Next-Generation 15-Inch MacBook Pro Shows Up in Benchmarks

Last month, a new entry in the results database for popular benchmarking tool Geekbench 2 appeared to reveal Apple's next-generation 13-inch MacBook Pro. Many observers had expected the update to come at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference last month, but Apple has yet to release the new machines.

A new Geekbench result posted earlier today now appears to reveal Apple's next-generation 15-inch MacBook Pro, carrying a code name of "AAPLJ45,1". As with the 13-inch model, it is not clear whether this machine is a Retina or non-Retina model, although Apple has been rumored to be leaving the non-Retina models without any further updates as it seeks to phase out the line in favor of an all-Retina lineup.

macbook_pro_15_mid_2013
The benchmarked 15-inch MacBook Pro, which carries one of Intel's new Haswell processors and 16 GB of RAM, received a Geekbench score of 12497, roughly in line with the current generation of the machine. But as was seen with the MacBook Air released last month, Haswell's biggest benefit comes in efficiency, with Apple being able to boost the battery life on those machines to up to 12 hours.

The chip included in the benchmarked machine is a Core i7-4950HQ running at 2.4 GHz and offering Intel's new high-end Iris Pro 5200 integrated graphics. Intel's promotional materials for Iris previously showed graphics performance gains of 2-2.5x for this i7-4950Q with Iris 5200 compared to the i7-3840QM with HD Graphics 4000 found in the current stock high-end Retina MacBook Pro.

Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro has, however, historically also included a dedicated graphics chip for improved performance, although it is unclear exactly what Apple's plans are in this regard for future generations. With Intel's integrated graphics seeing significant increases in performance, it is possible that Apple could, at least on some models, forego a dedicated graphics chip in order to push battery life even higher.

As with the 13-inch model benchmarked earlier, this 15-inch model is running a custom build of OS X Mavericks, in this case 13A2052. The machine is also running a Boot ROM dated June 24.

Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro currently offers 7 hours of battery life, and while Apple may not be able to duplicate the 80% increase in battery life seen with the MacBook Air's switch to Haswell due to other power-hungry components such as the MacBook Pro's Retina display, the company may still be able to offer substantial battery life improvements in its new machines.

Update 8:53 AM: Primate Labs' John Poole tells MacRumors that Geekbench does collect GPU information, and that this machine does NOT appear to have a discrete GPU in addition to the integrated Iris 5200 graphics from Intel. Poole notes that it is possible that Geekbench could have failed to pick up the presence of a discrete GPU, as Primate Labs is still working out issue with that feature of the software, but that all testing so far has indicated that Geekbench should see the discrete GPU if it is present, even if it has been turned off for the benchmarking run.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Popular Stories

Apple iPhone 16e Feature

Apple Announces iPhone 16e With A18 Chip and Apple Intelligence, Pricing Starts at $599

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued. The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Feature Aluminum Frame Instead of Titanium Frame

Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models. In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

Here Are the New Apple Products We're Still Expecting This Spring

Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring. There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category. M4...
iPhone 17 Roundup Feature 2

iPhone Design to Change 'Significantly' This Year

Monday February 17, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker. In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
Generic iOS 18

Here's When Apple Will Release iOS 18.4

Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch. All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

Two of Apple's Oldest Products Are Finally Getting Updated This Year

Friday February 14, 2025 6:03 am PST by
Apple released the HomePod mini in November 2020, followed by the AirTag in May 2021, and both still remain first-generation products. Fortunately, rumors suggest that both the HomePod mini and the AirTag will finally be updated at some point this year. Below, we recap rumors about the HomePod mini 2 and AirTag 2. HomePod mini 2 In January 2025, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple is ...

Top Rated Comments

bmunge Avatar
152 months ago
The new MBPs would look slick if they had the black anodized aluminum of the black iPhone 5. A la BlackBook :D

Until it got hundreds of tiny scratches on it after a few months of normal use.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shaggymax Avatar
152 months ago
Guess we have to wait for Back to School to end...
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DavidBlack Avatar
152 months ago
The rMBP is already fast. I hope this new update includes:

* Lower Price Point
* New SSD Like what the Macbook Air got
* Longer battery life 10 hours will be good
* And lower SSD Prices
* And maybe a HD 1080p FaceTime camera (The Macbook Pro was the first Mac to get a HD720p FaceTime camera)

I can't wait I wanted to buy a 13" rMBP but the Intel HD 4000 graphics really held me back.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Snowshiro Avatar
152 months ago
Iris actually scores better than the 650M if not just as close with almost half the power usage in many tests.

In benchmarks sure. And then when you look at the figures for real world use (e.g. games) the 650M comfortably beats the best Iris configuration.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6993/intel-iris-pro-5200-graphics-review-core-i74950hq-tested/7
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johnhw Avatar
152 months ago
The new MBPs would look slick if they had the black anodized aluminum of the black iPhone 5. A la BlackBook :D
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mavere Avatar
152 months ago
i think the difference between 750M and Iris Pro is like the difference between 650M and Hd4000
Unfortunately no. The 750M (http://www.anandtech.com/show/6873/nvidias-geforce-700m-family-full-details-and-specs/2) has almost the exact same specs as the 650M (http://www.geforce.com/hardware/notebook-gpus/geforce-gt-650m/specifications), and because they're both on the same node with the same architecture, the TDP will also be almost exactly the same. It's really just a sad truth of modern GPU advancements: you cannot materially improve performance/watt without advancing a node or massive reworking of an architecture.

So this leaves Apple with few options.


* (Very) slightly bump GPU performance at same or perhaps even lower battery life.
* Same GPU perf with Nvidia GPU and slight to moderate battery boost (35W-47W Haswell doesn't have as many power-efficiency features as Haswell ULT)
* Somewhat same GPU performance (win/lose/equal depending on test) with Iris Pro and HUGE increase in battery life (~90W CPU+GPU TDP lowered to ~50W and more chassis room for battery and improved chassis temps + noise profile)


Honestly, we're currently on an Apple enthusiast forum. If you guys can't tell which sole option would stand out as the 'Golden Path' for Apple, I don't even know why you're here...
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)