Apple MacBook Pro 15 (2018) vs Pro 14 (2021)

Please select specific configurations for the laptops to get a more accurate comparative review
CPU
RAM
Storage

Review

Evaluation of Apple MacBook Pro 15 (2018) and Pro 14 (2021) important characteristics
Performance
System and application performance
Gaming
Performance in popular 3D games
Display
Viewing angle, color accuracy, brightness
Battery Life
Potential battery life in light and average use
Connectivity
Ports, webcam and other interfaces
Portability
Design, materials, durability and usability
You can adjust the importance of each feature to more precisely determine which laptop better suits your personal needs.
Adjust priorities
Feature
Priority (Weight)
Performance (Apps):
Gaming (3D):
Screen:
Battery Life:
Portability:
Connectivity:
The higher the priority, the more it will affect the final NanoReview score.

Key Differences

What are the key differences between the notebooks
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 15 (2018)
  • Higher number of cutting-edge USB Type-C ports: 4 versus 3
  • Features a bigger (~19%) battery – 83 against 70 watt-hours
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021)
  • Can run popular games at about 697-951% higher FPS
  • Higher screen refresh rate: 120 versus 60 Hz
  • Easier to carry: weighs 230 grams less (around 0.51 lbs)
  • Around 84% better multi-core CPU performance in the Cinebench R23 test
  • Thinner bezels and 3% higher screen-to-body ratio
  • Supports next-generation Wi-Fi 6 wireless networks
  • Better webcam recording quality
  • Much smaller footprint: 18% more compact case (107.1 vs 130.3 square inches)
  • 15% sharper screen – 254 versus 221 pixels per inch (PPI)

Value for money

Please input the prices of the laptops (with selected configurations) and press the "Calculate" button to determine which one offers better value for money.
VS

Tests and Specifications

Comparison table of test results and technical specs

Case

Weight 1.83 kg (4.04 lbs) 1.6 kg (3.53 lbs)
Dimensions 349.3 x 240.7 x 15.5 mm
13.75 x 9.48 x 0.61 inches
312.6 x 221.2 x 15.5 mm
12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61 inches
Area 841 cm2 (130.4 inches2) 691 cm2 (107.2 inches2)
Screen-to-body ratio ~81.8% ~84.6%
Side bezels 8.8 mm 3.4 mm
Colors Silver, Gray Silver, Gray
Material Aluminum Aluminum
Transformer No No
Opening angle - 135°
Size comparison
Cooling solution
Cooling system Active Active
Vapor chamber No No
Number of fans 2 2
Max. fan speed (RPM) 6500 RPM 6241 RPM
Noise level (max. load) 47 dB 49.5 dB

Display

Size 15.4 inches 14.2 inches
Type IPS LCD Mini LED
Refresh rate 60 Hz 120 Hz
PPI 221 ppi 254 ppi
Aspect ratio 16:10 16:10
Resolution 2880 x 1800 pixels 3024 x 1964 pixels
HDR support Yes, HDR10 Yes, Dolby Vision
Sync technology No No
Touchscreen No No
Coating Glossy (Antireflective) Glossy (Antireflective)
Ambient light sensor Yes Yes
Display tests
Contrast 1333:1 48900:1
sRGB color space 99.9% -
Adobe RGB profile 86.6% -
DCI-P3 color gamut 98.7% 99.3%
Response time 35 ms 49 ms
Max. brightness

Battery

Capacity
Voltage 11.4 V -
Full charging time 2:00 hr 2:30 hr
Battery type Li-Po Li-Po
Replaceable No No
Fast charging Yes Yes
USB Power Delivery Yes Yes
Charging port position Left, Right Left, Right
Charge power 87 W 67 / 96 W
Cable length 2 meters 2 meters
Weight of AC adapter 369 grams 274 grams

CPU

CPU name
Base frequency 2.2 GHz 3.2 GHz
Turbo frequency 4.1 GHz -
Cores 6 10 (8P + 2E)
Threads 12 10
L3 Cache 9 MB -
Integrated GPU Intel UHD Graphics 630 Apple M1 Pro GPU (16-core)
Fabrication process 14 nm 5 nm

Benchmarks

Geekbench 5 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core)
Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)
Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Graphics Card

GPU name
TGP 15 W 30 W
Type Integrated Integrated
Fabrication process 14 nm 5 nm
GPU base clock 350 MHz 450 MHz
GPU boost clock 1000 MHz 1296 MHz
FLOPS 0.38 TFLOPS 5.2 TFLOPS
Memory size System Shared System Shared
Memory type DDR4 LPDDR5
Memory bus - 256 bit
Memory speed 2.4 Gbps 6.4 Gbps
Shading units (cores) 192 2048
Texture mapping units (TMUs) 24 128
Raster operations pipelines (ROPs) 3 64
GPU performance
0.38 TFLOPS
5.2 TFLOPS

RAM

RAM size
Channels 2x8 GB 4x4 GB
Clock 2400 MHz 6400 MHz
Type DDR4 LPDDR5
Upgradable No No
Total slots 2 -

Storage

Storage size
Bus Custom Custom
Storage type SSD (M2) SSD (M2)
Channels 1x256 GB 1x512 GB
Upgradable No No
NVMe Yes Yes

Sound

Speakers 2.0 4.2
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Loudness 85 dB 84.9 dB
Microphones 3 3

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard v5 v6
Bluetooth v5 v5
Fingerprint Yes Yes
Infrared sensor No No
Optical drive No No
Webcam Above the display Above the display
Webcam resolution 1280 x 720 1920 x 1080
Ports
USB-A No No
USB Type-C 4x USB 3.1 3x USB 4.0
Thunderbolt Thunderbolt 3 Thunderbolt 4
HDMI No 1x HDMI 2.0
DisplayPort No No
VGA No No
Audio jack (3.5 mm) Yes Yes
Ethernet (RJ45) No No
SD card reader No Yes
Proprietary charging port No Yes

Input

Keyboard
Keyboard type Island Island
Numpad No No
Backlight Yes Yes
Key travel 0.7 mm 1 mm
Touchpad
Size 16.0 x 9.9 cm 13.2 x 8.1 cm
Surface Glass Glass
Windows Precision No No
*Disclaimer! Ports, speakers, display, and other specifications can vary depending on the laptop's specific configuration or region.

Cast your vote

So, which laptop would you choose?
6 (9.2%)
59 (90.8%)
Total votes: 65

Comments

Write your opinion about the comparison of Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and Pro 15 (2018) or ask any questions
Promotion