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

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

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

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. While 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.

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

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

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) image

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)

M1 Mac mini image

M1 Mac mini

Availability
Released20152020
Release Info
  • Announced on March 9th, 2015
  • Available on March 9th, 2015
Announced on November 10th, 2020
Pricing
  • $1,999
    Intel Core i7 4770HQ| 16GB RAM | 256GB SSD
  • $2,499
    Intel Core i7 4870HQ | 16GB RAM | 512GB SSD
  • $699
    Apple M1 Chip | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD
  • $899
    Apple M1 Chip | 8GB RAM | 512GB SSD
DisplayMacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M1 Mac mini
Size15.4 Inches
InfoRetina 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
ExteriorMacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M1 Mac mini
Size Comparison
Dimensions14.13” x 9.73” x 0.71” (358.9 mm x 247.1 mm x 18 mm)7.7” x 7.7” x 1.4” (197 mm x 197 mm x 36 mm)
WeightStarting at 4.49 lb (2.04 kg)2.6 lb (1.2 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
  • 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
  • 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
Internal SpecsMacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M1 Mac mini
Processor
  • 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
  • Apple M1
    8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W
Integrated Graphics
  • 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
  • Apple M1
    Apple M1 iGPU
    8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz
Discrete GraphicsAMD Radeon R9 M370X with 2GB of GDDR5 memory
Memory
16GB
1600 MHz DDR3L onboard memory
  • 8GB
    4266 MHz LPDDR4X onboard memory
  • Configurable to 16GB
Storage
256GB512GB
configurable to 1TB SSD
  • 256GB512GB
    SSD
  • Configurable to 1TB or 2TB
ConnectivityMacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M1 Mac mini
Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
  • 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible
BluetoothBluetooth 4.2 wireless technologyBluetooth 5.0 wireless technology
Ethernet
10/100/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)
BatteryMacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M1 Mac mini
Size99.4 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 Supply85W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter
With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.
150W built-in power supply
SoftwareMacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M1 Mac mini
OSShipped with OS X YosemiteShipped with macOS Catalina
Built-in Apps
PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewiTunesiBooksApp StoreTime Machine
PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player
Camera & AudioMacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M1 Mac mini
Camera720p 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)
  • Built-in speaker
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • HDMI 2.0 port supports multichannel audio output
MiscMacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M1 Mac mini
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
In the box
  • 15‑inch MacBook Pro
  • MagSafe 2 Power Adapter
  • Power cord
  • AC wall plug
  • Mac mini
  • Power cord
WarrantyYour 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 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.
More
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
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)

Suggested Comparisons

Here are the most frequently requested comparisons for MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015):