15" Macbook Pro (2015) vs. 15" Macbook Pro (2018)

[LogicalApex]

What other people think of the keyboard shouldn't have anything to do with your decision. As a keyboard collector, I can definitely say there are a vast range of keyboards made to satisfy all sorts of typing experiences. The butterfly keyboard is just like every other specialty keyboard. It has big fans and big haters. You have no idea which group you belong to until you spend a solid week using it.

Exactly this. All laptop keyboards are some variation of "rubber domes" and IMHO they all are crap. It is just a matter of how much crap is OK to any given user. They are designed for portability and convenience, but not for their typing experience.

If you want a real comfortable typing experience you'd hook up a mechanical keyboard and comfortably type away.

The 2015's are actually reliable and durable...
Those are features that are nearly priceless for some of us.

No way you'd see me buying 3+ year old technology now over the keyboard or some other perceived reliability concerns. I'd either skip this model year or buy from a different brand. I'd go as far back as 1 model year, but more than that and I'd keep my money in my pocket.

 

[puma1552]

People are telling you to buy a 3 year old machine because it has legacy ports and not the butterfly keyboard. Sorry, that just sounds insane to me.

What other people think of the keyboard shouldn't have anything to do with your decision. As a keyboard collector, I can definitely say there are a vast range of keyboards made to satisfy all sorts of typing experiences. The butterfly keyboard is just like every other specialty keyboard. It has big fans and big haters. You have no idea which group you belong to until you spend a solid week using it. If you detest the way it feels after a solid week using it, return the MBP and go get a 2015 or buy an external keyboard. For months I carried a Bluetooth keyboard because I hated the butterfly keys, but I eventually grew to like them.

The 2015 has legacy ports... and for most people that means it has a whopping two USB-A ports and an SD card slot. I do miss having a built in SD card slot, but I'd rather have 4 USB-C ports than a measly two USB-A ports. $10 will get you all the USB-C to USB-A endcaps that will cover all of your input devices.

What you fail to mention is the unreliability of the 2018 keyboard. I just bought a brand new 2015 and it had nothing to do with ports or keyboard feel, but rather it had everything to do with buying a product with a reliable keyboard. There's a 50 page thread here devoted just to 2018 keyboard failures, so to gloss over that completely is disengenuous at best.

 

[LogicalApex]

What you fail to mention is the unreliability of the 2018 keyboard. I just bought a brand new 2015 and it had nothing to do with ports or keyboard feel, but rather it had everything to do with buying a product with a reliable keyboard. There's a 50 page thread here devoted just to 2018 keyboard failures, so to gloss over that completely is disengenuous at best.

I haven't had any keyboard problems with my 2018 MBP. *knocks on wood*

It is hard to get a true picture of how a 2015 stacks up reliably compared to a 2018 model as a 3 model revision old machine will be out of rotation for most users. So you'll see less people coming in talking about their issues simply because they don't own them anymore and more people talking about later models because people do own them.

If you read here you'd see the T2 and KB thread and think that there are no working 2018 MBPs in the wild. The reality is that the majority just don't make posts here and are happily using their machines.

IMHO a better course of action would be to buy a 2017 or 2018 MBP w/ Apple Care+ on an Amex (or similar CC) and you'll get at least 4 years of warranty coverage to insure against any "issues".

 

[unglued]

If you read here you'd see the T2 and KB thread and think that there are no working 2018 MBPs in the wild. The reality is that the majority just don't make posts here and are happily using their machines

Yep, I’m one of the fortunate lucky ones in the 99.9% crowd. Been happily using my new 2018 MBP non-stop and take it everywhere I go and love the responsive keyboard it takes less effort just quick rapid taps.

