Home > Laptop comparison > MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or MacBook Pro 15 (2018) – what's better?

Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) vs Pro 15 (2018)

71 out of 100
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
VS
48 out of 100
Apple MacBook Pro 15 (2018)
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
Apple MacBook Pro 15 (2018)
You can select specific configurations for the laptops to get a more accurate comparative review
CPU
RAM
Storage

Review

Evaluation of Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and Pro 15 (2018) 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
Case
Design, materials, durability and usability
NanoReview Score

Key Differences

What are the key differences between the notebooks
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
  • Can run popular games at about 697-951% higher FPS
  • Higher screen refresh rate: 120 versus 60 Hz
  • Around 90% better multi-core CPU performance in the Cinebench R23 test
  • Thinner bezels and 5% higher screen-to-body ratio
  • Supports next-generation Wi-Fi 6 wireless networks
  • Features a bigger (~20%) battery – 100 against 83 watt-hours
  • Better webcam recording quality
  • 15% sharper screen – 254 versus 221 pixels per inch (PPI)
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 15 (2018)
  • Easier to carry: weighs 270 grams less (around 0.6 lbs)
  • Higher number of cutting-edge USB Type-C ports: 4 versus 3
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Tests and Specifications

Comparison table of test results and technical specs
Laptop:
MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
vs
MacBook Pro 15 (2018)

Case

Weight 2.1 kg (4.63 lbs) 1.83 kg (4.04 lbs)
Dimensions 355.7 x 248.1 x 16.8 mm
14 x 9.77 x 0.66 inches		 349.3 x 240.7 x 15.5 mm
13.75 x 9.48 x 0.61 inches
Area 882 cm2 (136.8 inches2) 841 cm2 (130.4 inches2)
Screen-to-body ratio ~86.2% ~81.8%
Side bezels 3.4 mm 8.8 mm
Colors Silver, Gray Silver, Gray
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
Noise level (max. load) 37.4 dB 47 dB

Display

Size 16.2 inches 15.4 inches
Type Mini LED IPS LCD
Refresh rate 120 Hz 60 Hz
PPI 254 ppi 221 ppi
Aspect ratio 16:10 16:10
Resolution 3456 x 2234 pixels 2880 x 1800 pixels
HDR support Yes, Dolby Vision Yes, HDR10
Touchscreen No No
Coating Glossy (Antireflective) Glossy (Antireflective)
Display tests
Contrast 25700:1 1333:1
sRGB color space 100% 99.9%
Adobe RGB profile 88% 86.6%
DCI-P3 color gamut 99.1% 98.7%
Response time 67 ms 35 ms
Max. brightness

Battery

Capacity
Voltage - 11.4 V
Full charging time 1:25 hr 2:00 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 140 W 87 W
Cable length 2 meters 2 meters
Weigh of AC adapter 353 grams 369 grams

CPU

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

Benchmarks

Geekbench 5 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core)
Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)
Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)
Submit your Cinebench R23 result

Graphics Card

GPU name
TGP 30 W 15 W
Type Integrated Integrated
Fabrication process 5 nm 14 nm
GPU base clock 450 MHz 350 MHz
GPU boost clock 1296 MHz 1000 MHz
FLOPS 5.2 TFLOPS 0.38 TFLOPS
Memory size System Shared System Shared
Memory type LPDDR5 DDR4
Memory bus 256 bit -
Memory speed 6.4 Gbps 2.4 Gbps
Shading units (cores) 2048 192
Texture mapping units (TMUs) 128 24
Raster operations pipelines (ROPs) 64 3
GPU performance
MacBook Pro 16 (2021) +1268%
5.2 TFLOPS
MacBook Pro 15 (2018)
0.38 TFLOPS

RAM

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

Storage

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

Sound

Speakers 4.2 2.0
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Loudness 84.7 dB 85 dB
Microphones 3 3

Connectivity

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

Input

Keyboard
Keyboard type Island Island
Numpad No No
Backlight Yes Yes
Key travel 1 mm 0.7 mm
Touchpad
Size 15.5 x 9.9 cm 16.0 x 9.9 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?
94 (85.5%)
16 (14.5%)
Total votes: 110

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