Earlier today, Apple took wraps off of a refreshed 12-inch MacBook just over a year after the line was first introduced. While Apple is touting that this MacBook is faster and offers longer battery life than last year’s model, the company is notoriously vague when it comes to sharing under-the-hood details on its product pages. We’ve done some digging, however, and will attempt to break down all of the differences between last year’s 12-inch MacBook and this year’s upgraded model.
Processor
The biggest difference between the 2015 12-inch MacBook and the 2016 12-inch MacBook comes with the processor. Last year, Apple opted for a low-power Intel Core M processor that supported Turbo Boost to 2.9GHz with the maxed out 1.3GHz model. This year, Apple has upgraded the processor to an Intel Skylake Core M processor. These processors consume the same power as the low-power Core M used in last year’s model, meaning that battery life shouldn’t be affected, but offer improved performance.
In GeekBench tests, which should be taken with a grain of salt, The Verge found that the mid-tier 1.2GHz 2016 MacBook came in about 20 percent faster than the mid-tier model from last year. While benchmark tests are synthetic and don’t always correlate to real-world performance, any increase is a good increase.
Below are the processor configurations and their Turbo Boost speeds:
2015 models:
- 1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor, Turbo Boost to 2.4GHz
- 1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor, Turbo Boost to 2.6GHz
- 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor, Turbo Boost to 2.9GHz
2016 models:
- 1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core m3 Skylake processor, Turbo Boost to 2.2GHz
- 1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core m5 Skylake processor, Turbo Boost to 2.7GHz
- 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core m7 Skylake processor, Turbo Boost to 3.1GHz
GPU
In addition to bumping up the processor slightly this time around, Apple has also upgraded the GPU found in its 12-inch MacBook. While the 2015 model included an Intel HD 5300 integrated setup, the 2016 model includes the snappier Intel HD 515 GPU. Apple says this year’s GPU is “up to 25 percent faster” to than last year’s, while not affecting battery life either.
The frequency of the HD 5300 was between 800MHz and 900MHz, while the frequency of this year’s HD 515 supports slightly faster speeds of up to 1000MHz. Intel’s estimation is slightly less conservative than Apple’s, as the company is claiming the HD 515 is “up to 41 percent faster” than the HD 5300.
Ultimately, the moral of the story here is that you still won’t be able to do any intense gaming or video editing with the 12-inch MacBook, but with the improved graphics performance, it should be better equipped to keep up with most general tasks you throw its way.
Battery
Personally, my biggest gripe with the 2015 12-inch MacBook is its battery life. Apple touted that last year’s machine could pull in 9 hours of battery life, assuming you were doing light web browsing. This time around, however, Apple claims that the new 12-inch MacBook can last for up to 10 hours of web browsing, 11 hours of iTunes movie playback, and 30 days of standby.
The 2015 MacBook included a 39.7-watt-hour battery, while this year’s model features a slightly larger 41.4-watt-hour battery. It’s likely, however, that the main battery benefits will come from the more efficient Skylake processors from Intel.
While Apple in the past didn’t seem to exaggerate its battery claims for laptops as much as other manufacturers, that didn’t necessarily seem to be the case with the 12-inch MacBook. Ideally, however, the more efficient processor and slightly larger battery will help the machine inch closer to that 10-hour market.
Of course, one advantage of the 12-inch MacBook’s USB-C port is that you can charge the laptop using a power bank that many have grown accustomed to using with their iPhone. For instance, this Anker PowerCore+ pack can give your MacBook an entire recharge and comes in at just $59.99.
RAM Speed
While Apple is still limiting the RAM options for MacBook customers to 8GB only, the company did make a slight improvement with the 2016 model. This year’s 12-inch MacBook uses 8GB of 1866MHz LPDDR3 RAM, where as the 2015 model used 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM clocked at 1600MHz.
Ultimately, this won’t have a huge impact on performance and we would have liked to see Apple upgrade to DDR4 RAM, but the slight bump could lend itself to ever-so-slightly improved graphic and multitasking performance. As you would expect, Apple still isn’t allowing users to upgrade the RAM, and we don’t anticipate that ever being the case with the any laptop as thin and sleek as the 12-inch MacBook.
