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

• Better Performance. With the new Apple M1 Chip, it is now 3x times faster in exporting a project in iMovie, 5x times faster applying 3D effects in Final Cut Pro, editing multiple streams 4K ProRes video in Final Cut Pro with no frame drop, 2x times faster in exporting photos in Lightroom, and more.
• Better battery life of up to 18 hours. The new M1 MacBook Air has the most extended battery life ever, with up to 18 hours of watching movies and 15 hours of web browsing.
• Better FaceTime HD camera. With the latest Apple Image Single Processor (ISP) in the M1 chip, image quality is better in noise reduction, has a better dynamic range, and has an improved auto white balance.
• Better display. It now supports a P3 wide color with 400 nits of display brightness.
• Improvements
  • It supports the latest USB 4 and Wi-Fi 6.
  • It has better security with the new Secure Enclave in the M1 chip.

• Natively supports only one external display. The new M1 chip supports only one extended 6K@60Hz display, while the older Intel version supports up to two 4K@60Hz.

• Announced on March 9th, 2015
• Available on March 9th, 2015

• $1,999
  Intel Core i7 4770HQ| 16GB RAM | 256GB SSD
• $2,499
  Intel Core i7 4870HQ | 16GB RAM | 512GB SSD

• $999
  Apple M1 Chip (7 cores GPU) | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD
• $1,249
  Apple M1 Chip (8 cores GPU) | 8GB RAM | 512GB SSD

• 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

• 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
• 400 nits brightness
• Supports wide color (P3)
• True Tone technology

• Width: 11.97 inches (30.41 cm)
• Depth: 8.36 inches (21.24 cm)
• Height: 0.16–0.63 inch (0.41–1.61 cm)

• 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

• 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement
• 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

• 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

• Charging
• DisplayPort
• Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40Gb/s)
• USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s)

• 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 (7 GPU Cores)
  8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W
• Apple M1
  8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W

• 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 (7 GPU Cores)
  Apple M1 iGPU

  7 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz
• Apple M1
  Apple M1 iGPU

  8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz

• 8GB
  unified memory
• Configurable to 16GB

• 256GB512GB
  SSD
• Configurable to 1TB or 2TB

• 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

• Up to 9 hours of wireless web
• Up to 9 hours of iTunes movie playback
• Up to 30 days of standby time

• Up to 15 hours wireless web
• Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback

• 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
• Wide stereo sound
• Support for Dolby Atmos playback
• Three-mic array with directional beamforming
• 3.5 mm headphone jack

• Ambient light sensor

• Touch ID sensor
• Ambient light sensor

• Touch ID sensor
• Apple T2 Security Chip

• 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)

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

• Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and:
  • One external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz
• Thunderbolt 3 digital video output
  • Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
  • VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)