 

[theapplehead]

So many mixed reviews about the 2015 and 2018...Some say go for the 2015 some say go for 2018 as it is the latest and greatest from Apple....Didn't think it would be this hard to decide...mmm

As I said before, if I were you I would wait for the 2019 model next summer and get that one. I believe you would be quite happy with that MBP. If you are unable to wait, though, get the MacBook you think you will be most satisfied with. At the end of the day, it is up to you.”, and you are the one who will be the owner of the laptop. I hope I have helped you.
[doublepost=1545283257][/doublepost]

-Keyboard. Subjective to taste: I prefer the 2018 than the previous, some people like the opposite, OP since has not previous experience with a Macbook might not find this so relevant.
-Magsafe, USB 3, etc: Yes the 2018 lost the Magsafe and the USB ports but it gained 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports. Basically they are like PCI slots on a tower, you can connect to them, from a mouse and keyboard to high resolution monitors, big disk arrays with multiple terabytes and external GPUs. Thunderbolt 3 supports the USB 3 protocol so you can connect all your usb peripherals, although you need a cheap adaptor or just replace the cables with a USB C end.
-GPU: VEGA 20, the GPU the OP has as an option is at least 80-90% faster than last year's top spec GPU, and miles ahead from the 2015 model. In a situation like video editing, the GPU plays an important role. Also as mentioned before, you can also plug an external GPU to the 2018 MBP and make it even stronger GPU wise, while with the 2015 model you simply can't (unless you know how to mess with system scripts and again you won't get max performance)
-i9: There is no bug in the processor, it adjust itself accordingly to the load and how the software utilise it. Ive had it to run constantly in 3.10ghz with all the cores pegged for 3 hours with no problems at all. Don't get fixed to the frequency of the CPU, low Ghz don't mean your system is underperforming, especially with software that uses the GPU for the heavier tasks or other parts of the CPU that don't affect the frequency so much. And the extra 2 cores of the 2018 model compared to the 2015 make the difference when encoding video with Compressor as it can compress 3 streams of video instead of 2 reducing the time needed to complete the task.
-Screen is also miles ahead, its brighter, it supports a wider color space than the 2015 model and the 2018 model has the Touch Bar, which is something again subjective to taste, some people hate it, some people love it, I agree with the later.
-TL;DR: 2018 is miles better than the 2015 as it is newer, faster, stronger and will be supported for much longer. As the OP comes from a PC world won't find themselves comparing between the two machines. I use mine for video editing and some gaming and it hasn't let me down.

Did you have the MBP with the i9 processor. If I’m not mistaken, I did read about a bug in that specific processor model. Maybe it was only in a few specific cases though. Also, I am almost positive that the gpu of the 2018 MBP is as old as the gpu of the 2017 MBP. Apple did not update it as far as I know. But I do agree that it is better than the gpu of the 2015. However the 2018 model is more expensive without a better performing processor.

 

[smirking]

What you fail to mention is the unreliability of the 2018 keyboard. I just bought a brand new 2015 and it had nothing to do with ports or keyboard feel, but rather it had everything to do with buying a product with a reliable keyboard. There's a 50 page thread here devoted just to 2018 keyboard failures, so to gloss over that completely is disengenuous at best.

How wonderful. Why do you feel the need to insult me because I'm OK with this keyboard?

I didn't bring that up because every other thread on MacRumors ends up being about butterfly key gripes mostly from people who've only tried the keyboard out at the store. The OP certainly doesn't need me to rehash that tired topic.
[doublepost=1545287807][/doublepost]

If you want a real comfortable typing experience you'd hook up a mechanical keyboard and comfortably type away.

Hello to a fellow mechanical enthusiast! While nothing on a laptop is ever going to challenge one of my mechanicals to be my regular keyboard, I have gotten to be rather fond of the butterfly keyboards. I just had to adapt a slightly different typing style on them to get really comfortable with them. I already use an ultralight mechanical keyboard due to repetitive strain injuries so it wasn't too difficult for me to learn a very light touch typing approach that works best on these ultraflat keyboards.

I think it's a better typing experience than the usual laptop mush, but I can definitely see how the lack of key travel is going to be impossible for some people to get over. My daily driver is a linear 35g NiZ Plum Topre clone. That's way too light for most people and it took me a while to get used to it, but it's proven to be a good companion to my MBP's keyboard. At such a light weight, I have to tap lightly on it in a similar way to how I use butterfly keys even though it has a full range of travel.

No way you'd see me buying 3+ year old technology now over the keyboard or some other perceived reliability concerns. I'd either skip this model year or buy from a different brand. I'd go as far back as 1 model year, but more than that and I'd keep my money in my pocket.

