MacBook 12” 2016 vs. MacBook Air 11” 2015: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively compared the specifications for the MacBook 12” 2016 and MacBook Air 11” 2015 models. The report includes detailed information regarding both models' CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

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MacBook 12” 2016 image

MacBook 12” 2016

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MacBook Air 11” 2015 image

MacBook Air 11” 2015

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MacBook 12” 2016 Pros

Reasons that MacBook 12” 2016 is better than MacBook Air 11” 2015.

Newer manufacturing

2016 vs. 2015

Supports faster memory

MacBook 12” 2016 supports a faster memory speed than the MacBook Air 11” 2015. It supports up to 1866MHz versus 1600MHz of system memory on the MacBook Air 11” 2015.

Memory type and speed
MacBook 12” 2016 - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz
MacBook Air 11” 2015 - LPDDR3
1,600 MHz
About 15% lighter

MacBook 12” 2016 weighed 2.03 pounds, 15% lighter than the 2.38 pounds MacBook Air 11” 2015.

WeightMacBook 12” 2016MacBook Air 11” 2015
Pound
2.03 lbs.
2.38 lbs.
Kilogram
0.92 kg
1.08 kg

MacBook Air 11” 2015 Pros

Reasons that MacBook Air 11” 2015 is better than MacBook 12” 2016.

Slightly faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-5650U inside MacBook Air 11” 2015 has a 10% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core m7-6Y75 inside MacBook 12” 2016.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
MacBook Air 11” 2015 - Intel Core i7-5650U
1,538
MacBook 12” 2016 - Intel Core m7-6Y75
1,390
MacBook 12” 2016 - Intel Core m5-6Y54
1,295
MacBook Air 11” 2015 - Intel Core i5-5250U
1,266
MacBook 12” 2016 - Intel Core m3-6Y30
1,058

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between MacBook 12” 2016 and MacBook Air 11” 2015.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 8GB

Both laptops supports up to 8GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
MacBook 12” 2016
8 GB
MacBook Air 11” 2015
8 GB

Prices

Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.

MacBook 12” 2016 Price
Apple MacBook 12in Laptop w/ Retina Display 1.2GHz Core M, (MJY42LL/A), 8GB Memory, 512GB Solid State Drive, Space Gray (Space Gray)(Renewed)
 Apple MacBook 12in Laptop w/ Retina Display 1.2GHz Core M, (MJY42LL/A), 8GB Memory, 512GB Solid State Drive, Space Gray (Space Gray)(Renewed)
By Apple
$358.90
$381.51 6% OFF
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2017 Apple Macbook with 1.2GHz Intel Core m3 (12-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) Space Gray (Renewed)
 2017 Apple Macbook with 1.2GHz Intel Core m3 (12-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$381.42
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Apple MacBook MF865LL/A 12-inch Laptop with Retina Display 512GB, Silver - (Renewed)
 Apple MacBook MF865LL/A 12-inch Laptop with Retina Display 512GB, Silver - (Renewed)
By Apple
$414.98
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MacBook Air 11” 2015 Price
Apple MacBook Air MJVP2LL/A 11.6-Inch 256GB Laptop (Renewed)
 Apple MacBook Air MJVP2LL/A 11.6-Inch 256GB Laptop (Renewed)
By Apple
$214.99
$248.96 14% OFF
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Apple Macbook Air MJVM2LL/A Intel i5 1.6GHz 8GB 128GB (Renewed)
 Apple Macbook Air MJVM2LL/A Intel i5 1.6GHz 8GB 128GB (Renewed)
By Apple
$219.99
$235.00 6% OFF
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Early 2015 Apple MacBook Air with 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB) Silver (Renewed)
 Early 2015 Apple MacBook Air with 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB) Silver (Renewed)
By Apple
$206.00
$285.00 28% OFF
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Specs Comparison

Availability

MacBook 12” 2016MacBook Air 11” 2015
Released20162015
Release Date
  • Announced on April 19, 2016
  • Available on April 19, 2016
  • Available on March 10, 2015
Pricing
  • $1,299
    Intel Core m3-6Y30 | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD
  • $1,599
    Intel Core m5-6Y54 | 8GB RAM | 512GB SSD
  • $899
    Intel Core i5 5250U | 4GB RAM | 128GB SSD
  • $1,099
    Intel Core i5 5250U | 4GB RAM | 256GB SSD

Exterior

MacBook 12” 2016MacBook Air 11” 2015
Dimensions11.04” x 7.74” x 0.14 - 0.52” (280.5 mm x 196.5 mm x 3.5 - 13.1 mm)11.8” x 7.56” x 0.11 - 0.68” (300 mm x 192 mm x 3 - 17 mm)
WeightStarting at 2.03 pounds (920 g)Starting at 2.38 pounds (1.08 kg)
Colors
Silver Space Gray Gold Rose Gold
Silver
Keyboard and TrackpadFull-size backlit keyboard with:
  • 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) individual LED backlit keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys 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

