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MacBook Pro 15” (2018) vs. M1 MacBook Pro 13” - Specs Comparison

Here is a comparison between the specifications of the MacBook Pro 15” (2018) and M1 MacBook Pro 13”, including differences in the chip, memory, storage, display, battery, ports, and more.

By Conor Banett

January 24, 2024 10:13 am

MacBook Pro 15” (2018) vs. M1 MacBook Pro 13”

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. While the 2020 M1 MacBook Pro 13” 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” (2018) and the 13.3″ M1 MacBook Pro 13” (2020), we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

MacBook Pro 15” (2018) vs. M1 MacBook Pro 13”: Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it MacBook Pro 15” (2018)	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it M1 MacBook Pro 13”
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	Better Performance With the new Apple M1 Chip paired with the MacBook Pro's active cooling system, it's 2.8 times faster than the previous generation. The 8-core GPU is up to 5 times faster allowing smooth graphics performance. Better Battery Life It's a MacBook Pro with the longest battery life ever made, with up to 20-hours of watching movies and 17 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, greater dynamic range, and improved auto white balance. More Supports latest USB 4 Supports latest Wi-Fi 6 Better security with new Secure Enclave in M1 chip Studio-quality mics for super clear recordings and calls
What's missing		Supports only one extended 6K@60Hz display, while the older Intel version supports up to two 4K@60Hz. Not supports for external Thunderbolt-3 enabled graphics processors (eGPUs).

Availability	MacBook Pro 15” (2018)	M1 MacBook Pro 13”
Released	2018	2020
Release Info	Announced on July 13, 2018	Announced on November 10th, 2020
Pricing	$2,399 - Intel Core i7 \| 16GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $2,799 - Intel Core i7 \| 16GB RAM \| 512GB SSD	$1,299 Apple M1 Chip \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $1,499 Apple M1 Chip \| 8GB RAM \| 512GB SSD

Display	MacBook Pro 15” (2018)	M1 MacBook Pro 13”
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 640 500 nits brightness Wide color (P3) True Tone technology	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 500 nits brightness Supports wide color (P3) True Tone technology

Exterior	MacBook Pro 15” (2018)	M1 MacBook Pro 13”
Size Comparison
Dimensions	13.75” x 9.48” x 0.61” (349.3 mm x 240.7 mm x 155 mm)	11.97” x 8.36” x 0.61” (304.1 mm x 212.4 mm x 15.6 mm)
Weight	Starting at 4.02 pounds (1.83 kg)	Starting at 3.1 pounds (1.4 kg)
Colors	Space GraySilver	Space GraySilver
Keyboard and Trackpad	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	Backlit Magic Keyboard with: 65 (U.S.) or 66 (ISO) keys including 4 arrow keys in an inverted‑T arrangement Touch Bar 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	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)	Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 (USB‑C) ports with support for: Charging DisplayPort Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40Gb/s) USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s) Headphone

Internal Specs	MacBook Pro 15” (2018)	M1 MacBook Pro 13”
Processor	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	Apple M1 8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W
Integrated Graphics	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	Apple M1 Apple M1 iGPU 8 Graphics Cores, 1280 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	16GB configurable to 32GB of 2400MHz DDR4 onboard memory	8GB 4266 MHz LPDDR4X onboard memory Configurable to 16GB
Storage	256GB512GB configurable to 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB SSD	256GB512GB SSD Configurable to 1TB or 2TB

Connectivity	MacBook Pro 15” (2018)	M1 MacBook Pro 13”
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
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology	Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology

Battery	MacBook Pro 15” (2018)	M1 MacBook Pro 13”
Size	83.6 Wh lithium‑polymer battery	58.2 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life	Up to 10 hours wireless web Up to 10 hours Apple TV app movie playback Up to 30 days of standby time	Up to 17 hours wireless web Up to 20 hours Apple TV app movie playback
Power Supply	87W USB‑C Power Adapter	61W USB‑C Power Adapter

Software	MacBook Pro 15” (2018)	M1 MacBook Pro 13”
OS	Shipped with macOS Catalina	Shipped with macOS Big Sur
Built-in Apps	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player

Camera & Audio	MacBook Pro 15” (2018)	M1 MacBook Pro 13”
Camera	720p FaceTime HD camera	720p FaceTime HD camera
Audio	Stereo speakers with high dynamic range Three microphones 3.5mm headphone jack	Stereo speakers with high dynamic range Wide stereo sound Support for Dolby Atmos playback Studio-quality three-mic array with directional beamforming 3.5 mm headphone jack

Misc	MacBook Pro 15” (2018)	M1 MacBook Pro 13”
Sensors	Touch ID sensor	Touch ID sensor Ambient light sensor
Security	Touch ID sensor Apple T2 Chip	Touch ID sensor Apple T2 Security Chip
In the box	15‑inch MacBook Pro 87W USB‑C Power Adapter USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)	MacBook Pro 13” 61W USB‑C Power Adapter USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)
Warranty	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.	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 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)	Video Support 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)

M1 MacBook Pro 13”: Key Features

Better real-world application performance

When compared to the previous generation, the new M1-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro can:

Build code in Xcode up to 2.8x faster.
Render a complex 3D title in Final Cut Pro up to 5.9x faster.
Fluidly design intricate game scenes in Unity Editor up to 3.5x faster.
Perform ML tasks in Create ML up to 11x faster.
Separate out beats, instrumentals, and vocal tracks from a recording in real-time in djay Pro AI, thanks to the amazing performance of the Neural Engine.
Playback full-quality, 8K ProRes video in DaVinci Resolve without dropping a single frame.
Compile four times as much code on a single charge, thanks to the game-changing performance per watt of the M1 chip.