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MacBook Pro 13” Retina (2015) vs. MacBook Pro 15” (2018) - Specs Comparison

Here is a comparison between the specifications of the MacBook Pro 13” Retina (2015) and MacBook Pro 15” (2018), including differences in the chip, memory, storage, display, battery, ports, and more.

By Conor Banett

September 18, 2023 05:04 am

MacBook Pro 13” Retina (2015) vs. MacBook Pro 15” (2018)

The MacBook Pro 13” Retina (2015) features the 28W 5th Generation Intel Broadwell dual-core Intel Core i5-5257U up to dual-core Intel Core i7-5557U with the boost speed up to 3.40 GHz. While the MacBook Pro 15” (2018) features the 45W 8th Generation Intel Coffee Lake 6-core Intel Core i7-8750H up to 6-core Intel Core i9-8950HK with the boost speed up to 4.80 GHz.

If you are in the market looking for a laptop and don't know what's the difference between the 13.3″ MacBook Pro 13” Retina (2015) and the 15.4″ MacBook Pro 15” (2018) , we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

MacBook Pro 13” Retina (2015) vs. MacBook Pro 15” (2018): Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it MacBook Pro 13” Retina (2015)	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it MacBook Pro 15” (2018)
Key Features
What's new		6-core Intel Core i7 and Core i9 processors up to 2.9 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.8 GHz Up to 32GB of DDR4 memory Powerful Radeon Pro discrete graphics with 4GB of video memory in every configuration Up to 4TB of SSD storage² True Tone display technology Apple T2 Chip Touch Bar and Touch ID

Availability	MacBook Pro 13” Retina (2015)	MacBook Pro 15” (2018)
Released	2015	2018
Release Info	Announced on March 9th, 2015 Available on March 9th, 2015	Announced on July 13, 2018
Pricing	$1,299 Intel Core i5 5257U \| 8GB RAM \| 128GB SSD $1,499 Intel Core i5 5257U \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $1,799 Intel Core i5 5287U \| 8GB RAM \| 512GB SSD	$2,399 - Intel Core i7 \| 16GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $2,799 - Intel Core i7 \| 16GB RAM \| 512GB SSD

Display	MacBook Pro 13” Retina (2015)	MacBook Pro 15” (2018)
Size	13.3 Inches	15.4 Inches
Info	Retina display 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors Supported scaled resolutions: 1680 by 1050 1440 by 900 1024 by 640 300 nits brightness Standard color gamut (sRGB) 900:1 contrast ratio	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) True Tone technology

Exterior	MacBook Pro 13” Retina (2015)	MacBook Pro 15” (2018)
Size Comparison
Dimensions	12.35” x 8.62” x 0.71” (314 mm x 219 mm x 18 mm)	13.75” x 9.48” x 0.61” (349.3 mm x 240.7 mm x 155 mm)
Weight	Starting at 3.48 lb (1.58 kg)	Starting at 4.02 pounds (1.83 kg)
Colors	Silver	Space GraySilver
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	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	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	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	MacBook Pro 13” Retina (2015)	MacBook Pro 15” (2018)
Processor	5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5257U 2 cores, 4 threads, 2.70 → 3.10 GHz, 3MB Cache, 28W 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5287U 2 cores, 4 threads, 2.90 → 3.30 GHz, 3MB Cache, 28W 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5557U 2 cores, 4 threads, 3.10 → 3.40 GHz, 4MB Cache, 28W	8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8750H 6 cores, 12 threads, 2.20 → 4.10 GHz, 9MB SmartCache, 45W 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8850H 6 cores, 12 threads, 2.60 → 4.30 GHz, 9MB SmartCache, 45W 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-8950HK 6 cores, 12 threads, 2.90 → 4.80 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
Integrated Graphics	5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5257U Intel® Iris® Graphics 6100 48 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5287U Intel® Iris® Graphics 6100 48 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5557U Intel® Iris® Graphics 6100 48 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz	8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8750H Intel® UHD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8850H Intel® UHD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-8950HK Intel® UHD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
Discrete Graphics		AMD Radeon Pro 555X with 4GB of GDDR5 memory AMD Radeon Pro 560X with 4GB of GDDR6 memory AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 with 4GB of HBM2 memory AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 with 4GB of HBM2 memory
Memory	8GB configurable to 16GB of 1866MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory	16GB configurable to 32GB of 2400MHz DDR4 onboard memory
Storage	256GB512GB configurable to 1TB SSD	256GB512GB configurable to 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB SSD

Connectivity	MacBook Pro 13” Retina (2015)	MacBook Pro 15” (2018)
Wi-Fi	802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible	802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.2 wireless technology	Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology

Battery	MacBook Pro 13” Retina (2015)	MacBook Pro 15” (2018)
Size	74.9 Wh lithium‑polymer battery	83.6 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life	Up to 10 hours wireless web Up to 12 hours of iTunes movie playback Up to 30 days of standby time	Up to 10 hours wireless web Up to 10 hours Apple TV app movie playback Up to 30 days of standby time
Power Supply	60W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.	87W USB‑C Power Adapter

Software	MacBook Pro 13” Retina (2015)	MacBook Pro 15” (2018)
OS	Shipped with OS X Yosemite	Shipped with macOS Catalina
Built-in Apps	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewiTunesiBooksApp StoreTime Machine	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player

Camera & Audio	MacBook Pro 13” Retina (2015)	MacBook Pro 15” (2018)
Camera	720p FaceTime HD camera	720p FaceTime HD camera
Audio	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)	Stereo speakers with high dynamic range Three microphones 3.5mm headphone jack

Misc	MacBook Pro 13” Retina (2015)	MacBook Pro 15” (2018)
Sensors	Ambient light sensor	Touch ID sensor
Security		Touch ID sensor Apple T2 Chip
In the box	13‑inch MacBook Pro MagSafe 2 Power Adapter Power cord AC wall plug	15‑inch MacBook Pro 87W USB‑C Power Adapter USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)
Warranty	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.	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 Intel Iris Graphics 6100 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	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 over a billion colors Thunderbolt 3 digital video output Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)