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

Here is a comparison between the specifications of the MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) and MacBook Air 13” 2018, 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” 2018

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” 2018 features the 7W 8th Generation Intel Amber Lake Y dual-core Intel Core i5-8210Y with the boost speed up to 3.60 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” 2018 , 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” 2018: 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” 2018
Key Features
What's new		New Design It's now even more compact and portable with the all-new distinct smaller wedge-shaped design. It's 10% thinner, 17% less volume, and a quarter pound lighter than the previous generation. It is also available in three different colors. New Retina Display Adopting the latest retina display, MacBook Air now displays over 4 million pixels with more color that make text, images, and animation look sharp and smooth. Touch ID & Apple T2 Chip You can now log in to your MacBook Air much faster, easier, and more securely than ever before with the latest Touch ID sensor with deep integration with Apple T2's Secure Enclave chip. Latest Intel Core Processors It's powered by an 8th Gen Intel Core i5 processor with faster-integrated graphics, faster 2133 MHz LPDDR3 memory, and faster SSD. Thunderbolt 3 ports The most versatile port now arrives in MacBook Air, it allows you to charge your notebook, have lightning-fast data transfer, output 5K displays, and support external GPUs (eGPUs). 3rd-generation butterfly keyboard Larger trackpad. More immersive audio experience.
What's missing		Has fewer ports No MagSafe

Availability	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)	MacBook Air 13” 2018
Released	2015	2018
Release Info	Announced on March 9th, 2015 Available on March 9th, 2015	Available on October 30, 2018
Pricing	$1,999 Intel Core i7 4770HQ\| 16GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $2,499 Intel Core i7 4870HQ \| 16GB RAM \| 512GB SSD	$1,199 Intel Core i5 8210Y \| 8GB RAM \| 128GB SSD $1,399 Intel Core i5 8210Y \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD

Display	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)	MacBook Air 13” 2018
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	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 16:10 aspect ratio

Exterior	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)	MacBook Air 13” 2018
Size Comparison
Dimensions	14.13” x 9.73” x 0.71” (358.9 mm x 247.1 mm x 18 mm)	11.97” x 8.36” x 0.16 - 0.61” (304.1 mm x 212.4 mm x 4.1 – 15.6 mm)
Weight	Starting at 4.49 lb (2.04 kg)	Starting at 2.75 pounds (1.25 kg)
Colors	Silver	GoldSpace 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: 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) individual LED-backlit keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys 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 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 15” Retina (2015)	MacBook Air 13” 2018
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	8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8210Y 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.60 → 3.60 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 7W
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	8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8210Y Intel® UHD Graphics 617 24 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
Discrete Graphics	AMD Radeon R9 M370X with 2GB of GDDR5 memory	Support for Thunderbolt 3–enabled external graphics processors (eGPUs)
Memory	16GB 1600 MHz DDR3L onboard memory	8GB Configurable to 16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
Storage	256GB512GB configurable to 1TB SSD	128GB256GB Configurable to 512GB or 1TB SSD

Connectivity	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)	MacBook Air 13” 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 4.2 wireless technology

Battery	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)	MacBook Air 13” 2018
Size	99.4 Wh lithium‑polymer battery	50.3 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 13 hours Apple TV app video playback Up to 30 days of standby time
Power Supply	85W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.	30W USB‑C Power Adapter

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

Camera & Audio	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)	MacBook Air 13” 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 Three microphones 3.5 mm headphone jack

Misc	MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)	MacBook Air 13” 2018
Sensors	Ambient light sensor	Touch ID sensor Ambient light sensor
Security		Touch ID sensor Apple T2 Security Chip
In the box	15‑inch MacBook Pro MagSafe 2 Power Adapter Power cord AC wall plug	MacBook Air 30W 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 Air comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase AppleCare+ 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 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: One external display with 5120-by-2880 resolution at up to 60Hz Up to two external displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at up to 60Hz Thunderbolt 3 digital video output Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C VGA, HDMI, and Thunderbolt 2 output using adapters (sold separately)