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M1 MacBook Pro 16” vs. 2020 MacBook Pro 16” - Specs Comparison

Here is a comparison between the specifications of the M1 MacBook Pro 16” and 2020 MacBook Pro 16”, including differences in the chip, memory, storage, display, battery, ports, and more.

By Conor Banett

January 24, 2024 10:13 am

M1 MacBook Pro 16” vs. 2020 MacBook Pro 16”

The 2021 M1 MacBook Pro 16” features the Apple M-Series ARM 64-bit 10-core Apple M1 Pro (10C, 16G) up to 10-core Apple M1 Max (10C, 32G) with a clock speed of 3.20 GHz. While the 2020 MacBook Pro 16” features the 45W 9th Generation Intel Coffee Lake 6-core Intel Core i7-9750H up to 8-core Intel Core i9-9980HK with the boost speed up to 5.00 GHz.

If you are in the market looking for a laptop and don't know what's the difference between the 16.2″ M1 MacBook Pro 16” (2021) and the 16″ 2020 MacBook Pro 16” , we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

M1 MacBook Pro 16” vs. 2020 MacBook Pro 16”: Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it M1 MacBook Pro 16”	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it 2020 MacBook Pro 16”
Key Features
What's new	All-New MacBook Pro Design The new design focus on functionality and performance. It has a larger chassis that provides more room for an advanced thermal system that can move 50 percent more air than the previous generation. New M1 Pro and M1 Max Chip The new 16” MacBook Pro features the new M1 Pro, and M1 Max applies a system-on-a-chip (SoC) architecture. Both processors feature fast unified memory and increased memory bandwidth up to 400GB/s, 8-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, and with best-in-class performance per watt and industry-leading power efficiency. New Liquid Retina XDR with ProMotion Display Featuring the mini-LED technology used in iPad Pro, the Liquid Retina XDR display delivers up to 1,000 nits of sustained, full-screen brightness, an incredible 1,600 nits of peak brightness, and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Better Battery Life of up to 21 hours It delivers up to 21 hours of video playback, seven more hours than its previous-generation 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro.	New Optional AMD Radeon Pro 5600M You can now opt for the latest AMD Radeon Pro with 40 compute units, 8GB of High Bandwidth Memory (HBM2), and 394GB/s of memory bandwidth that can deliver performance up to 75% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M.
What's missing	Removed features Here is the list of features removed from the 16-inch M1 MacBook Pro laptop: Removed Touchbar One less Thunderbolt ports No Bootcamp You can no longer install and run Windows 10/11 via Bootcamp on the newer Arm-based M1 chip. The only solution you have for now is to use virtualization.

Availability	M1 MacBook Pro 16”	2020 MacBook Pro 16”
Released	2021	2020
Release Info	Announced on October 18, 2021. Available on October 26, 2021.	Announced in June 2020. Available in June 2020.
Pricing	$2,499 M1 Pro 10-Core CPU 16-Core GPU 16GB 512GB $2,699 M1 Pro 10-Core CPU 16-Core GPU 16GB 1TB $3,499 M1 Max 10-Core CPU 32-Core GPU 32GB 1TB $3,899 M1 Max 10-Core CPU 32-Core GPU 64GB 1TB $4,299 M1 Max 10-Core CPU 32-Core GPU 64GB 2TB $4,899 M1 Max 10-Core CPU 32-Core GPU 64GB 4TB $6,099 M1 Max 10-Core CPU 32-Core GPU 64GB 8TB	$2,399 - Intel Core i7 \| 16GB RAM \| 512GB SSD \| Radeon 5300M 4GB $2,799 - Intel Core i7 \| 16GB RAM \| 1TB SSD \| Radeon 5500M 4GB

Display	M1 MacBook Pro 16”	2020 MacBook Pro 16”
Size	16.2 Inches	16 Inches
Info	Liquid Retina XDR display 16.2-inch (diagonal) Liquid Retina XDR display;10 3456-by-2234 native resolution at 254 pixels per inch XDR (Extreme Dynamic Range) Up to 1000 nits sustained (full-screen) brightness, 1600 nits peak brightness 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio Color 1 billion colors Wide color (P3) True Tone technology Refresh rates ProMotion technology for adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz Fixed refresh rates: 47.95Hz, 48.00Hz, 50.00Hz, 59.94Hz, 60.00Hz	Retina display 16‑inch (diagonal) LED‑backlit display with IPS technology; 3072‑by‑1920 native resolution at 226 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors Supported scaled resolutions: 2048 by 1280 1792 by 1120 1344 by 840 1152 by 720 500 nits brightness Wide color (P3) True Tone technology Refresh rates: 47.95Hz, 48.00Hz, 50.00Hz, 59.94Hz, 60.00Hz

