Posted on

Which MacBook Pro do I have? Identifying Apple Products

Which MacBook Pro do I have? Identifying Apple Products

Steve Jobs first introduced the MacBook Pro in 2006. Since then there have been over 140 different models, across seven different generations, with the most recent iteration announced back in June with the M2 MacBook Pro. You can use this guide to work out which MacBook Pro you have and find out all the details including;

  • The latest OS you can run
  • Can you replace your battery?
  • Can you upgrade your memory (RAM) and storage?
  • What's your processor Geekbench score?


1. Check "About this Mac"

Click on the Apple top left, then click About This Mac. This will open a window from which the Overview tab will let you know which model year and the specification of your MacBook Pro.


2. Lookup the serial number

If your Mac won’t power on then About This Mac won’t be much help! Luckily Apple print the device serial number on the base of the Mac. You can then use this 12 digit alphanumerical code to check with Apple here.


3. Lookup the model and EMC numbers

You can also use the model number and EMC that can be found on the base of the Mac or inside the battery compartment. The model number will give you a broad match for your device that may span different model years, the EMC number will allow you to drill this down to the exact model year.


Found your MacBook Pro? Now, what can it do?

Do you need to upgrade your Mac or check to see if you can run a newer version of macOS? This handy cheatsheet will let you know what’s possible.

First Generation, introduced 2006

The first generation MacBook Pro was first released in January 2006, replacing the PowerBook G4 and marking beginning of Apple’s 14 year relationship with Intel processors. Initially released with a 15-inch display, a 17-inch version was introduced a few months later in April. This original MacBook Pro was the first Apple device to use the Intel Core series processor, replacing the PowerPC G4 chip found in the PowerBook, and introduced the MagSafe connector.

Model Year Model EMC Identifier Max OS Replaceable battery? Upgradable memory? Upgradable storage? Geekbench 5 Score (multi)

15-inch (Early 2006)

A1150

2101

MacBookPro1,1

10.6.8

Yes

Yes - 2GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A

17-inch (Early 2006)

A1151

2102

MacBookPro1,2

10.6.8

Yes

Yes - 2GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A

15-inch (Late 2006)

A1211

2120

MacBookPro2,2

10.7.5

Yes

Yes - 3GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A

17-inch (Late 2006)

A1212

2119

MacBookPro2,1

10.7.5

Yes

Yes - 3GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A

15-inch (Mid 2007)

A1226

2136

MacBookPro3,1

10.11.6

Yes

Yes - 6GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A

17-inch (Mid 2007)

A1229

2137

MacBookPro3,1

10.11.6

Yes

Yes - 6GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A

15-inch (Early 2008)

A1260

2198

MacBookPro4,1

10.11.6

Yes

Yes - 6GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A

17-inch (Early 2008)

A1261

2199

MacBookPro4,1

10.11.6

Yes

Yes - 6GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A

17-inch (Late 2008)

A1261

2199

MacBookPro4,1

10.11.6

Yes

Yes - 6GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A


Second Generation, introduced 2008

2008 saw the introduction of the second generation “Unibody” MacBook Pro, a new, ground up design with improved performance. A 13-inch model was introduced in 2009 at a lower price point, with a less powerful CPU and no dedicated GPU. This generation of MacBook Pro notably used integrated battery instead of a replaceable battery, a first since the PowerBook 100. The Intel Core 2 Duo processors were utilised until a 2010 revision upgraded to the first generation Intel Core i5 and i7 series.

Model Year Model # EMC # Model Identifier Max OS Replaceable battery? Upgradable memory? Upgradable storage? Geekbench 5 Score (multi)

15-inch (Late 2008)

A1286

2255

MacBookPro5,1

10.11.6

Yes - requires tools

Yes - 8GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A

17-inch (Early 2009)

A1297

2272

MacBookPro5,2

10.11.6

Yes - requires tools

Yes - 8GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A

13-inch (Mid 2009)

A1278

2326

MacBookPro5,5

10.11.6

Yes - requires tools

Yes - 8GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A

15-inch (Mid 2009)

A1286

2324, 2325

MacBookPro5,3 MacBookPro5,4

10.11.6

Yes - requires tools

Yes - 8GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A

17-inch (Mid 2009)

A1297

2329

MacBookPro5,2

10.11.6

Yes - requires tools

Yes - 8GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A

13-inch (Mid 2010)

A1278

2351

MacBookPro7,1

10.13.6

Yes - requires tools

Yes - 16GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A

15-inch (Mid 2010)

