2015 MacBook Pro 13 Retina vs. M1 MacBook Air: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively analyzed the technical specifications for the 2015 MacBook Pro 13 Retina and M1 MacBook Air models. Our report includes intricate details such as the CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

2015 MacBook Pro 13 Retina Pros

Reasons that 2015 MacBook Pro 13 Retina is better than M1 MacBook Air.

Upgradable storage

The 2015 MacBook Pro 13 Retina comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that you can replace and upgrade in the future.

Slots2015 MacBook Pro 13 RetinaM1 MacBook Air
M.2
Yes x1
Onboard
Has five more ports and slots

The 2015 MacBook Pro 13 Retina has more ports and slots count than the M1 MacBook Air. It has eight versus three amount of ports and slots on the M1 MacBook Air.

Ports2015 MacBook Pro 13 RetinaM1 MacBook Air
full-size SD card slotYesNo
HDMIYesNo
headphone jackYesYes
power portYesNo
Thunderbolt 2Yes x2No
Thunderbolt 3NoYes x2
USB-AYes x2No
Total83
More versatile connectivity

The 2015 MacBook Pro 13 Retina has better versatile I/O connectivity than the M1 MacBook Air. It has five versus two commonly used ports and slots on the M1 MacBook Air.

Ports2015 MacBook Pro 13 RetinaM1 MacBook Air
headphone jackYesYes
full-size SD card slotYesNo
HDMIYesNo
power portYesNo
Thunderbolt 3NoYes
USB-AYesNo

M1 MacBook Air Pros

Reasons that M1 MacBook Air is better than 2015 MacBook Pro 13 Retina.

Much newer manufacturing

2020 vs. 2015

Much faster CPU performance

Apple M1 (8C, 8G) inside M1 MacBook Air has a 345% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-5557U inside 2015 MacBook Pro 13 Retina.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
M1 MacBook Air - Apple M1 (8C, 7G)
7,414
M1 MacBook Air - Apple M1 (8C, 8G)
7,414
2015 MacBook Pro 13 Retina - Intel Core i7-5557U
1,663
2015 MacBook Pro 13 Retina - Intel Core i5-5287U
1,619
2015 MacBook Pro 13 Retina - Intel Core i5-5257U
1,542
About 20% lighter

M1 MacBook Air weighed 2.8 pounds, 20% lighter than the 3.48 pounds 2015 MacBook Pro 13 Retina.

Weight2015 MacBook Pro 13 RetinaM1 MacBook Air
Pound
3.48 lbs.
2.8 lbs.
Kilogram
1.58 kg
1.27 kg

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between 2015 MacBook Pro 13 Retina and M1 MacBook Air.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 16GB

Both laptops supports up to 16GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
2015 MacBook Pro 13 Retina
16 GB
M1 MacBook Air
16 GB

Prices

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

2015 MacBook Pro 13 Retina Price
Apple 60W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter for MacBook Pro with 13-inch Retina Display
Apple 60W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter for MacBook Pro with 13-inch Retina Display
By Apple
$72.00
$79.00 9% OFF
Apple MacBook Pro Retina MF843LL/A 13” Laptop, 3.1GHz Intel Core i7, 16GB Memory, 512GB SSD, macOS 10.14 Mojave (Renewed)
Apple MacBook Pro Retina MF843LL/A 13” Laptop, 3.1GHz Intel Core i7, 16GB Memory, 512GB SSD, macOS 10.14 Mojave (Renewed)
By Apple
$461.03
2015 Apple MacBook Pro with intel I7 (15-inch, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD)- Silver (Renewed)
2015 Apple MacBook Pro with intel I7 (15-inch, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD)- Silver (Renewed)
By Apple
$329.34
M1 MacBook Air Price
Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$629.00
Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$707.39
Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$610.00

Availability

2015 MacBook Pro 13 RetinaM1 MacBook Air
Released20152020
Release Date
  • Announced on March 9th, 2015
  • Available on March 9th, 2015
Announced on November 10th, 2020
Pricing
  • $1,299
    Intel Core i5 5257U | 8GB RAM | 128GB SSD
  • $1,499
    Intel Core i5 5257U | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD
  • $1,799
    Intel Core i5 5287U | 8GB 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
Generations

Exterior

2015 MacBook Pro 13 RetinaM1 MacBook Air
Dimensions12.35” x 8.62” x 0.71” (314 mm x 219 mm x 18 mm)
  • 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)
WeightStarting at 3.48 lb (1.58 kg)Starting at 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg)
Colors
Silver
Gold Space Gray Silver
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) 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