I had concerns about the keyboard on this MBP before I bought it, but I hate most keyboards out there so it's nothing new for me to supply my own keyboard. If the keyboard utterly fails, it would be infuriating, but I'd much rather it be a glitchy keyboard than a logic board. I can't plug in my own logic board and keep on chugging if that fails.

And I have lost logic boards in my Macs. I've owned enough to lose them in all sorts of ways which is another reason why I'd be hesitant to pick up a 3+ year old spec (that doesn't have replaceable components). There could well be some hidden weaknesses that will start to show up as those 2015's reach their 4th birthday and your repair options for that 2015 you buy today may be pretty limited four years and change from now in 2023.

 

[puma1552]

How wonderful. Why do you feel the need to insult me because I'm OK with this keyboard?

You took what I said as a personal insult? lol.

It was disengenuous to not mention the keyboard reliability issues to someone considering buying one. That's not an insult, it's a simple objective fact.

 

[Tech_Mac_Man]

Thank you all for the great feedback's! I am still reading, researching, watching and deciding to make sure I take the right path in purchasing my 1st 15" Macbook Pro...There have been excellent points that you guys have brought up that I never thought of...Like the 2015 is only supported by Apple store until 2022/2023 which means I have only 4-5years with this Mac covered by Apple and then after that I am pretty much S.O.L. when it comes to repairs!!

One of you have said to wait until summer of 2019 for the perfect 15" Macbook Pro refresh by then Apple should have got everything in order...But since I have been on this Macrumors every time Apple releases something NEW in the Macbook line up there is always some sort of issues whether its heat, display, software, hardware, etc...I remember back in 2015 this was the same thing with "Staingate issues with displays" or clear coat coming off the screen and other famous issues like...Did you get a "LG or Samsung LCD Screen"?...Also ppl complained why did Apple remove the CD drive in 2015 lol...Now look at us who uses that anymore??...To be honest I can wait until summer 2019 but that is the longest I am willing to wait...If 2019 is a FAIL then maybe 2015 Macbook will be it...

Apple is never the one to go back on things that worked perfectly...Like the Glowing Apple Logo, Keyboard, MagSafe, USB ports, SD card slot. Apple likes to show themselves as the "cool hip trend setter"...the first to do it and others will follow...They believe ppl will complain about it at first and as time goes on it will be forgotten or adapted that's their motto...So those of you who thinks Apple will add some old features back forget about it...They will NEVER do it...Maybe if Steve was around maybe just maybe..as he was customer focused and not money greedy stock market shares focused like Tim...

Some of you will say it's almost 2019 times are changing no need to look back at a 4yr old laptop that will become obsolete in 4-5yrs from now like the "The Great Upgradeable 15" 2012 Retina Macbook Pro"...They say just go with NEW and you will be happy for a long time...forget the old legacy ports on the 2015 Model it's like the CD Drive's it will become obsolete with time...

 

[unglued]

Well said, there will always be something to complain about even the Apple logo smudges too easily, that ones a winner. People should get what they want and can afford now, there may never be a tomorrow or 2019 for them.

 

[SDColorado]

Well said, there will always be something to complain about even the Apple logo smudges too easily, that ones a winner.

It’s up there with the “one of my keys makes a slightly different sound than all of the others when pressed”.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Like the 2015 is only supported by Apple store until 2022/2023 which means I have only 4-5years with this Mac covered by Apple and then after that I am pretty much S.O.L. when it comes to repairs!!

If you buy a newer than 2015 one, you'll be "SOL" for other reasons more frequently and sooner anyhow.

 

[Pangalactic]

I would give you the following list of laptops, from best to worst from my experience - I've had all three of them.
1) Surface Book 2 (if you are willing to use windows + Premiere/DaVinci). Greatest keyboard ever, greatest battery life ever, MagSafe, SD card slot, USB A, USB C, best trackpad on windows laptops, tablet, great speakers, one of the best displays. I just love this thing
2) MacBook Pro 2015. I value reliability and usability over power, so this gets my second place. Was a great laptop 3 years ago, starting to get outdated now. Still, a solid machine, and for FCP X editing more than enough for non-professionals.
2 ) MacBook Pro 2018. It's too expensive, too unreliable and too inconvenient with dongles and the touch bar in my opinion, not worth it.

 

[smirking]

You took what I said as a personal insult? lol.