A1286

2353

MacBookPro6,2

10.13.6

Yes - requires tools

Yes - 8GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A

17-inch (Mid 2010)

A1297

2352

MacBookPro6,1

10.13.6

Yes - requires tools

Yes - 8GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A

13-inch (Early 2011)

A1278

2419

MacBookPro8,1

10.13.6

Yes - requires tools

Yes - 16GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A

15-inch (Early 2011)

A1286

2353-1, 2417

MacBookPro8,2

10.13.6

Yes - requires tools

Yes - 16GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A

17-inch (Early 2011)

A1297

2555

MacBookPro8,3

10.13.6

Yes - requires tools

Yes - 16GB max

Yes - requires tools

N/A

13-inch (Late 2011)

A1278

2555

MacBookPro8,1

10.13.6

Yes - requires tools

Yes - 16GB max

Yes - requires tools

2.4GHz Core i5 - 1111
2.8GHz Core i7 - 1264

15-inch (Late 2011)

A1286

2563

MacBookPro8,2

10.13.6

Yes - requires tools

Yes - 16GB max

Yes - requires tools

2.2GHz Core i7 - 2113

2.4GHz Core i7 - 2240

2.5GHz Core i7 - 2322

17-inch (Late 2011)

A1297

2564

MacBookPro8,3

10.13.6

Yes - requires tools

Yes - 16GB max

Yes - requires tools

2.2GHz Core i7 - 2113

2.4GHz Core i7 - 2240

2.5GHz Core i7 - 2322

13-inch (Mid 2012)

A1278

2554

MacBookPro9,2

10.15.7

Yes - requires tools

Yes - 16GB max

Yes - requires tools

2.5GHz Core i5 - 1272

2.8GHz Core i7 - 1468

15-inch (Mid 2012)

A1286

2556

MacBookPro9,1

10.15.7

Yes - requires tools

Yes - 16GB max

Yes - requires tools

2.3GHz Core i7- 2606

2.6GHz Core i7 - 2788

2.7GHz Core i7 - 2889

*The battery on the MacBook Pro from 2009 is not classified by Apple as user upgradable, if performing a battery replacement this will void any warranty.


Third Generation, introduced Oct 2012

In 2012 the MacBook Pro received another redesign, this third generation model had a thinner design with a high resolution “Retina” display. The 15-inch model was released in June 2012 with the 13-inch model arriving in October of the same year. The 17-inch MacBook Pro did not receive this update was was discontinued. The thinner chassis meant that an integrated SuperDrive (CD/DVD optional drive) was removed from the device, but an external USB SuperDrive was made available at additional cost. The storage drives were also now SSD as standard and MagSafe 2 was introduced with a thinner connector to fit the slimmer chassis. Memory was now integrated onto the logic board and was no longer upgradeable or replaceable. The storage drives were a proprietary Apple design that could be physically removed from the logic board but were expensive to replace. First generation Intel Core i5 and i7 series processors were used in the launch model being revised with 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th in subsequent revisions.

Model Year Model # EMC # Model Identifier Max OS Replaceable battery? Upgradable memory? Upgradable storage? Geekbench 5 Score (multi)

15-inch (Retina, Mid 2012)

A1398

2512

MacBookPro10,1

10.15.7

Yes - requires tools

No

Yes - requires tools

2.3GHz Core i7- 2606

2.6GHz Core i7 - 2788

2.7GHz Core i7 - 2889

13-inch (Retina, Late 2012)

A1425

2557

MacBookPro10,2

10.15.7

Yes - requires tools

No

Yes - requires tools

2.5GHz Core i5 - 1272

2.8GHz Core i7 - 1468

13-inch (Early 2013)

A1425

2672

MacBookPro10,2

10.15.7

Yes - requires tools

No

Yes - requires tools

2.6GHz Core i5 - 1268

3.0GHz Core i7 - 1446

15-inch (Early 2013)

A1398

2673

MacBookPro10,1

10.15.7

Yes - requires tools

No

Yes - requires tools

2.4GHz Core i7- 2651

2.7GHz Core i7 - 2718

2.8GHz Core i7 - 2798

13-inch (Late 2013)

A1502

2678

MacBookPro11,1

11.6

Yes - requires tools

No

Yes - requires tools

2.4GHz Core i5- 1403

2.6GHz Core i5 - 1486

2.8GHz Core i7 - 1579

15-inch (Late 2013)

A1398

2674, 2745

MacBookPro11,2 (2.0 GHz)

MacBookPro11,3 (2.3 and 2.6 GHz)

