M2 MacBook Pro 16” vs. MacBook Pro 15” (2017): Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between M2 MacBook Pro 16” and MacBook Pro 15” (2017) specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

M2 MacBook Pro 16” Pros

Reasons that M2 MacBook Pro 16” is better than MacBook Pro 15” (2017).

Much newer manufacturing

2023 vs. 2017

Much faster CPU performance

Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G) inside M2 MacBook Pro 16” has a 348% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-7920HQ inside MacBook Pro 15” (2017).

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
M2 MacBook Pro 16” - Apple M2 Max (12C, 30G)
15,305
M2 MacBook Pro 16” - Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G)
15,305
M2 MacBook Pro 16” - Apple M2 Pro (12C, 19G)
14,899
MacBook Pro 15” (2017) - Intel Core i7-7820HQ
3,573
MacBook Pro 15” (2017) - Intel Core i7-7920HQ
3,410
MacBook Pro 15” (2017) - Intel Core i7-7700HQ
3,208
Supports larger memory

M2 MacBook Pro 16” supports a larger memory capacity than the MacBook Pro 15” (2017). It supports up to 96GB versus 16GB of system memory on the MacBook Pro 15” (2017).

Max system memory size
M2 MacBook Pro 16”
96 GB
MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
16 GB
5% larger display

M2 MacBook Pro 16” has a 16.2-inch screen size 5% larger than the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro 15” (2017).

Display size
M2 MacBook Pro 16”
16.2-inch
MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
15.4-inch
Has two more ports and slots

M2 MacBook Pro 16” has more ports and slots count than the MacBook Pro 15” (2017). It has seven versus five amount of ports and slots on the MacBook Pro 15” (2017).

PortsM2 MacBook Pro 16”MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
full-size SD card slotYesNo
HDMIYesNo
headphone jackYesYes
power portYesNo
Thunderbolt 3NoYes x4
Thunderbolt 4Yes x3No
Total75
More versatile connectivity

M2 MacBook Pro 16” has better versatile I/O connectivity than the MacBook Pro 15” (2017). It has five versus two commonly used ports and slots on the MacBook Pro 15” (2017).

PortsM2 MacBook Pro 16”MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
headphone jackYesYes
full-size SD card slotYesNo
HDMIYesNo
power portYesNo
Thunderbolt 3NoYes
Thunderbolt 4YesNo

MacBook Pro 15” (2017) Pros

Reasons that MacBook Pro 15” (2017) is better than M2 MacBook Pro 16”.

Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to AMD Radeon Pro 560 4GB GDDR5 vs. integrated

About 15% lighter

MacBook Pro 15” (2017) weighed 4.02 pounds, 15% lighter than the 4.7 pounds M2 MacBook Pro 16”.

WeightM2 MacBook Pro 16”MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Pound
4.7 lbs.
4.02 lbs.
Kilogram
2.13 kg
1.82 kg

Prices

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

M2 MacBook Pro 16” 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
$1,449.51
$1,529.00 5% OFF
2023 Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M2 Pro Chip (16-inch, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) (QWERTY English) Space Gray (Renewed)
2023 Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M2 Pro Chip (16-inch, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) (QWERTY English) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$1,979.00
Apple 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop M2 Pro chip with 12‑core CPU and 19‑core GPU: 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR Display, 16GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD Storage. Works with iPhone/iPad; Silver
Apple 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop M2 Pro chip with 12‑core CPU and 19‑core GPU: 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR Display, 16GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD Storage. Works with iPhone/iPad; Silver
By Apple
$1,999.99
$2,499.00 20% OFF
MacBook Pro 15” (2017) Price
Mid 2017 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 (15.4 inch, 16GB RAM, 256GB) Space Gray (Renewed)
Mid 2017 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 (15.4 inch, 16GB RAM, 256GB) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$418.69
$484.49 14% OFF
2017 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.9GHz Intel Core i7 (15-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) Silver (Renewed)
2017 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.9GHz Intel Core i7 (15-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) Silver (Renewed)
By Apple
$441.00
$500.85 12% OFF
2017 Apple MacBook Pro with 3.1GHz Intel Core i7 (15-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) Space Gray (Renewed)
2017 Apple MacBook Pro with 3.1GHz Intel Core i7 (15-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$499.95