SSD Speeds
While specific details about the flash storage used in the 2016 MacBook remain unclear at the moment, early benchmarks using the Blackmagic disk testing application show that the newest MacBook offers speeds that are 80 percent to 90 percent faster than last year’s model.
Again, this is another instance of a smaller but definitely welcomed improvement. Apple offers the 12-inch MacBook in 256GB and 512GB storage variants.
Color
Last but certainly not least, with the 2016 12-inch MacBook Apple has brought its Rose Gold color option to the Mac lineup for the first time. The pink-ish color joins the previously available silver, gold, and space gray color palette of last year’s model.
What should have been upgraded but wasn’t
While admittedly we were all expecting a slow year in terms of updates to the 12-inch given the radical refresh it got only a year ago, there are still a few things that probably should have been upgraded but weren’t. For one, I really wish Apple would have added a second USB-C port. Sure there are a bunch of accessories available to get the most out of the single USB-C port the MacBook has, but adding another would have gotten rid of a lot of complaints regarding the machine.
Another area that should have been upgraded this time around is the FaceTime camera. Despite the fact that we’re now in 2016, Apple still thinks it’s reasonable to ship a $1,299 computer with a 480p camera slapped on it. Why Apple hasn’t at least upgraded it to a 720p sensor is anyone’s guess, but it needs to be done.
Finally, it would have been nice to see Apple drop the entry price for the 12-inch MacBook to $1,199 or even lower. Given that it’s been available for over a year now and the “wow factor” of the design is wearing off, Apple’s going to have a hard time justifying the $1,299 price tag for something that doesn’t carry the “Pro” moniker, especially if Apple updates the rest of its Mac lineup this year. On the other hand, you can now get a 2015 12-inch MacBook for $929 and that’s an insanely solid deal.
Do you plan to purchase Apple’s new 12-inch MacBook? Let us know in the comments.
For all of the best accessories to use with a 12-inch MacBook, check out this guide by 9to5Toys.
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I want this computer/a version of this, but in some ways it sucks. No front camera upgrade. No RAM upgrade. Why is this happening?
This machine didn’t need an upgrade, but it got one. Less than a year old and it’s already in it’s second generation. This has to be to bring it up to speed in preparation for new MacBook Pros, which are in serious need of an upgrade.
Have an older mbp, looking for a smaller lighter option without having to go to a nonretina screen. These 12″ Mbs would be perfect for my needs if not for the janky camera
I understand you’re angry about the not-upgrading of the camera. But did you really expect this notebook to get more than 8gb of ram? I mean how would Apple even do that? 8gb is more than enough for this kind of Macbook and if they had upped the ram to 16gb (which is the logical next ram upgrade after 8gb) the Macbook would have as much ram as most Retina Macbook Pro’s, or even more because I think the 13inch Retina Pro starts at 8gb.
not getting one until the stop using cameras left over from the ip4s! an extra usb port wouldn’t hurt also.
Sorry to hear that, get a Pro. (Or an Air, they’re on sale now for some reason) :D
Last year when this came out it seemed like the ideal PC for my needs – i needed something small and light for work…mostly doing documents, internet browsing, sharing videos and basic presentations, email, and youtube (breaktime…lol) — Apple were offering an interest free 12 month payment plan in Japan (where I live), when i got to the store and told them I wanted that offer they got me the laptop out (gold one) and placed the box in front of me…they then proceeded to get me to fill out the loan application (with the help of a japanese friend)…only to then be handed a phone from the financial department of the loan company they were with — because i was foreign I was turned down… This left a bitter taste due to how Apple handled this, they have English support instore, online, and on the phone BUT refused to help with the loan — they then suggested I put it on my credit card… The fact they tease you with the product, offer no loan support, and then push a sale – i left the store empty handed.
I went to an electronic store, they had a sale, I ended up with a 13″ macbook pro with around $350 knocked off the retail price, and the stores own 5 years guarantee (which included water and accidental damage) – they didn’t push the sale, they helped me out the best they could in English, and also told me about their points card system where i got about $100 worth of points.
I’m happy with my macbook pro BUT I kinda wish things had gone better at Apple because the macbook would have been better suited for my needs.
