MacBook Pro 15" - 2015 vs 2016

[TrueBlou]

For the approximately 14 people who might actually do what you suggest, wonderful. For the rest of us, wrong.

It's funny, we heard the same thing about Thunderbolt 2. And 1. And Firewire . . . How have those turned out?

The 2016 is the best expression yet of how bankrupt Apple is when it comes to ideas for the MBP. They have ONE worn-out idea - make it thinner. I don't want it thinner, I want it better.

The existing rMBP chassis is already anorexic; Apple is one short step away from starving it to death. It has converted the 15" into a glorified Macbook Air.

The difference with Thunderbolt 3 ports is that it really doesn't matter a damn if anyone supports them. It'll be great when they do S they're ridiculously fast. But as they are also USB-C they are compatible with the industry standard connection format.

It's all very well wanting USB-A, heck I wouldn't have complained either. But kitting out a system designed to last users for a good many years with the technology that will be commonplace during that time. Rather than concentrating on the format that's about to be replaced makes sense. Wouldn't we all be bitching and moaning in two years time that our MacBooks were incompatible with the new peripherals being released if Apple hadn't made the change.

I for one am absolutely delighted with what Apple have done for the new MacBook. I weighed my pros and cons and tried all sorts of possible alternatives for months before making the informed decision to spend an obscene amount of money on a new MacBook and I don't regret that decision at all.

 

[jackoatmon]

You could really feel the difference.

u obviously havent lifted the new one yet

makes the 2015 one feel like a ton of bricks on a transport truck on top of you

like a directional black hole pointed downward from the top your outstretched hands

infinitely huge and unwieldy

 

[masotime]

u obviously havent lifted the new one yet

I have, at the Apple Store. I was completely surprised, I felt no difference at all.

I've already provided facts that it's only 10% lighter compared to the 2011 unibody v 2015 retina which is 25% lighter. There was a massive difference there, significantly less this time around.

 

[HBOC]

I couldn't bring myself spending $2800 + tax + applecare on a laptop. I picked up a like new 2015 mid level 15" with 3 years of applecare for $2000 last July. it'll last me for years - and if it decide to upgrade at some point, i will have leased this machine for far less then if i bought new 🙂

I also don't have a stopwatch and clock everytime i import photos to LR

 

[jackoatmon]

I felt no difference at all.

you otta get that major problem with perception checked out by a doctor i'm super worried about u

 

[MrGuder]

So I got my 2016 2.6 16/512 today and have been doing a side by side comparison for a couple hours. So I now have the 2015 2.5 16/512 and the 2016 both are 15" models. I have till this weekend to send back the 2015 so I have a solid 5 days to really compare these before I make my decision. I realize now that this is what I should have done when I originally got the 2016 (do a side by side) and returned it.

Coconut Battery shows that my 2016 was manufactured on Jan 30, 2017 with 1 battery cycle. I've been typing on it quite a bit tonight and can confirm no high pitched sound on any keys. I've noticed the keys don't seem to be quite as loud, although the ones in the middle sound a bit hollow compared to the outer keys but I feel there not quite as loud as the one I returned. So far I'm happy with the keys and going back and forth between models, I really prefer typing on the 2016 vs the 2015. I actually seem to type faster too. I also like the backlit keys on the 2016 much nicer in my opinion.

Ok so the first thing I did after getting it all set up was to mirror all my settings from the 2015 to the 2016 (same everything resolution, brightness etc..) Brightness on both set at 13 clicks. I then ran several HD videos between the 2 and just watched and listened. I would mute the sound on the one while listening to the other and vice vs. I made sure the videos were synch and started at the exact time so they were playing at the exact times. The first few things I noticed right away from watching both was the the display on the 2016 not only had better contrast but just looked nicer, richer in colors and very pleasing. This was the same effect I had on my previous 2016 that I returned, the display just looks awesome, it's not just the brightness, it's the color gamut and contrast. I'm not saying the 2015 is bad it just doesn't pop like the 2016 and it's evident seeing this side by side in my own home environment.

The 2nd thing that hit me was how incredibilty loud the speakers are on the 2016. I had the volume set at 8 clicks on each model and going back and forth was like night and day. The 2016 volume just sounded clearer and much more pleasant than the 2015. I said this before but I've never heard better speakers on a laptop than this 2016 MacBook Pro.

I really inspected this 2016 and there is not a blemish on it, looks perfect to me. I really like this SG color and how it makes for a darker theme at night especially typing as I'm doing now.

