 4GB of video memory in every configuration Up to 2TB of SSD storage Apple T1 Chip Touch Bar and Touch ID

Availability	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Released	2020	2017
Release Info	Announced on November 10th, 2020	Announced on June 5th, 2018
Pricing	$699 Apple M1 Chip \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $899 Apple M1 Chip \| 8GB RAM \| 512GB SSD	$2,399 Intel Core i7 7700HQ \| 16GB RAM \| 256GB SSD \| Radeon Pro 555 $2,799 Intel Core i7 7820HQ \| 16GB RAM \| 512GB SSD \| Radeon Pro 560

Display	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
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 640 500 nits brightness Wide color (P3)

Exterior	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Size Comparison
Dimensions	7.7” x 7.7” x 1.4” (197 mm x 197 mm x 36 mm)	13.75” x 9.48” x 0.61” (349.3 mm x 240.7 mm x 155 mm)
Weight	2.6 lb (1.2 kg)	Starting at 4.02 pounds (1.83 kg)
Colors	Silver	Space GraySilver
Keyboard and Trackpad		Backlit Magic Keyboard with: 64 (U.S.) or 65 (ISO) keys including 4 arrow keys Touch Bar with integrated Touch ID sensor 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	Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB‑C) ports with support for: Charging DisplayPort Thunderbolt (up to 40Gb/s) USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s)

Internal Specs	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Processor	Apple M1 8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W	7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.80 → 3.80 GHz, 6MB Cache, 45W 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7820HQ 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.90 → 3.90 GHz, 8 MB Cache, 45W 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7920HQ 4 cores, 8 threads, 3.10 → 4.10 GHz, 8 MB Cache, 45W
Integrated Graphics	Apple M1 Apple M1 iGPU 8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz	7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ Intel® HD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7820HQ Intel® HD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7920HQ Intel® HD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz
Discrete Graphics		AMD Radeon Pro 555 with 2GB of GDDR5 memory AMD Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB of GDDR5 memory
Memory	8GB 4266 MHz LPDDR4X onboard memory Configurable to 16GB	16GB of 2133MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
Storage	256GB512GB SSD Configurable to 1TB or 2TB	256GB512GB configurable to 1TB or 2TB SSD

Connectivity	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
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” (2017)
Size		76 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life		Up to 10 hours wireless web Up to 10 hours Apple TV app movie playback Up to 30 days of standby time
Power Supply	150W built-in power supply	87W USB‑C Power Adapter

Software	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
OS	Shipped with macOS Catalina	Shipped with macOS Sierra
Built-in Apps	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player

Camera & Audio	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Camera		720p FaceTime HD camera
Audio	Built-in speaker 3.5mm headphone jack HDMI 2.0 port supports multichannel audio output	Stereo speakers with high dynamic range Three microphones 3.5mm headphone jack

Misc	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Sensors		Touch ID sensor
Security		Touch ID sensor Apple T1 Chip
In the box	Mac mini Power cord	15‑inch MacBook Pro 87W USB‑C Power Adapter USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)
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 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 screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other repairable damage, plus applicable tax.
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 Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and: Up to two displays with 5120-by-2880 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors Up to four displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz at millions of colors Up to four displays with 3840-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors Thunderbolt 3 digital video output Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C VGA, HDMI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)