This refresh still makes it tempting — but given that i have had my laptop only a year, and that they still have a high price, and a crappy facetime cam (iphone and ipad have a better cam) i think i will pass this year… maybe next year, probably the year after…
Although, if they update the macbook pro line similar to the images 9to5 posted earlier – then that would be one sweet laptop :-)
The loan company, is a loan company. There’s little what apple could do about it.
Apple chose the loan company to go with…
Apple could have translated over the phone…
Also, given that apple and their store said they offer full english support etc, kinda fell short in this aspect…
Apple should state that to make a loan application you will need to understand and speak japanese – or pick a company that offer english support so that it matches the support they advertise… it was very misleading.
I don’t know of any person buying in an Apple Store. Some do order online from Apple, but most find better deals from 3rd party resellers.
in the states maybe… in japan you rarely find sales of apple stuff — in fact amazon sometimes costs more.
Plus, as a teacher i get education discount from apple.
Actually I wouldn’t know about The States; I’m Dutch and see this happening in Holland, and Europe.
That was FAST! Usually you hear about supplies running out and can expect something to happen next month. This only took days.
And since the Air supply (heh) is also dwindling and they don’t have new machines to show for it as well, I consider them end of life now. All hail the MacBook. It only took five years and replacing the entire product line to get rid of that horrible silver bezel around the screen.
Impatiently waiting for what’s in store for new Pros. Aeron really needs to replace his plucky and slightly damaged mid-2011 model.
Supply shortages really only happen with newly released products, it’s actually a ploy, although cheap one, to inject artificial excitement and want into a product announcement. If supply shortages was an actual problem, Apple could easily just wait until the supply chains were filled before releasing. It’s all just marketing BS in which many fall for time again and time again.
I recently sold my Macbook 12″ and bought the new Razor Stealth, The model I got has the an i7 6600U, 8GB RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD and a 12″, 4K touch display, which is the absolute most gorgeous display I have ever seen on any laptop, ever.I also got the external GPU case with a AMD Fury Nano and even added a Oculus Rift to play games I repartioned the system to install Solaris 11, Console OS, which is a really nice Android based OS and Arch Linux as I work predominantly with Unix based systems at work. I am utterly blown away with this hardware guys, being an Apple user and predominantly MacBook guy it was a hard decision to make but after seeing my work colleagues Stealth in action, I just had to have it. You know what, it’s mind blowlingly good, It’s almost as thin as my Macbook 12″, .52″, battery life is so, so, I get about 7hrs with Windows but when I’m out and about I just use Console OS which gives me a littlel over 10hrs, which is great and Android for productivity is actually pretty good. I’m using an office suite called Office HD, which is OpenOffice rewritten and optimized for Android, it wipes the floor with any office suite available for iOS, including MS Office, which really isnt to hard to do as it doesn’t have a tenth of what the desktop version has. OfficeSuite Premium for iOS is the best one I found and even that one didn’t have support for databases or scripting languages, both of which Office HD has and both of which I require to get my work done. It’s also a big reason why I don’t use my IPad Pro for work and just content consumption or music creation, which is fine as music consumes a large portion of my free time.
Anyway, overall I’m really happy I jumped shipped, recent years I kind of felt that Apple’s laptops have kind of stagnated, with nothing really new or exciting that stood out except for OSX. Which I’ve recently managed to get running on the Stealth through an external Thunderbolt drive (the Stealth supports Thunderbolt) and you know what, it works extremely well, in fact, I cannot tell the difference, other than it’s like 10x faster than my Macbook 12″. I love the external GPU option, games run flawleslly with not a one dropping below 60FPS and that’s at 4K, though I use my Oculus Rift most of the time,, even as a monitor. Which you guys have got to try, it’s so cool, multiple desktops in 360, ssssoooo cool!
So I think I’m done with Apple’s computers for awhile, I still have my iPad Pro so it’s not like I’m ditching Apple all together. Though I have to say, I wasn’t all that impressed with that either as OS is definitely in need of some major improvements. To be perfectly honest, I find Android on my Razor to be a lot more useful for productivity tasks than the IPad Pro, all each to his own though. I’m sure most of you guys love yours so who cares what I say
Despite being Skylake, Core m3/m5/m7 don’t support DDR4. That’s reserved for full blown Skylake chips.