Availability

M2 MacBook Pro 16”MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Released20232017
Release Date
  • Announced on January 17, 2023.
Available on January 24, 2023.
Announced on June 5th, 2018
Pricing
  • $2,499
    M2 Pro 12-Core CPU 19-Core GPU 16GB 512GB
  • $2,699
    M2 Pro 12-Core CPU 19-Core GPU 16GB 1TB
  • $3,299
    M2 Max 12-Core CPU 30-Core GPU 32GB 1TB
  • $3,899
    M2 Max 12-Core CPU 38-Core GPU 64GB 1TB
  • $4,299
    M2 Max 12-Core CPU 38-Core GPU 64GB 2TB
  • $4,899
    M2 Max 12-Core CPU 38-Core GPU 64GB 4TB
  • $6,099
    M2 Max 12-Core CPU 38-Core GPU 64GB 8TB
  • $6,499
    M2 Max 12-Core CPU 38-Core GPU 96GB 8TB
  • $2,399
    Intel Core i7 7700HQ | 16GB RAM | 256GB SSD | Radeon Pro 555
  • $2,799
    Intel Core i7 7820HQ | 16GB RAM | 512GB SSD | Radeon Pro 560
Generations

Exterior

M2 MacBook Pro 16”MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Dimensions
  • Height: 0.66 inch (1.68 cm)
  • Width: 14.01 inches (35.57 cm)
  • Depth: 9.77 inches (24.81 cm)
13.75” x 9.48” x 0.61” (349.3 mm x 240.7 mm x 155 mm)
Weight
  • 4.7 pounds (2.15 kg)
    M2 Pro models.
  • 4.8 pounds (2.16 kg)
    M2 Max models.
Starting at 4.02 pounds (1.83 kg)
Colors
Space Gray Silver
Space Gray Silver
Keyboard and TrackpadBacklit 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:
  • 64 (U.S.) or 65 (ISO) keys including 4 arrow keys
  • Touch Bar with integrated 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

Display

M2 MacBook Pro 16”MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Size16.2 Inches15.4 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
  • 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
  • 500 nits brightness
  • Wide color (P3)

Ports

M2 MacBook Pro 16”MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Left (4)
M2 MacBook Pro 16” 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 16” 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
Left (2)
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Charging, Displayport
Right (3)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Charging, Displayport

Internal Specs

M2 MacBook Pro 16”MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Processor
  1. Apple M2 Pro (12C, 19G)
    12 cores, 12 threads, 2.42 → 3.50 GHz,
  2. Apple M2 Max (12C, 30G)
    12 cores, 12 threads, 2.42 → 3.70 GHz,
  3. Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G)
    12 cores, 12 threads, 2.42 → 3.70 GHz,
  1. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.80 → 3.80 GHz, 6MB Cache, 45W
  2. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7820HQ
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.90 → 3.90 GHz, 8 MB Cache, 45W
  3. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7920HQ
    4 cores, 8 threads, 3.10 → 4.10 GHz, 8 MB Cache, 45W
Integrated Graphics
  1. Apple M2 Pro (12C, 19G)
    Apple M2 Pro iGPU
    19 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
  2. Apple M2 Max (12C, 30G)
    Apple M2 Max iGPU
    30 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
  3. Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G)
    Apple M2 Max iGPU
    38 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
  1. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ
    Intel® HD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz
  2. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7820HQ
    Intel® HD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz
  3. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7920HQ
    Intel® HD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz
Memory
16GB 32GB 64GB 96GB
Unified Memory
16GB
of 2133MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
Discrete Graphics-
  • AMD Radeon Pro 555 with 2GB of GDDR5 memory
  • AMD Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB of GDDR5 memory
Storage
512GB 1TB 2TB 4TB 8TB
SSD
256GB 512GB
configurable to 1TB or 2TB SSD

Connectivity

M2 MacBook Pro 16”MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible
  • 802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
BluetoothBluetooth 5.3 wireless technologyBluetooth 4.2 wireless technology