So to wrap this up for now, I also wanted to mentioned that as soon as I took the plastic off the 2016 I grabbed my 2015 and held both in my hand to feel the weight difference, something I couldn't do before since I didn't have both these models at the same time but I can feel the weight difference. I know it's only half a pound but it is noticeable. In addition, I really do like the smaller bezels it's just visually more appealing. Both are running Sierra 10.12.2 (I stopped auto updates on the 2016 so I could play tonight and compare) however tomorrow night I plan to update the 2016 to 10.12.3 as I read this helps with the auto graphics switching and some are reporting better battery so why not update.

Can't wait to try these out more this week. I think I already know where I'm leaning.

 

[monkeydax]

So I got my 2016 2.6 16/512 today and have been doing a side by side comparison for a couple hours. So I now have the 2015 2.5 16/512 and the 2016 both are 15" models. I have till this weekend to send back the 2015 so I have a solid 5 days to really compare these before I make my decision. I realize now that this is what I should have done when I originally got the 2016 (do a side by side) and returned it.

Coconut Battery shows that my 2016 was manufactured on Jan 30, 2017 with 1 battery cycle. I've been typing on it quite a bit tonight and can confirm no high pitched sound on any keys. I've noticed the keys don't seem to be quite as loud, although the ones in the middle sound a bit hollow compared to the outer keys but I feel there not quite as loud as the one I returned. So far I'm happy with the keys and going back and forth between models, I really prefer typing on the 2016 vs the 2015. I actually seem to type faster too. I also like the backlit keys on the 2016 much nicer in my opinion.

Ok so the first thing I did after getting it all set up was to mirror all my settings from the 2015 to the 2016 (same everything resolution, brightness etc..) Brightness on both set at 13 clicks. I then ran several HD videos between the 2 and just watched and listened. I would mute the sound on the one while listening to the other and vice vs. I made sure the videos were synch and started at the exact time so they were playing at the exact times. The first few things I noticed right away from watching both was the the display on the 2016 not only had better contrast but just looked nicer, richer in colors and very pleasing. This was the same effect I had on my previous 2016 that I returned, the display just looks awesome, it's not just the brightness, it's the color gamut and contrast. I'm not saying the 2015 is bad it just doesn't pop like the 2016 and it's evident seeing this side by side in my own home environment.

The 2nd thing that hit me was how incredibilty loud the speakers are on the 2016. I had the volume set at 8 clicks on each model and going back and forth was like night and day. The 2016 volume just sounded clearer and much more pleasant than the 2015. I said this before but I've never heard better speakers on a laptop than this 2016 MacBook Pro.

I really inspected this 2016 and there is not a blemish on it, looks perfect to me. I really like this SG color and how it makes for a darker theme at night especially typing as I'm doing now.

So to wrap this up for now, I also wanted to mentioned that as soon as I took the plastic off the 2016 I grabbed my 2015 and held both in my hand to feel the weight difference, something I couldn't do before since I didn't have both these models at the same time but I can feel the weight difference. I know it's only half a pound but it is noticeable. In addition, I really do like the smaller bezels it's just visually more appealing. Both are running Sierra 10.12.2 (I stopped auto updates on the 2016 so I could play tonight and compare) however tomorrow night I plan to update the 2016 to 10.12.3 as I read this helps with the auto graphics switching and some are reporting better battery so why not update.

Can't wait to try these out more this week. I think I already know where I'm leaning.

Can I just ask - can you try tapping on the Touch ID sensor, does it make a rattling sound and it's able to move slightly? This is before the click that is supposed to be normal.

 

[Sanpete]

Can I just ask - can you try tapping on the Touch ID sensor, does it make a rattling sound and it's able to move slightly?

Yes.

 

[MH01]

the new one's a billion times better forget that old heavy clunky junk from 2 years ago

200gram difference , hit the gym bud 😉
[doublepost=1486446733][/doublepost]

Can I just ask - can you try tapping on the Touch ID sensor, does it make a rattling sound and it's able to move slightly? This is before the click that is supposed to be normal.