These are certainly better than last year’s MacBook, but clearly a minor upgrade. Obviously, Apple didn’t spend the time/money to fully redesign the internals or modify the case for added ports. Then again, the “PC Market” has really tanked, so maybe the Mac’s just aren’t getting the love.
Although the MacBook is nice, I haven’t recommended this model to any of my friends or family. It’s still the Air or the Pro, due to price/performance.
But will it work with Oculus Rift?
Oculus Rift is the new Crysis, huh?
Nope but I’ll be upgrading from my 2011 MBA to a 2016 MBP once they’re out. 😁
The 2015 1.3GHz model was a Skylake? I thought all Skylakes launched in the fall of 2015, not when the MacBook launched.
Second USB-C? Are you nuts? You probably don’t understand what this computer is about. It’s about future. Future is not about cables guys. Common. You are not thinking like designers. You are thinking like typical Windows users.
I’d probably pull the trigger if the USB-C port supported Thunderbolt. If it had that and 16GB of RAM, I’d be a “take my money” situation. I’m still in a weird limbo situation even with these updated specs.
why would you need it to support Thunderbolt 3? I mean, you’re not going to be editing 4K or even 1080p video on this thing…
Thunderbolt 3 can be used for more than video editing.
Sure, but video files are easily some of the largest one can generate. What other reason would you need the speed of Thunderbolt 3 over USB 3? I mean… I can’t imagine you’ll be transferring >50gb files to your macbook all of the time.
Heard of the Thunderbolt Display? Yeah, some people have them
@informunation but they use thunderbolt 1/2… not thunderbolt 3. They wouldn’t be compatible anyway (unless they made some sort of adapter for the old connector like the did with FireWire 800/400)
This MacBook didn’t had performance issues before and this model will not have performance issues either. Seriously. Every processor these days can do photoshop and video editing. I don’t understand why everybody is criticizing this MacBook for performance. It’s absolutely usable. Sure, you won’t do games and Maya, Flame or whatever like that on it. But you wouldn’t anyway because of the screen in the first place.
I was really excited when I saw the news this morning that the update had finally happened. I’d been waiting patiently for months now to get the MacBook. I’ve been in need of a second computer that I can take with me anywhere. I have a 2013 rMBP that was maxed out when I bought it and I use it as my work horse and certainly still love it but I’ve been wanting something ultraportable and the MacBook fit the bill. My hope was they’d add a second USB-C port and cut the price. $1,299 is just too high for the base model and the maxed out model goes for $1,749. I was still planning on buying the new model until they announced the price drop of the refurbished 2015 models and ended up ordering the maxed out 1.3GHz 512GB model for $1,319. I can’t wait to get my hands on it and hope I love it.
Already ordered mine. (1.3GHz, 256GB, Space Grey)
This was the update I expected and waited for. It’s the perfect travel companion IMO.
Me too ! Exactly the same as you: space grey, 1.3GHZ and 256GB. I ordered mine on april 20th and Apple says it will arrive on may 3th. Can’t wait ! And the camera i don’t use, don’t use it now and will not use in the future , hate face timing.
I just got mine today… it is slick as hell. Very, very nice.
i got mine friday ! Very Very pleased with it , made the right choice to choose 1.3 version :-)
$1,750 is way to much spend on this, Not when a Razor Stealth costs 1,300 with an i7 6500U, 8GB, 256GGB, 2USB 3.0, HDMI, USB C/Thunder Bolt, external GPU option, 4K touch display, customizable color illuminated keyboard, Dimensions 0.52 x 12.6 x 8.1, MacBook 12″, .52 x 11.04 x 7.74 8GB, 512GB, Intel M7, 2K display. Especially not when OSX can easily be installed on the Stealth, I know because I’m using one right now.
What a fuc#@ng joke. And I say this as a lifelong Apple fan. 480 camera and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Tim Cook…..wow man….
have 15″ MBP I hope I continue to resist the 12″ MB
(yawn) so it’s WWDC before we hear any interesting laptop news from this company…
A second usb-c port (someone is being stubborn here), a better camera (and cheapish, for a $1299+ laptop) are indeed great omissions. Especially the usb port
For God’s sake, they could’ve dropped the price. I mean 1450€ in Belgium for the entry model.
