MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) vs. M2 MacBook Pro 14”: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively analyzed the technical specifications for the MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) and M2 MacBook Pro 14” models. Our report includes intricate details such as the CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

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MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) image

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)

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M2 MacBook Pro 14” image

M2 MacBook Pro 14”

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MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) Pros

Reasons that MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) is better than M2 MacBook Pro 14”.

Supports discrete graphics

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

Upgradable storage

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that you can replace and upgrade in the future.

SlotsMacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M2 MacBook Pro 14”
M.2
Yes x1
Onboard
8% larger display

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) has a 15.4-inch screen size 8% larger than the 14.2-inch M2 MacBook Pro 14”.

Display size
MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)
15.4-inch
M2 MacBook Pro 14”
14.2-inch

M2 MacBook Pro 14” Pros

Reasons that M2 MacBook Pro 14” is better than MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015).

Much newer manufacturing

2023 vs. 2015

Much faster CPU performance

Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G) inside M2 MacBook Pro 14” has a 361% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-4980HQ inside MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015).

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
M2 MacBook Pro 14” - Apple M2 Max (12C, 30G)
15,305
M2 MacBook Pro 14” - Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G)
15,305
M2 MacBook Pro 14” - Apple M2 Pro (10C, 16G)
14,899
M2 MacBook Pro 14” - Apple M2 Pro (12C, 19G)
14,899
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
Supports larger memory

M2 MacBook Pro 14” supports a larger memory capacity than the MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015). It supports up to 96GB versus 16GB of system memory on the MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015).

Max system memory size
M2 MacBook Pro 14”
96 GB
MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)
16 GB
About 23% lighter

M2 MacBook Pro 14” weighed 3.5 pounds, 23% lighter than the 4.49 pounds MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015).

WeightMacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M2 MacBook Pro 14”
Pound
4.49 lbs.
3.5 lbs.
Kilogram
2.04 kg
1.59 kg

Prices

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

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015) Price
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
$342.30
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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
$399.99
$420.24 5% OFF
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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
$415.00
See at Amazon
M2 MacBook Pro 14” Price
2023 Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M2 Pro Chip (14-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) (QWERTY English) Space Gray (Renewed)
 2023 Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M2 Pro Chip (14-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) (QWERTY English) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$1,464.96
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Apple 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop M2 Pro chip with 12‑core CPU and 19‑core GPU: 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR Display, 16GB Unified Memory, 1TB SSD Storage. Works with iPhone/iPad; Space Gray
 Apple 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop M2 Pro chip with 12‑core CPU and 19‑core GPU: 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR Display, 16GB Unified Memory, 1TB SSD Storage. Works with iPhone/iPad; Space Gray
By Apple
$2,099.95
$2,499.00 16% OFF
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Apple 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop M3 chip with 8‑core CPU, 10‑core GPU: 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR Display, 8GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD Storage. Works with iPhone/iPad; Space Gray
 Apple 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop M3 chip with 8‑core CPU, 10‑core GPU: 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR Display, 8GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD Storage. Works with iPhone/iPad; Space Gray
By Apple
$1,449.00
$1,599.00 9% OFF
See at Amazon

Specs Comparison

Availability

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M2 MacBook Pro 14”
Released20152023
Release Date
  • Announced on March 9th, 2015
  • Available on March 9th, 2015
  • Announced on January 17, 2023.
  • Available on January 24, 2023.
Pricing
  • $1,999
    Intel Core i7 4770HQ| 16GB RAM | 256GB SSD
  • $2,499
    Intel Core i7 4870HQ | 16GB RAM | 512GB SSD
  • $1,999
    M2 Pro, 10C CPU, 16C GPU, 16GB, 512GB
  • $2,299
    M2 Pro, 12C CPU, 19C GPU, 16GB, 512GB
  • $2,499
    M2 Pro, 12C CPU, 19C GPU, 16GB, 1TB
  • $3,099
    M2 Max, 12C CPU, 30C GPU, 32GB, 1TB
  • $3,299
    M2 Max, 12C CPU, 38C GPU, 32GB, 1TB
  • $3,699
    M2 Max, 12C CPU, 38C GPU, 64GB, 1TB
  • $4,099
    M2 Max, 12C CPU, 38C GPU, 64GB, 2TB
  • $4,699
    M2 Max, 12C CPU, 38C GPU, 64GB, 4TB
  • $5,899
    M2 Max, 12C CPU, 38C GPU, 64GB, 8TB
  • $6,299
    M2 Max, 12C CPU, 38C GPU, 96GB, 8TB
Generations

Exterior

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M2 MacBook Pro 14”
Dimensions14.13” x 9.73” x 0.71” (358.9 mm x 247.1 mm x 18 mm)
  • Height: 0.61 inches (1.55 cm)
  • Width: 12.31 inches (31.26 cm)
  • Depth: 8.71 inches (22.12 cm)
WeightStarting at 4.49 lb (2.04 kg)
  • 3.5 pounds (1.60 kg)
    M2 Pro
  • 3.6 pounds (1.63 kg)
    M2 Max
Colors
Silver
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 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