It was disengenuous to not mention the keyboard reliability issues to someone considering buying one. That's not an insult, it's a simple objective fact.

We’ll then, you keep being a wonderful person who’s open to the different perspectives of other people. I’ll keep being a disingenuous liar.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Greatest keyboard ever,

Have you used any ThinkPad Keyboards?

 

[rex450se]

I would say go with the 2018. It is a beast of a machine and will be light years ahead of what you had. I've got the i7/32Gb/1Tb/Vega 20 model as I didn't see enough a performance boost for the i9 and put that money towards the Apple Care and have been thrilled with my choice. I have the linked dock below at home and on my desk at work. I have a charger at both places also. The battery is good enough that I only take the laptop with me and when I get home or to work I plug it into the dock and I have power, sd card, usb and monitor connections. I leave the power and monitors plugged into it at work and home so I only have one thing to ever plug in, it's nice.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/iogear-usb-c-docking-station/6269000.p?skuId=6269000

On another note, I'd vote that the non-retina 2012 Macbook Pro was the best over the 2015. It was still user upgradeable. And with 16Gb of Ram and 2 - 1 TB SSD's it was a very capable machine for many years. One of my kids still uses mine and it's still very reliable.

 

[Pangalactic]

Have you used any ThinkPad Keyboards?

I did, they are awesome as well, probably my second favorite! My personal preference is that I like a bit shorter key travel and very light presses when typing, so Surface is absolutely perfect for me

 

[Tech_Mac_Man]

So I was watching this tech YouTuber "Matt Granger" where he was comparing the spec'd out 2015 MacBook Pro to the 2017 and 2018 spec'd out ones...and these were his results below (I have attached a photo hopefully everyone can see it)...He did a test using 2 software applications that uses alot of resource and power "Final Cut and Adobe Light Room"....When compared to the 2015 and 2018 the Final Cut render time is only 6 mins faster on the 2018 model??...It doesn't seem like alot and definitely not worth the 5K price tag for the 2018 to render 6mins faster...?? Am I missing something here? I mean how can a 2015 i7 (Haswell/Crystalwell) keep up with the 2018 MacBook Pro with i9 (Coffee Lake) processor?

Anyone here with a spec'd out 2015 and a spec'd out 2018 can you please do a test for me and let me know if this is true? I would love to know the results...

 

[xxray]

I'd never choose a 3 year old computer over the most recent... EVER. I understand change is hard, but the amount of people still advocating and desiring the 2015 model blows my mind. I also understand people are worried about reliability, but I wouldn't worry about any issues with the 2018 model unless I got it and experienced them.

 

[unglued]

I also understand people are worried about reliability, but I wouldn't worry about any issues with the 2018 model unless I got it and experienced them.

And last I checked the 2018 comes with a return policy and warranty but I could be wrong, I better check maybe something others know that I don’t.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I also understand people are worried about reliability, but I wouldn't worry about any issues with the 2018 model unless I got it and experienced them.

So disregard data from others?
That doesn't seem very prudent on the part of a buyer.
[doublepost=1545359976][/doublepost]

I'd never choose a 3 year old computer over the most recent... EVER.

Newest doesn't = Best, especially for lots of people and uses.

There are tons of people for whom a 2015 machine would be an awesome and reliable option, even today.

(I know - I'm one of them)

 

[smirking]

Anyone here with a spec'd out 2015 and a spec'd out 2018 can you please do a test for me and let me know if this is true? I would love to know the results

Whatever Granger got, you wouldn't even come close to if you got the only 2015 still available directly from Apple (refurb). None of those have a dedicated GPU.

Where did you find a listing for a 4980HQ with a M370X GPU?
[doublepost=1545374912][/doublepost]

So disregard data from others?

Yeah, but data that supports the opposite conclusion is data too. I know it's unpopular around here to think the current crop of MBPs are not the worst thing ever, but a lot of us fully stand behind that.

There are tons of people for whom a 2015 machine would be an awesome and reliable option, even today. (I know - I'm one of them)

So true and absolutely right. People have different needs and a 2015, especially if you get a steep discount, is a really good choice for many people. It's not a great choice for everyone though. The OP said he's expecting to do mostly video and photo editing on his MBP. Those are use cases that are currently undergoing changes. I wouldn't want to buy into old tech for video editing. There are already monitors that a 2015 can't support and in a few years there'll be peripherals that it can't support either... at least not without (ahem) dongles and/or pricey adapters.
[doublepost=1545375398][/doublepost]

Have you used any ThinkPad Keyboards?