Why? The PC market is in decline while the MacBooks are selling. No reason to make them cheaper if they’re selling anyway. Also, prices in Belgium include (21%) tax. Not everyone may be aware of this, especially on a ‘US centric’ website, where prices are listed without tax.
I unclude tax because most buyers pay tax. Retina Macbook Pro, iPhone, Retina iMac, Macbook Air also all dropped its prices compared to the frst gen model. Because the first gen model usually costs more because it’s the first model, so Apple wants to recuperate that R&D and the parts are more expensive.
But nod those parts have dropped in price dramatically so Apple should have dropped the price.
Aha. Ok, that certainly reads as a valid point!
Am I reading this wrong :
“… the newest MacBook offers speeds that are 80 percent to 90 percent faster than last year’s model.
Again, this is another instance of a smaller but definitely welcomed improvement.”
Is the disk really 80 to 90 percent faster ? How can that be “another instance of a smaller” improvement ? Do you have any numbers ?
I think it’s an error because I read this year’s Macbook is 20-25% faster over last year’s model.
Well, the 20-25% is about the CPU (which is about correct), but the 80-90% number talks about disk speed. I looked it up and it seems that disk speeds has indeed gone up quite a lot (esp. write performance) which is kinda important for certain types of tasks.
One simply does not pay $1000+ for a computer with no USB.
If that were the case why did they create a 2nd generation¿
One does not simply die on Game of Thrones.
Good thing the MacBook has always had USB-C then.
I’d love to see a thorough benchmark between this and the entry level 2012 Macbook Air
Anyone know where I could find that wallpaper???
Still the same crappy keyboard? No deal!
Apple and its bullshit updates… I use to own Macs since 2009, but since that I never bought any other machine, since apple started cutting upgrade possibilities… they think everyone money come from trees, instead of ugrading a memory for $50 you go and buy a new Mac for $1499…
It’s remarkable that you have not purchased an Apple computer in nearly a decade, yet here you are commenting on an Apple-centric website!
I wonder if there is an entry in the DSM-5 that covers this odd sort of obsession/behavior.
The Skylake-M chipset doesn’t support DDR4 RAM, so I’m not sure how you can be disappointed that Apple didn’t use it. If they could have, I’m sure they would have, as they want to maximize the battery life as much as anyone else.
Holy mother of everything!! apple is charging 1300 for a netbook? muahahaha wow!
This is an $899 computer with a $1,299 price tag. No thanks!
Good, it’s not for you. Stick with your Dell.
Maybe $899 fully loaded… The base model is worth $399 tops.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHZ8ek-6ccc&spfreload=10
I’ve had my macbook space gray 512gb/1.3ghz since last June. I love love love it. It’s my main computer for work and personal needs (I do project management of large business system integrations). The only thing I really need is more RAM. I run Parallels with Windows 10 which slows the machine down too much, when I’m not using Parallels it’s awesome. I won’t be upgrading to the new Macbook but I probably will be upgrading to a 13” mb pro, as long as it’s very thin and light and has 16gb of RAM.
Just curiosity, why you’re not using bootcamp for the purpose of having a windows environment?
Also, I’m assuming you’re dealing with customers who run Windows based business systems. I’m in a similar spot being a consultant for a Windows based business system. Most projects are Remote Desktop based, so I could perfectly use a MAC, but I’m concerned about the wrong impression I would give to customers by that. Any idea how you get perceived by (Windows) customers when you show up with an Apple computer?
New Headline: Overpriced Underperformer Gets Update, Remains Overpriced Underperformer.
This laptop is some €500 too expensive to be worth a purchase. No 16GB RAM, no HD Webcam, only a single USB port…and still 2 years away to pack the right performance CPU/GPU combo for that high resolution screen.
I have been using the last version since it was released. I have not been happier with any laptop compared to this. Macs and Windows. Missing ports i really don’t care about, know to work around it. This is a ultra mobile system, and it is perfect for that. I have a small sling bag and it just travels with me. For a traveler or just a person that wants to use a computer on a odd place this is the best option as far as I can see.