11.6

Yes - requires tools

No

Yes - requires tools

2.0GHz Core i7- 2914

2.3GHz Core i7 - 3126

2.6GHz Core i7 - 3299

13-inch (Mid 2014)

A1502

2875

MacBookPro11,1

11.6

Yes - requires tools

No

Yes - requires tools

2.6GHz Core i5- 1494

2.8GHz Core i5 - 1545

3.0GHz Core i7 - 1608

15-inch (Mid 2014)

A1398

2876, 2881

MacBookPro11,2 (2.2 GHz)

MacBookPro11,3 (2.5 and 2.8 GHz)

11.6

Yes - requires tools

No

Yes - requires tools

2.2GHz Core i7- 3088

2.5GHz Core i7 - 3177

2.8GHz Core i7 - 3268

13-inch (Early 2015)

A1502

2835

MacBookPro12,1

12

Yes - requires tools

No

Yes - requires tools

2.7GHz Core i5- 1551

2.9GHz Core i5 - 1614

3.1GHz Core i7 - 1672

15-inch (Mid 2015)

A1398

2909, 2910

MacBookPro11,4 (2.2 GHz)

MacBookPro11,5 (2.5 and 2.8 GHz)

12

Yes - requires tools

No

Yes - requires tools

2.2GHz Core i7- 3103

2.5GHz Core i7 - 3235

2.8GHz Core i7 - 3363

*The battery on the MacBook Pro from 2009 is not classified by Apple as user upgradable, if performing a battery replacement this will void any warranty.


Fourth Generation, introduced Oct 2016

The fourth generation MacBook Pro was launched in October 2016, new features were the introduction of Touch Bar (a touch sensitive display replacing the traditional function keys), an integrated Touch ID fingerprint reader and much larger trackpads. All ports were replaced with four Thunderbolt 3 ports and a headphone jack, requiring the use of adapters to connect any legacy devices. This time both the 13-inch and 15-inch models were released simultaneously with an additional entry level 13-inch model  that had only two Thunderbolt 3 ports and no Touch Bar at a lower price point. For the first time the MacBook Pro was available in two colours, the traditional Silver and the new Space Grey. Both the memory and storage was now integrated into the logic board and were not upgradable. The MagSafe connector was dropped in favour of using the dual use Thunderbolt 3 ports, all of which could be used to power the device. 6th generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors were used in the launch models, with 7th, 8th and 9th generation processors being used in latter models, including Core i9 options for the 15-inch models.

Model Year Model # EMC # Model Identifier Max OS Replaceable battery? Upgradable memory? Upgradable storage? Geekbench 5 Score (multi)

13-inch (2-port, Late 2016)

A1708

2978

MacBookPro13,1

12

Yes - requires tools

No

No

2.0GHz Core i5 - 1611

2.4GHz Core I7 - 1765

13-inch (4-port, Late 2016)

A1706

3071

MacBookPro13,2

12

Yes - requires tools

No

No

2.9GHz Core i5- 1721

3.1GHz Core i5 - 1780

3.3GHz Core i7 - 1825

15-inch (Late 2016)

A1707

3072

MacBookPro13,3

12

Yes - requires tools

No

No

2.6GHz Core i7- 3194

2.7GHz Core i7 - 3255

2.9GHz Core i7 - 3403

13-inch (2-port, Mid 2017)

A1708

3164

MacBookPro14,1

Latest

Yes - requires tools

No

No

2.3GHz Core i5 - 2033

13-inch (4-port, Mid 2017)

A1706

3163

MacBookPro14,2

Latest

Yes - requires tools

No

No

3.1GHz Core i5- 1990

3.5GHz Core i7 - 2104

15-inch (Mid 2017)

A1707

3162

MacBookPro14,3

Latest

Yes - requires tools

No

No

2.8GHz Core i7- 3381

2.9GHz Core i7 - 3494

3.1GHz Core i7 - 3494

A1989

3214

MacBookPro15,2

Latest

Yes - requires tools

No

No

2.3GHz Core i5- 3847

2.7GHz Core i7 - 4046

A1990

3215

MacBookPro15,1 MacBookPro15,3

Latest

Yes - requires tools

No

No

2.2GHz Core i7- 4789

2.6GHz Core i7 - 4889

2.9GHz Core i9 - 5118

A1989

3358

MacBookPro15,2

Latest

Yes - requires tools

No

No

2.4GHz Core i5- 3912

2.8GHz Core i7 - 4194

A1990

3359

MacBookPro15,1

MacBookPro15,3

Latest

Yes - requires tools

No

No

2.6GHz Core i7 - 5113

2.3GHz Core i9 - 6355

2.4GHz Core i9 - 6812

A2159

3301

MacBookPro15,4

Latest

Yes - requires tools

No

No

1.4GHz Core i5 - 3831

1.7GHz Core i7 - 3909

*The battery on the MacBook Pro from 2009 is not classified by Apple as user upgradable, if performing a battery replacement this will void any warranty.