Exterior	M1 MacBook Pro 16”	2020 MacBook Pro 16”
Size Comparison
Dimensions	Height: 0.66 inch (1.68 cm) Width: 14.01 inches (35.57 cm) Depth: 9.77 inches (24.81 cm)	Height: 0.64 inch (1.62 cm) Width: 14.09 inches (35.79 cm) Depth: 9.68 inches (24.59 cm)
Weight	4.7 pounds (2.1 kg) M1 Pro models. 4.8 pounds (2.2 kg) M1 Max models.	Starting at 4.3 pounds (2.0 kg)
Colors	Space GraySilver	Space GraySilver
Keyboard and Trackpad	Backlit Magic Keyboard with: 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keys and 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement Touch ID 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	Left 2 x Thunderbolt™️ 4 Supports USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s), DisplayPort, and charging. 1 x MagSafe 3 1 x Headphone jack Right 1 x Thunderbolt™️ 4 Supports USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s), DisplayPort, and charging. 1 x SDXC card slot 1 x HDMI port	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)

Internal Specs	M1 MacBook Pro 16”	2020 MacBook Pro 16”
Processor	Apple M1 Pro (10C, 16G) 10 cores, 10 threads, 3.20 GHz, Apple M1 Max (10C, 32G) 10 cores, 10 threads, 3.20 GHz,	9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H 6 cores, 12 threads, 2.60 → 4.50 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H 8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 4.80 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK 8 cores, 16 threads, 2.40 → 5.00 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
Integrated Graphics	Apple M1 Pro (10C, 16G) Apple M1 Pro iGPU 16 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores, Apple M1 Max (10C, 32G) Apple M1 Max iGPU 32 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,	9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H Intel® UHD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H Intel® UHD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK Intel® UHD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Discrete Graphics		AMD Radeon Pro 5300M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory (20 CUs) AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory (24 CUs) AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 8GB of GDDR6 memory (24 CUs) New AMD Radeon Pro 5600M with 8GB of HBM2 memory (40 CUs)
Memory	16GB 32GB 64GB Unified Memory	16GB 32GB 64GB 2666MHz DDR4 onboard memory
Storage	512GB1TB2TB4TB8TB SSD	512GB1TB2TB4TB8TB SSD

Connectivity	M1 MacBook Pro 16”	2020 MacBook Pro 16”
Wi-Fi	802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible	802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology	Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology

Battery	M1 MacBook Pro 16”	2020 MacBook Pro 16”
Size	100 Wh lithium‑polymer battery	100 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life	Up to 14 hours wireless web Up to 21 hours of Apple TV app movie playback	Up to 11 hours wireless web Up to 11 hours Apple TV app movie playback Up to 30 days of standby time
Power Supply	140W USB‑C Power Adapter Charging up to 50 percent in just 30 minutes with included USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable.	96W USB‑C Power Adapter

Software	M1 MacBook Pro 16”	2020 MacBook Pro 16”
OS	Shipped with macOS Monterey	Shipped with macOS Catalina
Built-in Apps	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player

Camera & Audio	M1 MacBook Pro 16”	2020 MacBook Pro 16”
Camera	1080p FaceTime HD camera Advanced image signal processor with computational video.	720p FaceTime HD camera
Audio	High-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-canceling woofers Wide stereo sound Support for spatial audio when playing music or video with Dolby Atmos on built-in speakers Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking when using AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming 3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones	High‑fidelity six‑speaker system with force‑cancelling woofers Wide stereo sound Support for Dolby Atmos playback Studio‑quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming 3.5 mm headphone jack

Misc	M1 MacBook Pro 16”	2020 MacBook Pro 16”
Sensors	Touch ID sensor	Touch ID sensor
Security	Touch ID sensor Apple T2 Security Chip	Touch ID sensor Apple T2 Security Chip
In the box	16‑inch MacBook Pro 140W USB‑C Power Adapter USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m)	16‑inch MacBook Pro 96W 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 every 12 months, 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	Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at 1 billion colors and: Up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors (M1 Pro) or Up to three external displays with up to 6K resolution and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors (M1 Max) Thunderbolt 4 digital video output Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately) HDMI digital video output Support for one display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz DVI output using HDMI to DVI Adapter (sold separately)	Video Support Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and: Up to two displays with 6016‑by‑3384 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors or 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)