Bechmarsks are one thing, but not can be done all in numbers.
I think it is quite comical to hear people judging a device, such as this, based on the quality of it’s camera. LOL I mean, as far as my self goes, I ask myself how often would I use a laptop to take pictures? Uhh…basically never. How often would I use my iPhone to take high quality photographs? Uhhh…never. I have a Nikon digital with a case full of lenses for those types of pictures. LOL I mean the Camera on this device is really just for FaceTime or video calls from other apps and the quality is just good enough for me. This Mac is meant for light computing and was created for that purpose. Apple manufactures many other versions of Mac that are created to serve those other purposes. I mean, if you want those capabilities, then this 12inch Macbook is not the correct choice to make. LOL
I certainly appreciate the Verge and the review and comparison. I had last years model of the new MacBook and bought the 2016 version. I have discovered a big difference in speed and battery life compared to last year’s model. As a matter of fact coming from someone who has used the MacBook Pro for photo editing and games I have done the comparison with the MacBook Pro 13″ and honestly the 12″ MacBook does everything just as well and some things it does better. Also to make mention I bought the low end model the 1.1 M3. This is the way the MacBook should have been to begin with. Its simply wonderful.
I’ve decided to get one top of line Macbook 1.3GHz and upgrade from my 7y old Macbook Pro, mid 2009, 2.54GHz. I’m sure it could be better but am finally fine with the upgraded 2016 version, and should be a very good improvement from my last laptop.
2009 MBP? That started at around $1,699
So, 7 years of usage. And people say Apple laptops are expensive, yet they forget the yearly cost. I don’t think there has ever been a ‘Windows laptop’ costing around $200 – $250 a year. Those are usually around $1,000 and last about 2 years.
I’m new to Macs, havedecided to buy a MacBook, but my question is new model (New Apple MacBook, Intel Core M3, 8GB RAM, 256GB Flash Storage, 12″ Retina Display), or pay £50 less for last years model (Apple MacBook, Intel Core M, 8GB RAM, 512GB Flash Storage, 12″ Retina display) but with twice the storage. Read the article above, but most of the technical info is beyond me.
I will be using for internet, simple editing of photos, minimal word processing and spreadsheets. In my shoes, which would you opt for?
If that’s all you will do, you might actually be better off with the older one. The new one is absolutely faster (CPU and disk), but if you don’t need that extra speed (and it sounds like you might not), twice the disk space is a very nice thing to have.
An 80-90% improvement in SSD read/writes is hardly a “smaller” improvement– it’s nearly double the speed!
Agree 100% on another point, though– a 2nd port would have solved one of the major issues people have with the MacBook. Of course, later in the year, Apple will introduce the 13″ or 14″ version with the extra port(s), so that it will stand out and be different from this one.
Must take exception to the statement about CPU speeds that “any increase is a good increase”! After all, faster CPUs drain the battery faster and run hotter. While neither may apply in this case (partly because the gains are relatively minor), it is a factor.
So, as to real world testing… does it run warm/hot in the lap the way the 13″ MacBook Pro often does? Does it get the 5 hours of battery life many are reporting or Apple’s claimed 10? The MBP seems to vary from 6 to 9 hours. Can the MacBook run Excel spreadsheets well? How good are the USB-C dongles/adapters? All it takes is a good $30-40 one that has a pass through charging and a couple of USB ports to solve the primary facie issue.
P.S. How come logging in *after* entering a comment doesn’t post the comment? One has to reload the page and repaste the comment in for it to be posted. Please fix!
I bought the new 12 inch, when I usually go for the MacBookPro because I do some light video editing from time to time. I installed VMWare fusion to run MS Project and Vision 2016. I was concerned that it would not be powerful enough or have enough room in the 500Gig internal to hold everything…but after optimizing and slimming down my virtual machine to 72Gig, and putting most of my data in the cloud WITHOUT merely syncing folders with online, I ended up with 150Gig to spare and thanks to the SSD and online tips for speeding up virtual machine performance, I think I have a useable kit….until I am ready to spring for the big bucks and get the new MacBook Pro with 2TB internal storage…and the Mrs. will be more than happy to inherit this one!