Display

2015 MacBook Pro 13 RetinaM1 MacBook Air
Size13.3 Inches13.3 Inches
InfoRetina 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
  • 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
  • 400 nits brightness
  • Supports wide color (P3)
  • True Tone technology

Ports

2015 MacBook Pro 13 RetinaM1 MacBook Air
2015 MacBook Pro 13 Retina Ports
Image Source: Apple
Left (5)
  • 1 x power port
    MagSafe 2
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 2
    DisplayPort, 20Gbps
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.0 (5 Gbps)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Right (3)
  • 1 x full-size SD card slot
  • 1 x HDMI
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.0 (5 Gbps)
M1 MacBook Air Ports
Image Source: Apple
Left (2)
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), Charging, DisplayPort
Right (1)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone

Internal Specs

2015 MacBook Pro 13 RetinaM1 MacBook Air
Processor
  1. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5257U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.70 → 3.10 GHz, 3MB Cache, 28W
  2. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5287U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.90 → 3.30 GHz, 3MB Cache, 28W
  3. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5557U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 3.10 → 3.40 GHz, 4MB Cache, 28W
  1. Apple M1 (7 GPU Cores)
    8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W
  2. Apple M1
    8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5257U
    Intel® Iris® Graphics 6100
    48 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
  2. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5287U
    Intel® Iris® Graphics 6100
    48 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  3. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5557U
    Intel® Iris® Graphics 6100
    48 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  1. Apple M1 (7 GPU Cores)
    Apple M1 iGPU
    7 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz
  2. Apple M1
    Apple M1 iGPU
    8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz
Memory
8GB
configurable to 16GB of 1866MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
  • 8GB
    unified memory
  • Configurable to 16GB
Storage
256GB 512GB
configurable to 1TB SSD
  • 256GB 512GB
    SSD
  • Configurable to 1TB or 2TB

Connectivity

2015 MacBook Pro 13 RetinaM1 MacBook Air
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
BluetoothBluetooth 4.2 wireless technologyBluetooth 5.0 wireless technology

Battery

2015 MacBook Pro 13 RetinaM1 MacBook Air
Size74.9 Wh lithium‑polymer battery49.9 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life
  • Up to 10 hours wireless web
  • Up to 12 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
Power Supply60W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter
With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.
30W USB‑C Power Adapter

Software

2015 MacBook Pro 13 RetinaM1 MacBook Air
OSShipped with OS X YosemiteShipped with macOS Big Sur
Built-in Apps
Photos iMovie GarageBand Pages Numbers Keynote Siri Safari Mail FaceTime Messages Maps Notes Calendar Contacts Reminders Photo Booth Preview iTunes iBooks App Store Time Machine
Photos iMovie GarageBand Pages Numbers Keynote Siri Safari Mail FaceTime Messages Maps News Stocks Home Voice Memos Notes Calendar Contacts Reminders Photo Booth Preview Music Podcasts TV Books App Store Time Machine Find My QuickTime Player

Camera & Audio

2015 MacBook Pro 13 RetinaM1 MacBook Air
Camera720p 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
    • 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

Misc

2015 MacBook Pro 13 RetinaM1 MacBook Air
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
Security-
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Apple T2 Security Chip
In the box
  • 13‑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)
WarrantyYour 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
  • Intel Iris Graphics 6100
  • 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 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)

Key Features

2015 MacBook Pro 13 RetinaM1 MacBook Air
At Glance
Released in Early
2015
16:10 WQXGA
13.3”
1600p 60Hz
Weight
3.48 lb
1.58 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-5557U
2C/4T, 3.10 → 3.40 GHz
Geekbench 5
795
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,663
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Graphics 6100
48 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3
2015 MacBook Pro 13 Retina Ports
Released in Late
2020
16:10 QHD
13.3”
1600p 60Hz
Weight
2.8 lb
1.27 kg
Up to
Apple M1 (8C, 8G)
8C/8T, 3.20 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,705
Single Core
Geekbench 5
7,414
Multi-Core
With integrated
Apple M1 iGPU
8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
Unified Memory
M1 MacBook Air Ports
Starting at
$999
M1 (7 GPU Cores), 8GB, 256GB SSD
Up to
18 Hours
Battery Life
Built-in
Touch ID
With T2 Chip
Dual
USB-C
USB4 & Thunderbolt 3
Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth 5.0

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