I have to admit that when I was considering my 2016 purchase, Lenovo had just reissued their classic Thinkpad. It was very tempting to jump ship just so I could have that classic form factor. I've always wanted one of those keyboards, but the rest of the laptop was underwhelming so it was never more than a fantasy option and I ended up a reluctant 2016 MBP owner (at first). It grew on me.

 

[turbineseaplane]

@Tech_Mac_Man

Can you tell us a bit more about your specific photo and video editing needs?

What type of projects?
Source material quality level/file size, etc?

 

[treekram]

So I was watching this tech YouTuber "Matt Granger" where he was comparing the spec'd out 2015 MacBook Pro to the 2017 and 2018 spec'd out ones...and these were his results below (I have attached a photo hopefully everyone can see it)...He did a test using 2 software applications that uses alot of resource and power "Final Cut and Adobe Light Room"....When compared to the 2015 and 2018 the Final Cut render time is only 6 mins faster on the 2018 model??...It doesn't seem like alot and definitely not worth the 5K price tag for the 2018 to render 6mins faster...?? Am I missing something here? I mean how can a 2015 i7 (Haswell/Crystalwell) keep up with the 2018 MacBook Pro with i9 (Coffee Lake) processor?

Anyone here with a spec'd out 2015 and a spec'd out 2018 can you please do a test for me and let me know if this is true? I would love to know the results...

So if you're going to do the same projects that this YouTuber does and you feel that the price of the 2018 MBP vs. the 2015 MBP isn't worth it, then you'd have your answer (presuming that this YouTuber set up the comparison properly). Now if you have video projects that require more than 16GB of RAM, then you have to get the 2018 MBP. Which comes to the question in the previous post:

@Tech_Mac_Man

Can you tell us a bit more about your specific photo and video editing needs?

What type of projects?
Source material quality level/file size, etc?

If you have worked with video editing software on a Mac before and have specific projects you do on a regular basis, then it would be easier to quantify the cost vs benefits equation between the 2015 and 2018 MBP. On the other hand, you're looking at a MBP to start video editing, then it's difficult to do such a cost vs benefits analysis.

You mention $5k for the 2018 MBP, which would be in Canadian $? On the Apple website, the 2018 MBP configuration you're looking comes to $4250 US unless I've made a mistake. Some things to keep in mind: 1) the i9 option ($300) may not be worth the extra money for you; 2) 32GB memory is $400 US - something you can't get on the 2015 MBP; 3) there is also nothing comparable to the Vega 20 option on the 2015 MBP ($350). So $300 of the cost is for marginal (most people say) performance gains, $750 is for stuff you can't get on a 2105 MBP which may or may not be of extreme importance to you - it's hard to say because it would depend on whether your video projects need a computer with over 16GB RAM and how much the Vega 20 would contribute to your gaming experience.

 

[jerryk]

I'd never choose a 3 year old computer over the most recent... EVER. I understand change is hard, but the amount of people still advocating and desiring the 2015 model blows my mind. I also understand people are worried about reliability, but I wouldn't worry about any issues with the 2018 model unless I got it and experienced them.

When I got my 2018 15", I kept my 2015 15" as a backup for 2 months because of all the keyboard issues in the 2017/17. I purposely was hard on 2018 keyboard figuring if the keyboard died I could just switch to the backup. I even was syncing files between the two machines every night because I did not want to miss a beat if I had to swap to the backup.

After 2 months with no issues I decided that the 2018 was past the infant mortality phase and got rid of the 2015. And so far the 2018 has been flawless. I use it for developing and programming machine learning models, and for recording training audio and video for training classes. While the 2015 was good at these tasks, the 2018 is even better.

 

[turbineseaplane]

After 2 months with no issues I decided that the 2018 was past the infant mortality phase and got rid of the 2015. And so far the 2018 has been flawless

"So far"

May fortune favor you my friend.


Just having fun - hopefully, of course, it stays rock solid for you.
It's still pretty early for all the 2018 models honestly.