Display

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M2 MacBook Pro 14”
Size15.4 Inches14.2 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
  • Liquid Retina XDR display
    • Size: 14.2-inch
    • Technology: Liquid Retina XDR display
    • Resolution: 3024 x 1964
    • Pixel Density: 254 PPI
  • 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

Ports

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M2 MacBook Pro 14”
  • 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
Left (4)
M2 MacBook Pro 14” Ports - Left
Image Source: Apple
  • 1 x power port
    MagSafe 3
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 4
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), DisplayPort, Charging
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Right (3)
M2 MacBook Pro 14” Ports - Right
Image Source: Apple
  • 1 x full-size SD card slot
  • 1 x Thunderbolt 4
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), DisplayPort, Charging
  • 1 x HDMI
    v2.1, 8K@60Hz, 4K@240Hz

Internal Specs

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M2 MacBook Pro 14”
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. Apple M2 Pro (10C, 16G)
    10 cores, 10 threads, 2.42 → 3.50 GHz,
  2. Apple M2 Pro (12C, 19G)
    12 cores, 12 threads, 2.42 → 3.50 GHz,
  3. Apple M2 Max (12C, 30G)
    12 cores, 12 threads, 2.42 → 3.70 GHz,
  4. Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G)
    12 cores, 12 threads, 2.42 → 3.70 GHz,
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. Apple M2 Pro (10C, 16G)
    Apple M2 Pro iGPU
    16 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
  2. Apple M2 Pro (12C, 19G)
    Apple M2 Pro iGPU
    19 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
  3. Apple M2 Max (12C, 30G)
    Apple M2 Max iGPU
    30 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
  4. Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G)
    Apple M2 Max iGPU
    38 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
Memory
16GB
1600 MHz DDR3L onboard memory
16GB 32GB 64GB 96GB
Unified Memory
Discrete GraphicsAMD Radeon R9 M370X with 2GB of GDDR5 memory-
Storage
256GB 512GB
configurable to 1TB SSD
512GB 1TB 2TB 4TB 8TB
SSD

Connectivity

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M2 MacBook Pro 14”
Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
  • 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible
BluetoothBluetooth 4.2 wireless technologyBluetooth 5.3 wireless technology

Battery

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M2 MacBook Pro 14”
Size99.4 Wh lithium‑polymer battery70 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
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 12 hours of wireless web
  • Up to 18 hours of Apple TV app movie playback
Power Supply85W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter
With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.
  • 67W USB‑C Power Adapter
    M2 Pro with 10-core CPU models
  • 96W USB‑C Power Adapter
    M2 Pro with 12-core CPU or M2 Max models. Supports Fast-Charging.

Software

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M2 MacBook Pro 14”
OSShipped with OS X YosemiteShipped with macOS Ventura
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

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M2 MacBook Pro 14”
Camera720p FaceTime HD camera1080p FaceTime HD camera 
Advanced image signal processor with computational video.
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)
  • 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

Misc

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M2 MacBook Pro 14”
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
Touch ID sensor
Security-Touch ID sensor
In the box
  • 15‑inch MacBook Pro
  • MagSafe 2 Power Adapter
  • Power cord
  • AC wall plug
  • 14‑inch MacBook Pro
  • 67W USB‑C Power Adapter
    M2 Pro with 10-core CPU models.
  • 96W USB‑C Power Adapter
    M2 Pro with 12-core CPU or M2 Max models.
  • USB-C to MagSafe 3 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 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.
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
Display Supports
  • M2 Pro
    • 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 over Thunderbolt, or one external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 144Hz over HDMI
    • One external display supported at 8K resolution at 60Hz or one external display at 4K resolution at 240Hz over HDMI
  • M2 Max
    • Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at 1 billion colors and:
    • Up to four external displays: Up to three external displays with 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 144Hz over HDMI
    • Up to three external displays: Up to two external displays with 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one external display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or one external display with 4K resolution at 240Hz over HDMI
  • Thunderbolt 4 digital video output
    • Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
  • HDMI digital video output
    • Support for one display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or 4K resolution at 240Hz

Key Features

MacBook Pro 15” Retina (2015)M2 MacBook Pro 14”
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 Early
2023
16:10 XDR
14.2”
1964p 120Hz
Weight
3.5 lb
1.59 kg
Up to
Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G)
12C/12T, 2.42 → 3.70 GHz
Geekbench 5
2,075
Single Core
Geekbench 5
15,305
Multi-Core
With integrated
Apple M2 Max iGPU
38 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores
Configurable up to
96GB
LPDDR5 Memory
M2 MacBook Pro 14” Ports - Left
M2 MacBook Pro 14” Ports - Right

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