MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) vs. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) Pros

Reasons that MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) is better than Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5.

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-4980HQ inside MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) has a 76% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-7600U inside Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) - Intel Core i7-4980HQ
3,315
MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) - Intel Core i7-4870HQ
3,188
MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) - Intel Core i7-4770HQ
3,057
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - Intel Core i7-7600U
1,883
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - Intel Core i5-7300U
1,777
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - Intel Core i7-7500U
1,744
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - Intel Core i5-7200U
1,611
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - Intel Core i7-6500U
1,500
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - Intel Core i5-6200U
1,333
Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to AMD Radeon R9 M370X 2GB GDDR5 vs. integrated

10% larger display

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) has a 15.4-inch screen size 10% larger than the 14-inch Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5.

Display size
MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)
15.4-inch
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
14-inch

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 Pros

Reasons that Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 is better than MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015).

Newer manufacturing

2017 vs. 2015

Supports faster memory

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 supports a faster memory speed than the MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015). It supports up to 1866MHz versus 1600MHz of system memory on the MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015).

Memory type and speed
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz
MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) - DDR3L
1,600 MHz
About 45% lighter

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 weighed 2.49 pounds, 45% lighter than the 4.49 pounds MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015).

WeightMacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
Pound
4.49 lbs.
2.49 lbs.
Kilogram
2.04 kg
1.13 kg

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 16GB

Both laptops supports up to 16GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)
16 GB
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
16 GB

Prices

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

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) Price
Mid 2015 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.5GHz Intel Core i7-4870HQ (15 inches, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) Silver (Renewed)
Mid 2015 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.5GHz Intel Core i7-4870HQ (15 inches, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) Silver (Renewed)
By Apple
$399.00
$419.22 5% OFF
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
$360.49
Apple MacBook Pro 15in Core i7 2.8GHz Retina (MGXG2LL/A), 16GB RAM, 512GB Solid State Drive (Renewed)
Apple MacBook Pro 15in Core i7 2.8GHz Retina (MGXG2LL/A), 16GB RAM, 512GB Solid State Drive (Renewed)
By Apple
$399.00
$549.00 27% OFF
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 Price
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (5th Gen) 14-inch Laptop Computer, Intel Core i7-7600U 2.80GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint, Type-C, Win 10 Pro (Renewed)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (5th Gen) 14-inch Laptop Computer, Intel Core i7-7600U 2.80GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint, Type-C, Win 10 Pro (Renewed)
By Lenovo
$399.95
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (5th Gen) - 14" FHD (1920x1080) Display (Intel Core i5-7300U, 16GB Ram, 256GB PCIe SSD, HDMI, Camera, WiFi) Win 10 Pro (Renewed)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (5th Gen) - 14" FHD (1920x1080) Display (Intel Core i5-7300U, 16GB Ram, 256GB PCIe SSD, HDMI, Camera, WiFi) Win 10 Pro (Renewed)
By Lenovo
$274.99
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Laptop 5th Generation, Intel Core i7-7600U 3.90 GHz, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 14 WQHD IPS 2560x1440 Display, Fingerprint Reader, Supported Windows 10 Pro, Renewed 2018
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Laptop 5th Generation, Intel Core i7-7600U 3.90 GHz, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 14 WQHD IPS 2560x1440 Display, Fingerprint Reader, Supported Windows 10 Pro, Renewed 2018
By Lenovo
$359.24

Availability

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
Released20152017
Release Date
  • Announced on March 9th, 2015
  • Available on March 9th, 2015
-
Pricing
  • $1,999
    Intel Core i7 4770HQ| 16GB RAM | 256GB SSD
  • $2,499
    Intel Core i7 4870HQ | 16GB RAM | 512GB SSD
-
Generations-

Exterior

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
Dimensions14.13” x 9.73” x 0.71” (358.9 mm x 247.1 mm x 18 mm)12.73” x 8.54” x 0.62” (323.5 x 217.1 x 15.95 mm)
Width: 12.73” (323.5 mm)
Depth: 8.54” (217.1 mm)
Height: 0.62” (15.95 mm)
WeightStarting at 4.49 lb (2.04 kg)Starting at 2.49 lbs (1.13 kg)
Colors
Silver
Black 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
  • Spill-resistant, Backlit with white LED lighting keyboard.
  • Trackpad + TrackPoint® pointing device.

Display

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
Size15.4 Inches14 Inches
InfoRetina 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
  • 300 nits brightness
  • Standard color gamut (sRGB)
  • 900:1 contrast ratio
  • 14” FHD
    1920 x 1080, IPS, 60Hz, anti-glare, non-touch.
  • 14” WQHD
    2560 x 1440, IPS, 60Hz, anti-glare, non-touch.