Fifth Generation, introduced Nov 2019

Apple unveiled the fifth generation MacBook Pro in November 2019, the 15-inch model was discontinued in favour of a new 16-inch model. The 13-inch model was updated in May 2020 with the two Thunderbolt port model now having a Touch Bar. Both the 16-inch and 13-inch models had a slightly thicker chassis than their predecessors owing to the keyboard returning to a more robust scissor mechanism called the “Magic Keyboard”. The same 9th generation Intel Core processors were used from the final fourth generation MacBook Pro in the 16-inch and 13-inch two port model, however the 13-inch four port model received a 10th generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processor. For the first time the MacBook Pro could be ordered with 64GB memory for the 16-inch model and 32GB memory for the 13-inch model.

Model Year Model # EMC # Model Identifier Max OS Replaceable battery? Upgradable memory? Upgradable storage? Geekbench 5 Score (multi)

A2289

3456

MacBookPro16,3

Latest

Yes - requires tools

No

No

2.6GHz Core i7 - 5415

2.3GHz Core i9 - 6655

2.4GHz Core i9 - 6980

A2251

3348

MacBookPro16,2

Latest

Yes - requires tools

No

No

1.4GHz Core i5 - 3831

1.7GHz Core i7 - 3909

A2338

3578

MacBookPro17,1

Latest

Yes - requires tools

No

No

2.0GHz Core i5 - 4335

2.3GHz Core i7 - 4551

*The battery on the MacBook Pro from 2009 is not classified by Apple as user upgradable, if performing a battery replacement this will void any warranty.


November 2020 saw the biggest change for the MacBook Pro since it’s release, the two port 13-inch MacBook Pro received an update to an Apple silicon processor, the M1. Apple’s in-house silicon processors are based on the same processors found within iPhones and iPads but adapted for use in the Mac range. Externally this sixth generation 13-inch MacBook Pro was identical to the previous Intel model but added the much improved processor and graphics performance along with faster USB4 ports.

Model Year Model # EMC # Model Identifier Max OS Replaceable battery? Upgradable memory? Upgradable storage? Geekbench 5 Score (multi)

A2338

3578

MacBookPro17,1

Latest

Yes - requires tools

No

No

Apple M1 - 7369

*The battery on the MacBook Pro from 2009 is not classified by Apple as user upgradable, if performing a battery replacement this will void any warranty.


Seventh Generation, introduced Oct 2021

In October 2021, just under a year later from Apple announced two new MacBook Pro, redesigned and including the new Apple silicon processors. The 13-inch four port model was now replaced with a 14-inch model, the 16-inch model retained the same screen size. The chassis design is more reminiscent of the first generation MacBook Pro being noticeably squarer and thicker than the previous generation. A high performance M1 Pro or M1 Max processor was offered, the latter featuring up to 32 cores. For the first time since 2015 the MacBook Pro also had a wider range of ports, with the reintroduction of HDMI, SD slot and a return to the MagSafe connector.

Model Year Model # EMC # Model Identifier Max OS Replaceable battery? Upgradable memory? Upgradable storage? Geekbench 5 Score (multi)

14-inch (2021)

A2442

3650

MacBookPro18,3

MacBookPro18,4

Latest

Yes - requires tools

No

No

Apple M1 Pro 8-Core - 9508

Apple M1 Pro 10-Core - 11940

Apple M1 Max - 12243

16-inch (2021)

A2485

3651

MacBookPro18,1

MacBookPro18,2

Latest

Yes - requires tools

No

No

Apple M1 Pro - 12090

Apple M1 Max - 12268

13-inch (2-port, Mid 2022)

A2338

8162

Mac14,7

Latest

Yes - requires tools

No

No

Apple M2 - 8803

*The battery on the MacBook Pro from 2009 is not classified by Apple as user upgradable, if performing a battery replacement this will void any warranty.

 

You can find guides for fitting a new battery and storage drive (where possible) on iFixit’s website, here, complete with step by step guides with photos. If your MacBook Pro is struggling to keep up then check out our range of refurbished MacBook Pro, here.


Browse Our Collections



Continue reading...

View all