Apple 's 2017 WWDC keynote was chock full of big news -- everything from new iPad Pros, new iMacs and even its new HomePod speaker, in addition to the usual overhauls of its Mac, iOS and Watch OS operating systems.
In fact, the company also refreshed nearly its entire laptop line. On the surface, it just appears to be a spec bump: The MacBooks are getting 7th generation Intel "Kaby Lake" processors in place of the 6th generation Skylake chips found in the previous models. The new MacBooks are faster across the board, with new top turbo speed of 4.1GHz for the 15-inch MacBook Pro , which is 300MHz faster than last year's model. The top-line Pro models also get more robust graphics, topping out with a 4GB AMD Radeon Pro 560 for the 15-inch model.
Apparently the new MacBook Pros will look exactly like last year's models.
By and large, the 2017 MacBooks are otherwise pretty much unchanged from their predecessors. Same enclosures, same ports, same trackpads and same screens. There are a handful of tiny changes across the board, however, so here's a product by product rundown of each model's minor differences from the 2016 models, along with a comparison chart underneath.
Editors' note (June 6, 6:41 p.m. PT): This story has been updated to reflect Core i CPU options and keyboard changes on the 12-inch MacBook.
12-inch MacBook
- New Kaby Lake CPU (Core M baseline models, with Core i step-up option)
- 50 percent faster SSD storage
- Updated keyboard mechanism based on that of 2016 MacBook Pros
- 16GB RAM option, up from 8GB only
- Still only one USB-C port
13-inch MacBook Pro (no Touch Bar)
- New Kaby Lake CPU
- Price drop (with a catch): Now starts at $1,299 instead of $1,499
- But that's with just 128GB. The 256GB version remains at $1,499
13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar
- New Kaby Lake CPU
15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar
- New Kaby Lake CPU
- Improved graphics on baseline model
13-inch MacBook Air
- 1.8 GHz Core i5 Broadwell CPU on baseline model, up from 1.6 GHz version
What about the older 2015 MacBook Pros?
- The 13-inch MacBook Pro from 2015 has been discontinued. It's no longer listed on Apple's site, but you can probably find remaining models in the retail channel
- The 15-inch MacBook Pro from 2015 remains available for those who want full-size USB ports
New MacBook specs compared
12-inch MacBook | 13-inch MacBook Pro | 13-inch MacBook Pro (w/TouchBar) | 15-inch MacBook Pro (w/TouchBar) | |
Starting price (USD) | $1,299 | $1,299 | $1,799 | $2,399 |
Materials | Aluminum | Aluminum | Aluminum | Aluminum |
Display | 12-inch 2304x1440-pixel | 13.3-inch 2,560x1,600-pixel | 13.3-inch 2,560x1,600-pixel | 15.4-inch 2,880x1,800-pixel |
Pixel density | 226 PPI | 227 PPI | 227 PPI | 220 PPI |
Dimensions (imperial) | 11.04 x 7.74 inches | 11.97 x 8.36 inches | 11.97 x 8.36 inches | 13.75 x 9.48 inches |
Dimensions (metric) | 28.05 x 19.65 mm | 304 x 212 mm | 304 x 212 mm | 349 x 241 mm |
Thickness | 0.14–0.52 in (3.56-13.2mm) | 0.59 in (14.9mm) | 0.59 in (14.9mm) | 0.61 in (15.5mm) |
Weight | 2.03 lbs (0.92kg) | 3.02 lb (1.37kg) | 3.02 lb (1.37kg) | 4.02 lb (1.83kg) |
Operating system | Mac OS Sierra | Mac OS Sierra | Mac OS Sierra | Mac OS Sierra |
Processors | 1.2GHz 2-core Intel m3 | 2.3GHz 2-core Intel i5 | 3.1GHz 2-core Intel i5 | 2.8GHz 4-core Intel i7 |
Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 615 | Intel Iris Plus 640 | Intel Iris Plus 650 | AMD Radeon Pro 555 (2GB) |
Up-spec | 1.4GHz 2-core Intel i7 | 2.5GHz 2-core Intel i7 | 3.5GHz 2-core Intel i7 | 3.1GHz 4-core Intel i7, Radeon 560 (4GB) |
Storage | 256GB / 512GB | 128GB/256GB / 512GB / 1TB | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB |
RAM | 8GB / 16GB | 8GB / 16GB | 8GB / 16GB | 16GB |
Battery | 10 hours (mfgr. estimate) | 10 hours (mfgr. estimate) | 10 hours (mfgr. estimate) | 10 hours (mfgr. estimate) |
Networking | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2 | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2 | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2 | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2 |
Ports | 1x USB-C, can charge; 1x 3.5mm headset | 2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 3), any can charge; 1x 3.5mm headset | 4x USB-C (Thunderbolt 3), any can charge; 1x 3.5mm headset | 4x USB-C (Thunderbolt 3), any can charge; 1x 3.5mm headset |
Cameras | 480p FaceTime HD | 720p FaceTime HD | 720p FaceTime HD | 720p FaceTime HD |
Touch Bar/Touch ID | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Trackpad | Force Touch | Force Touch | Force Touch | Force Touch |
Colors | Rose Gold, Space Gray, Gold, Silver | Space Gray, Silver | Space Gray, Silver | Space Gray, Silver |