Yeah it has some movement . It's a button, never saw this as an issue on mine . The Touch ID I really like

 

[Charlesje]

Sorry bud, year on year intel improvements are becoming very small, tick tock is gone. I have a 2012 3970x system which sees little benefit from upgrades.... life 😉

Thanks for calling me your bud 😉 You are right about the slowing down of speed gains in Intel cpu cycles. This was my point also for the previous gens of the MBP. But skylake provides a greater speedbump because it overcomes the thermal bottleneck in the previous mbps (mbps as well as other small footprint notebooks severely throttle when under heavy cpu load) Notice that desktops didn't have the same bottleneck problem so skylake brings much less of an improvement to desktops because of that.

But I'm really seeing the speed increase in actual use. Logic pro and ableton live perform at least 15% faster when you compare benchmark results widely available on this. This is a major advantage as cpu performance is a real bottleneck for mobile daw use (next to memory, which is sadly still at the 16 mb limit, if the 2017 mbp brings a 32 mb i'll throw mine out of the window!).

And besides, you sent me a cinebench r15 cpu score of 633 of your maximum cpu spec 15-inch 2015 mbp. When comparing this to the 750 score of the maxed out 2016 mbp, this means a 18,5% increase. This corroborates with my actual use. So it's really unfounded to call the 2016 mbp performance on par with the previous gen.

 

[MH01]

Thanks for calling me your bud 😉 You are right about the slowing down of speed gains in Intel cpu cycles. This was my point also for the previous gens of the MBP. But skylake provides a greater speedbump because it overcomes the thermal bottleneck in the previous mbps (mbps as well as other small footprint notebooks severely throttle when under heavy cpu load) Notice that desktops didn't have the same bottleneck problem so skylake brings much less of an improvement to desktops because of that.

But I'm really seeing the speed increase in actual use. Logic pro and ableton live perform at least 15% faster when you compare benchmark results widely available on this. This is a major advantage as cpu performance is a real bottleneck for mobile daw use (next to memory, which is sadly still at the 16 mb limit, if the 2017 mbp brings a 32 mb i'll throw mine out of the window!).

And besides, you sent me a cinebench r15 cpu score of 633 of your maximum cpu spec 15-inch 2015 mbp. When comparing this to the 750 score of the maxed out 2016 mbp, this means a 18,5% increase. This corroborates with my actual use. So it's really unfounded to call the 2016 mbp performance on par with the previous gen.

That was a respectful bud 🙂

If you are a user on the edge pushing their machine all the time you will only get that 15% advantage under certain applications at certain conditions. The point I'm making there has not been a significant performance upgrade since 2012 in my opinion , sure every generation is a bump, but geez that is a lot of money to pay small upgrades.

As for cinebench r15 scores, happy to provide an average score , you can't take a single run and use that for comparison. Average score of 5 completions ? Exactly same conditions ? What would you like to compare ? I have a 2015 2.8 and 2012 2.7, I'm sure we can arrange a test with people on this forum . Just need to set the same conditions

 

[Charlesje]

That was a respectful bud 🙂

If you are a user on the edge pushing their machine all the time you will only get that 15% advantage under certain applications at certain conditions. The point I'm making there has not been a significant performance upgrade since 2012 in my opinion , sure every generation is a bump, but geez that is a lot of money to pay small upgrades.

As for cinebench r15 scores, happy to provide an average score , you can't take a single run and use that for comparison. Average score of 5 completions ? Exactly same conditions ? What would you like to compare ? I have a 2015 2.8 and 2012 2.7, I'm sure we can arrange a test with people on this forum . Just need to set the same conditions

I'm indeed a user on the edge (quite like this term 😉), and for most people indeed these settings won't matter much. But its my opinion that if you're looking for cpu performance in the new 15 inches, you'll be mostly looking for its performance under high and sustained load (various usecases from rendering to daw or statistical use would require thqt). I did the r15 cpu test about at least 15 times in a row and had scores ranging between 744 and 755. I actually repeated this test to check if at certain temps throttling would occur. I pushed it up to 97 degrees celsius, if I recall well, and could never bring it to throttle. I know that on previous gens had this problem actually bringing the performance of the different tiers on par. This was a problem, certainly for Ableton users, because Ableton really pushes the machines to their limits (and if you have the dgpu version, Ableton never uses the integrated one).

It would indeed be interesting if you could do the r15 cpu test on your machines (say 10 times in a row). If you find the time...

 

[MrGuder]

Can I just ask - can you try tapping on the Touch ID sensor, does it make a rattling sound and it's able to move slightly? This is before the click that is supposed to be normal.

No rattle, I actually inspected that last night too as I've read others here with that issue. Touch ID works great as well.

