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MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) vs. MacBook Air 13” 2017 - Specs Comparison

Here is a comparison between the specifications of the MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) and MacBook Air 13” 2017, including differences in the chip, memory, storage, display, battery, ports, and more.

By Conor Banett

January 24, 2024 10:13 am

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) vs. MacBook Air 13” 2017

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 MacBook Air 13” 2017 features the 15W 5th Generation Intel Broadwell dual-core Intel Core i5-5350U up to dual-core Intel Core i7-5650U with the boost speed up to 3.10 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 13.3″ MacBook Air 13” 2017 , we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) vs. MacBook Air 13” 2017: Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it MacBook Air 13” 2017
Availability
Released	2015	2017
Release Info	Announced on March 9th, 2015 Available on March 9th, 2015	Available on June 6, 2017
Pricing	$1,999 Intel Core i7 4770HQ\| 16GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $2,499 Intel Core i7 4870HQ \| 16GB RAM \| 512GB SSD	$999 Intel Core i5 5350U \| 8GB RAM \| 128GB SSD $1,199 Intel Core i5 5350U \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD

Display	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)	MacBook Air 13” 2017
Size	15.4 Inches	13.3 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	Widescreen display 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors Supported resolutions: 1440 by 900 (native), 1280 by 800, 1152 by 720, and 1024 by 640 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio and 1024 by 768 and 800 by 600 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio

Exterior	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)	MacBook Air 13” 2017
Size Comparison
Dimensions	14.13” x 9.73” x 0.71” (358.9 mm x 247.1 mm x 18 mm)	12.8” x 8.94” x 0.11 - 0.68” (325 mm x 227 mm x 3 - 17 mm)
Weight	Starting at 4.49 lb (2.04 kg)	Starting at 2.96 pounds (1.35 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	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 Multi-Touch trackpad for precise cursor control; supports inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities
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	1 x Thunderbolt 2 port Supports data transfers up to 20 Gbps. 2 x USB 3.0 ports Supports data transfers up to 5 Gbps. 1 x 3.5 mm headphone jack 1 x SDXC card reader 1 x MagSafe 2 power port

Internal Specs	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)	MacBook Air 13” 2017
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	5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5350U 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.80 → 2.90 GHz, 3MB Cache, 15W 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U 2 cores, 4 threads, 2.20 → 3.10 GHz, 4MB Cache, 15W
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	5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5350U Intel® HD Graphics 6000 48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U Intel® HD Graphics 6000 48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
Discrete Graphics	AMD Radeon R9 M370X with 2GB of GDDR5 memory
Memory	16GB 1600 MHz DDR3L onboard memory	4GB8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
Storage	256GB512GB configurable to 1TB SSD	128GB256GB Configurable to 512GB flash storage.

Connectivity	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)	MacBook Air 13” 2017
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 4.0 wireless technology

Battery	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)	MacBook Air 13” 2017
Size	99.4 Wh lithium‑polymer battery	54 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	Up to 12 hours wireless web Up to 12 hours of iTunes movie playback Up to 30 days standby time
Power Supply	85W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.	45W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.

Software	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)	MacBook Air 13” 2017
OS	Shipped with OS X Yosemite	Shipped with macOS Mojave
Built-in Apps	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewiTunesiBooksApp StoreTime Machine	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewiTunesBooksApp StoreTime Machine

Camera & Audio	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)	MacBook Air 13” 2017
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 Dual microphones Headphone port Support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone

Misc	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)	MacBook Air 13” 2017
Sensors	Ambient light sensor
In the box	15‑inch MacBook Pro MagSafe 2 Power Adapter Power cord AC wall plug	MacBook Air 13″ Power adapter AC wall plug Power cord
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.	Limited Warranty and Service Your MacBook Air 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 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 and up to 3840-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz on an external display, both at millions of colors Thunderbolt digital video output Native Mini DisplayPort output VGA, HDMI, DVI, and dual-link DVI output using adapters (sold separately)