Display

MacBook 12” 2016MacBook Air 11” 2015
Size12 Inches11.6 Inches
InfoRetina display
  • 12-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology
  • 2304-by-1440 resolution at 226 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors
  • 16:10 aspect ratio
  • Supported scaled resolutions:
    • 1440 by 900
    • 1280 by 800
    • 1024 by 640
  • 11.6-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors
  • Supported resolutions: 1366 by 768 (native), 1344 by 756, and 1280 by 720 pixels at 16:9 aspect ratio; 1152 by 720 and 1024 by 640 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768 and 800 by 600 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio

Ports

MacBook 12” 2016MacBook Air 11” 2015
One USB Type-C port with support for:
  • Charging
  • USB 3.1 Gen 1 (up to 5 Gbps)
  • Native DisplayPort 1.2 video output
  • VGA output using USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter (sold separately)
  • HDMI video output using USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter (sold separately)
  • 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 MagSafe 2 power port

Internal Specs

MacBook 12” 2016MacBook Air 11” 2015
Processor
  1. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ m3-6Y30
    2 cores, 4 threads, 0.90 → 2.20 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 4.5W
  2. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ m5-6Y54
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.10 → 2.70 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 4.5W
  3. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ m7-6Y75
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.20 → 3.10 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 4.5W
  1. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5250U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.60 → 2.70 GHz, 3MB Cache, 15W
  2. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.20 → 3.10 GHz, 4MB Cache, 15W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ m3-6Y30
    Intel® HD Graphics 515
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 850 MHz
  2. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ m5-6Y54
    Intel® HD Graphics 515
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz
  3. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ m7-6Y75
    Intel® HD Graphics 515
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
  1. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5250U
    Intel® HD Graphics 6000
    48 Execution Units, 300 → 950 MHz
  2. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U
    Intel® HD Graphics 6000
    48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
Memory
8GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
4GB
Configurable to 8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
Storage
256GB 512GB
PCIe-based onboard flash storage.
128GB 256GB
Configurable to 512GB flash storage.

Connectivity

MacBook 12” 2016MacBook Air 11” 2015
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
BluetoothBluetooth 4.0 wireless technologyBluetooth 4.0 wireless technology

Battery

MacBook 12” 2016MacBook Air 11” 2015
Size41.4 Wh lithium‑polymer battery38 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life
  • Up to 10 hours of wireless web
  • Up to 11 hours of iTunes movie playback
  • Up to 30 days of standby time
  • Up to 9 hours of wireless web
  • Up to 10 hours of iTunes movie playback
  • Up to 30 days of standby time
Power Supply29W USB-C Power Adapter45W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter
With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.

Software

MacBook 12” 2016MacBook Air 11” 2015
OSShipped with OS X El CapitanShipped with OS X El Capitan
Built-in Apps
Photos iMovie GarageBand Pages Numbers Keynote Safari Mail Messages FaceTime Calendar Notes App Store iTunes iBooks Maps Contacts Reminders
Photos iMovie GarageBand Pages Numbers Keynote Safari Mail Messages FaceTime Calendar Notes App Store iTunes iBooks Maps Contacts Reminders

Camera & Audio

MacBook 12” 2016MacBook Air 11” 2015
Camera480p FaceTime HD camera720p FaceTime HD camera
Audio
  • Stereo speakers
  • Dual microphones
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack
    • Support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone
  • Stereo speakers
  • Dual microphones
  • Headphone port
  • Support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone

Misc

MacBook 12” 2016MacBook Air 11” 2015
In the box
  • MacBook
  • 29W USB-C Power Adapter
  • USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)
  • MacBook Air 11″
  • Power adapter
  • AC wall plug
  • Power cord
WarrantyLimited Warranty and ServiceYour MacBook 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 800-823-2275. Limited Warranty and ServiceYour 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.
MoreVideo Support
  • Intel HD Graphics 515
  • Dual display and video mirroring: simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 3840 by 2160 pixels at 30Hz on an external display, both at millions of colors
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 an external display, both at millions of colors
  • Thunderbolt digital video output
    • Native Mini DisplayPort output
    • DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter (sold separately)
    • VGA output using Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter (sold separately)
    • Dual-link DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (sold separately)
    • HDMI audio and video output using third-party Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (sold separately)

Key Features

MacBook 12” 2016MacBook Air 11” 2015
At Glance
Released in Early
2016
16:10 QHD
12”
1440p 60Hz
Weight
2.03 lb
0.92 kg
Up to
Intel Core m7-6Y75
2C/4T, 1.20 → 3.10 GHz
Geekbench 5
639
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,390
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® HD Graphics 515
24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
8GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3
Released in Early
2015
16:10 HD+
11.6”
756p 60Hz
Weight
2.38 lb
1.08 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-5650U
2C/4T, 2.20 → 3.10 GHz
Geekbench 5
737
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,538
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® HD Graphics 6000
48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
Up to
8GB
1600 MHz LPDDR3

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