I also charged each one to a full charge and unplugged before going to bed and this morning I didn't have time to use them but opened both from sleep and was delighted to see there both at 100% so no time lost overnight.

 

[MH01]

I'm indeed a user on the edge (quite like this term 😉), and for most people indeed these settings won't matter much. But its my opinion that if you're looking for cpu performance in the new 15 inches, you'll be mostly looking for its performance under high and sustained load (various usecases from rendering to daw or statistical use would require thqt). I did the r15 cpu test about at least 15 times in a row and had scores ranging between 744 and 755. I actually repeated this test to check if at certain temps throttling would occur. I pushed it up to 97 degrees celsius, if I recall well, and could never bring it to throttle. I know that on previous gens had this problem actually bringing the performance of the different tiers on par. This was a problem, certainly for Ableton users, because Ableton really pushes the machines to their limits (and if you have the dgpu version, Ableton never uses the integrated one).

It would indeed be interesting if you could do the r15 cpu test on your machines (say 10 times in a row). If you find the time...

Cool. I'll go ahead and do 10 runs 🙂

 

[Mindinversion]

Apple adding official support for an external GPU sounds lovely. Have they officially confirmed this? As it took them 5 years to add TRIM support for third party SSDs, when should we expect this?

I know that you can get it working in OS X with compatible Polaris or Nvidia 9 series GPUs, as I've seen youtube videos on it. More interesting to me was the ability to add a Windows installation to a USB Type C SSD, add my Razer Core, and that way if I needed/wanted to switch back to windows for any gaming or other applications I got extra power and didn't take up any space on the main drive via bootcamp.

I'll have to take some pictures once everything is said and done and make a post, but I can CONFIRM that there is no issue with installing Windows 10 on a Samsung T3 SSD [special thanks to Lon.TV for the helpful instructional video on windows to go] And The Razer Core with a GTX 960 was plug and play simple.

For the approximately 14 people who might actually do what you suggest, wonderful. For the rest of us, wrong.

It's funny, we heard the same thing about Thunderbolt 2. And 1. And Firewire . . . How have those turned out?

The 2016 is the best expression yet of how bankrupt Apple is when it comes to ideas for the MBP. They have ONE worn-out idea - make it thinner. I don't want it thinner, I want it better.

The existing rMBP chassis is already anorexic; Apple is one short step away from starving it to death. It has converted the 15" into a glorified Macbook Air.

There's an old saying that I believe applies to this "Those who do not embrace technology are doomed to be replaced by it"

But I'll put it to you: What NEW TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGY would *YOU* have added to the 2016 MacBook Pro line??? What better innovation would you suggest??? If you have some game changing idea that's not taking two steps backwards, I'm sure all the OEM vendors would LOVE to hear from you. . because about the only innovation ANY of them are showing are Thinner, lighter, more battery life.... And RGB lighting covering seemingly every inch of their equipment. [don't get me wrong, RGB lighting is great. . . to a point... but I don't need my computer to look like Clark Griswold's house in Christmas Vacation]

Also, Thunderbolt 1 & 2 and firewire were Apple trying to push the industry standard to the rest of the computer industry. The difference with Thunderbolt 3 is that INTEL is the one pushing the technology, it has already been widely accepted on many OEM PC devices, as well as tablets and phones. This isn't exactly Apple pushing the envelope so much as jumping on board with adoption and going all in. Granted, I doubt they had any room on the logic board for things like 3.0 controllers or the SD card slot but in YOUR defense I *WILL* say that the 2015 Blade Stealth is only a hair thinner than the 15" MacBook Pro. . and still manages to squeeze on 2 USB 3.0 ports.

So, yea. If it doesn't work for you, that's fine: Go buy a 2015, or any other machine. It's always best to buy the right tool for the job you're doing, and I get that. Just don't sit there and complain because they built a newer tool that's perfect for others because they didn't tailor it to your specific specifications.

 

[Naimfan]

There's an old saying that I believe applies to this "Those who do not embrace technology are doomed to be replaced by it"

But I'll put it to you: What NEW TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGY would *YOU* have added to the 2016 MacBook Pro line??? What better innovation would you suggest???

It's always easier to pose questions that were not in the referenced post, isn't it? 😉

My reasons for dissatisfaction with the 2016 15" Macbooks have been posted on these fora before; I feel no need to repeat them. And if you're too young to remember, many people said the exact same thing about Thunderbolt 2, 1, and Firewire (both 400 and 800).