Ports

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
  • 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
  • 2 x Thunderbolt™ 3
    Supports Power Delivery & DisplayPort.
  • 1 x USB 3.0
    Full-size USB-A ports.
  • 1 x Native Network RJ45
  • 1 x HDMI
  • 1 x Headphone / mic combo
  • 1 x MicroSD card reader
  • 1 x Micro SIM slot
  • 1 x Power button
  • 1 x Kensington lock slot

Internal Specs

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
Processor
  1. 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4770HQ
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.20 → 3.40 GHz, 5 MB Cache, 47W
  2. 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4870HQ
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.50 → 3.70 GHz, 6 MB Cache, 47W
  3. 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4980HQ
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.80 → 4.00 GHz, 6 MB Cache, 47W
  1. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6200U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.30 → 2.80 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 15W
  2. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6500U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.50 → 3.10 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 15W
  3. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7200U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.50 → 3.10 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 15W
  4. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.60 → 3.50 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 15W
  5. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7500U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.70 → 3.50 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 15W
  6. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7600U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.80 → 3.90 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 15W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4770HQ
    Intel® Iris® Pro Graphics 5200
    40 Execution Units, 200 → 1200 MHz
  2. 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4870HQ
    Intel® Iris® Pro Graphics 5200
    40 Execution Units, 200 → 1200 MHz
  3. 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4980HQ
    Intel® Iris® Pro Graphics 5200
    40 Execution Units, 200 → 1300 MHz
  1. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6200U
    Intel® HD Graphics 520
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
  2. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6500U
    Intel® HD Graphics 520
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
  3. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7200U
    Intel® HD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
  4. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U
    Intel® HD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  5. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7500U
    Intel® HD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
  6. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7600U
    Intel® HD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz
Memory
16GB
1600 MHz DDR3L onboard memory
  • 8GB 16GB
    1866 MHz Dual-channel LPDDR3 SRAM.
Discrete GraphicsAMD Radeon R9 M370X with 2GB of GDDR5 memory-
Storage
256GB 512GB
configurable to 1TB SSD
  • 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
    M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe (Replaceable).

Connectivity

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
  • Intel® Dual-Band Wireless-AC(2x2) 8265
    Up to 867 Mbps, Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac.
  • Intel® Dual-Band Wireless-AC(2x2) 8260
    Up to 867 Mbps, Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac.
BluetoothBluetooth 4.2 wireless technology
  • Bluetooth 4.1
Ethernet-
  • RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet port (10/100/1000)
More-
  • WWAN: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X7 LTE-A

Battery

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
Size99.4 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
  • 3-cell smart lithium-ion
  • Battery Capacity: 57 Wh
Battery Life
  • 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
* Tested with MobileMark 2014
Power Supply85W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter
With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.
65 W USB (Type-C) power adapter
Supports Rapid Charge.

Software

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
OSShipped with OS X Yosemite
  • Windows 10 Home 64-bit
  • Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
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
-

Camera & Audio

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
Camera720p FaceTime HD camera
  • Front-facing camera
    720p (1280 x 720 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)
  • Dolby Audio™ Premium
  •  Microphones

Misc

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Optional dedicated Windows Hello compliant fingerprint reader.​​
  • Ambient light sensor
Security-
  • Fingerprint Reader
  • dTPM 2.0 chip
  • Kensington lock slot
In the box
  • 15‑inch MacBook Pro
  • MagSafe 2 Power Adapter
  • Power cord
  • AC wall plug
-
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.-
More
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
-

Key Features

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
At Glance
Released in Early
2015
16:10 Retina
15.4”
1800p 60Hz
Weight
4.49 lb
2.04 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-4980HQ
4C/8T, 2.80 → 4.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
928
Single Core
Geekbench 5
3,315
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Pro Graphics 5200
40 Execution Units, 200 → 1300 MHz
16GB
1600 MHz DDR3L
AMD
Radeon R9 M370X
2GB GDDR5
Released in
2017
16:9 WQHD
14”
1440p 60Hz
Weight
2.49 lb
1.13 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-7600U
2C/4T, 2.80 → 3.90 GHz
Geekbench 5
885
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,883
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® HD Graphics 620
24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3

Comparison Summary

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) vs. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5

Apple has released the MacBook Pro 15” Retina , a 15.4-inch machine, in early-2015. It is powered by up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-4980HQ with a boost clock speed up to 4.00 GHz. The laptop has a dedicated GPU option up to AMD Radeon R9 M370X with 2GB GDDR5.

On the other hand, we have the 14-inch ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 was introduced by Lenovo about two years later in 2017. It comes with up to a dual-core Intel Core i7-7600U with a boost clock speed up to 3.90 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® HD Graphics 620 (24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)1
4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4770HQ79185.24%
2
4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4870HQ86393.00%
3
4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4980HQ928100.00%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 51
6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6200U55860.13%
2
6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6500U67973.17%
3
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7200U72177.69%
4
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U81587.82%
5
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7500U76682.54%
6
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7600U88595.37%
0928

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)1
4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4770HQ3,05792.22%
2
4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4870HQ3,18896.17%
3
4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4980HQ3,315100.00%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 51
6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6200U1,33340.21%
2
6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6500U1,50045.25%
3
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7200U1,61148.60%
4
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U1,77753.60%
5
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7500U1,74452.61%
6
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7600U1,88356.80%
03,315

The MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) has a 15.4-inch display which is slightly larger than the 14-inch Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5. In addition, the MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) weighs 4.49 lbs. about 80% heavier than the 2.49 lbs. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5. Moreover, measured at 14.13” x 9.73” x 0.71”, the MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) is much bulkier than the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 at 12.73” x 8.54” x 0.62”.

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5

Moving over to upgradability, Apple claims that the MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) supports 16GB 1600 MHz DDR3L memory. However, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Fortunately, it comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace and upgrade in the future.

For Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5, it supports up to 16GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 memory. Like MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015), it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Luckily, it has a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace or upgrade when needed.

Comments

Ask questions or share your thought and experience about the comparison between MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5.

Loading Comments...