Battery

M2 MacBook Pro 16”MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Size100 Wh lithium‑polymer battery76 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life
  • Up to 15 hours of wireless web
  • Up to 22 hours of Apple TV app movie playback
  • Up to 10 hours wireless web
  • Up to 10 hours Apple TV app movie playback
  • Up to 30 days of standby time
Power Supply140W USB‑C Power Adapter 
Charging up to 50 percent in just 30 minutes with included USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable.
87W USB‑C Power Adapter

Software

M2 MacBook Pro 16”MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
OSShipped with macOS VenturaShipped with macOS Sierra
Built-in Apps
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
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

M2 MacBook Pro 16”MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Camera1080p 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
  • Stereo speakers with high dynamic range
  • Three microphones
  • 3.5mm headphone jack

Misc

M2 MacBook Pro 16”MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
SensorsTouch ID sensor
  • Touch ID sensor
Security
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Apple T2 Security Chip
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Apple T1 Chip
In the box
  • 16‑inch MacBook Pro
  • 140W USB‑C Power Adapter
  • USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m)
  • 15‑inch MacBook Pro
  • 87W USB‑C Power Adapter
  • USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)
WarrantyYour 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.
MoreDisplay 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
Video Support
Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and:
  • Up to two displays with 5120-by-2880 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors
  • Up to four displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz at millions of colors
  • Up to four displays with 3840-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors
Thunderbolt 3 digital video output
  • Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
  • VGA, HDMI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)

Key Features

M2 MacBook Pro 16”MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
At Glance
Released in Early
2023
16:10 XDR
16.2”
2234p 120Hz
Weight
4.7 lb
2.13 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 16” Ports - Left
M2 MacBook Pro 16” Ports - Right
Released in Mid
2017
16:10 Retina
15.4”
1800p 60Hz
Weight
4.02 lb
1.82 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-7920HQ
4C/8T, 3.10 → 4.10 GHz
Geekbench 5
894
Single Core
Geekbench 5
3,410
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® HD Graphics 630
24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz
16GB
2133 MHz LPDDR3
AMD
Radeon Pro 560
4GB GDDR5

Comparison Summary

M2 MacBook Pro 16” vs. MacBook Pro 15” (2017)

Apple has released the M2 MacBook Pro 16”, a 16.2-inch machine, in early-2023. It is powered by up to 12-core Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G) with a boost clock speed up to 3.70 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Apple M2 Max iGPU (38 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores).

On the other hand, we have the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro 15” was introduced by Apple about six years earlier in mid-2017. It comes with up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-7920HQ with a boost clock speed up to 4.10 GHz. It has a dedicated GPU option up to AMD Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB GDDR5.

Geekbench 5 Single Core

M2 MacBook Pro 16”1
Apple M2 Pro (12C, 19G)1,94393.64%
2
Apple M2 Max (12C, 30G)2,075100.00%
3
Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G)2,075100.00%
MacBook Pro 15” (2017)1
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ85241.06%
2
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7820HQ95846.17%
3
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7920HQ89443.08%
02,075

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

M2 MacBook Pro 16”1
Apple M2 Pro (12C, 19G)14,89997.35%
2
Apple M2 Max (12C, 30G)15,305100.00%
3
Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G)15,305100.00%
MacBook Pro 15” (2017)1
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ3,20820.96%
2
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7820HQ3,57323.35%
3
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7920HQ3,41022.28%
015,305

The M2 MacBook Pro 16” has a 16.2-inch display which is slightly larger than the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro 15” (2017). In addition, the M2 MacBook Pro 16” weighs 4.7 lbs. about 16% heavier than the 4.02 lbs. MacBook Pro 15” (2017). Moreover, measured at 14.01” x 9.77” x 0.66”, the M2 MacBook Pro 16” is considerably bulkier than the MacBook Pro 15” (2017) at 13.75” x 9.48” x 0.61”.

M2 MacBook Pro 16”MacBook Pro 15” (2017)

There are a toal number of 7 ports and slots available on M2 MacBook Pro 16”. That includes a power port, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a headphone jack, a full-size SD card slot, and an HDMI port. With that said, it has two ports and slots more than the MacBook Pro 15” (2017) that has only four Thunderbolt 3 ports, a headphone jack.

Moving over to upgradability, you can't make any upgrades on both devices. All major components including memory and storage are soldered on to the motherboard. So make sure you get the specs that work best for your current and future workload.

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