 

[Sanpete]

And if you're too young to remember, many people said the exact same thing about Thunderbolt 2, 1, and Firewire (both 400 and 800).

Some of us are old enough to recall that none of those had the advantage of working via a standard USB connector.

 

[rutrack]

It is amazing how so many people are choosing the 2015 model instead of 2016 despite the new one being so much faster in so many tasks, there must be something wrong 🙂

 

[Sanpete]

It is amazing how so many people are choosing the 2015 model instead of 2016 despite the new one being so much faster in so many tasks, there must be something wrong 🙂

The throttling and dGPU differences discussed above won't affect most people much, but since the OP does mention video editing, those are significant issues in this context.

 

[Charlesje]

The price of the 2016 mbp is high also. Apple really aimed for the limit in pricing.

 

[doitdada]

I just came home with a 13" nTB, 8GB, 256. Love the sound of it, the weight, the keyboard is fantastic. The 2015 is dead. I think the touch bar made me unsure, but I no longer have to think about it. Miss some ports and cables, but again, who cares? Don't want to travel back in time...or do I?

The USB C hunt for fitting cables is hard. I want to give up. Waiting for shipping dates. Why can't I just get the MacBook Pro 15" from 2015 with legacy USB ports? It has a bloated form factor. I even felt the new 15" from 2016 was a bit on the heavy side. Maybe they should have made a 14" and just used integrated graphics?

I don't know. One thing I hate more than USB C and the lack of peripherals, is the touch bar. Too immature. It may evolve if the young souls of Apple buyers find great ways to use it, but right now it is just a fun feature and nothing that really puts the MacBook apart from the generic brands with Windows as an operating system.

The price of the 2016 mbp is high also. Apple really aimed for the limit in pricing.

The price may be higher, but the CPU and memory are somewhat the same. What sets the new MacBook Pro apart is that it has a brilliant display, great keyboard, faster SSD and a lovely trackpad. Skylake and the mild bump in memory speed is just there because of the seasons.

 

[RickeshPatel]

USBC:
You may have a few devices that will always use the old connector. Get a dongle. With Macs, you usually have to buy a dongle for a display, the 2012-15 rMBP was the first computer that apple introduced HDMI to. Upgrade your devices to TB3 or USBC, I bought a USB-C to lightning (added benefits, you can charge iPad and iPhone in your laptop brick). Certain USB C drives are very fast in transfer speeds.

Performance:
Not really much of a difference. If you spec up a 2015, it will be comparable. At this point if you can wait (lol) for the 2017 model. The SSD will blow the other one out of the water though.

Design: I love the weight of my 2016 15" I carry it in my bag and can't even feel the weight of it. I sometimes miss the classic aluminum when I see one and I can say that the space grey attracts dust/particles and kinda gets more trapped in the body/keys of the new one (Oh well). If you hold a 2016 13" and then a 2016 15", you barely notice the weight difference, it's amazing.

Sorry for any typos or writing errors, I didn't proofread.

 

[Mindinversion]

It's always easier to pose questions that were not in the referenced post, isn't it? 😉

Now let's back up here a sec, YOU SAID:

The 2016 is the best expression yet of how bankrupt Apple is when it comes to ideas for the MBP. They have ONE worn-out idea - make it thinner. I don't want it thinner, I want it better.

And then when I call you on what YOU think is a "better" idea you dance around the conversation by accusing ME of dancing around the conversation?

All this because you're salty that the new Shiny on the block doesn't conform to your nebulous and as yet unidentified "better"

I guess gettin' trolled is better than' gettin' [Rick]Rolled, so I'll just stick by the immortal words of Eddie Murphy/Richard Pryor, and say "Have a coke and a smile......"

 

[doitdada]

Where can I find a thunderbolt 3 to Displayport cable?

 

[Naimfan]

Now let's back up here a sec, YOU SAID:



And then when I call you on what YOU think is a "better" idea you dance around the conversation by accusing ME of dancing around the conversation?

All this because you're salty that the new Shiny on the block doesn't conform to your nebulous and as yet unidentified "better"

I guess gettin' trolled is better than' gettin' [Rick]Rolled, so I'll just stick by the immortal words of Eddie Murphy/Richard Pryor, and say "Have a coke and a smile......"

My, just a bit invested personally, are we? 😉

As I said, I've written elsewhere about what I believe Apple should have done. A pity you're too lazy to bother searching, which also says you're lazy about everything else and can safely be ignored.