Retina laptops have arrived. Some of the MacBook Pro 15 models for 2012 feature the remarkable Retina 15.4″ screens with a resolution of 2880-by-1800, unseen on the laptops to date. With 220 ppi (pixels per inch), it’s not only the highest-res notebook display on the market, but also IPS technology adds more quality to the panel, especially in terms of viewing angles of up to 178 degrees.
There are two Retina-equipped MacBook Pro models – the $2,199 MC975LL/A and $2,799 MC976LL/A. Besides the screen upgrade, the new Apple flagship laptops include the 22-nanometer 3rd Generation Intel Core processors, the latest Nvidia GeForce graphics, all-flash-based storage, and a new slimmed down design.
The MC975LL/A comes with an unnamed 2.3 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 processor, whereas the MC976LL/A features a 2.6 GHz one. We strongly assume the former chip is the i7-3615QM/i7-3610QM. The latter is the most likely the i7-3720QM. Both chips are with four cores, eight threads, 6MB of L3 cache, and Intel HD 4000 IGP, and can run in TurboBoost mode at up to 3.3GHz and 3.6GHz, respectively. Regarding the differences between the i7-3615QM and i7-3610QM, they are basically the same CPUs with a slightly higher graphics clock in Turbo mode on the 3615QM. The CPU on the 2.6 GHz model can be upgraded with a 2.7GHz/3.7GHz part (i7-3820QM).
In the graphics processing department, the notebooks are equipped with both the Intel HD 4000 embedded on the i7 CPUs and the separate Nvidia GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 video memory. The latest MacBook Pros, like their precursors, feature switchable graphics, meaning that the HD 4000 is used in tasks which don’t require intensive graphics computing, while for those requiring more GPU capability the GeForce 650M is turned on automatically.
This feature is designed to enable a longer battery life and with the notebooks’ 95-watt-hour batteries the run time is estimated at 7 hours of web surfing via wireless.
The MC975LL/A and MC976LL/A come with 256GB and 512GB of flash storage, respectively. The latter is “upgradeable” to 768GB. We write upgradeable with quotes, because the solid state drive storage is soldered onto the motherboard, so there’s no support for old-school upgradeability by replacing a drive with a larger one. The same applies to RAM which is 8GB by default and configurable with 16GB. When it comes to RAM performance, it’s worth noting that the 1600MHz memory of the MC975LL/A and MC976LL/A is faster than in the previous MacBook Pros with 1,333MHz memory. Apple has definitely said good bye to optical drives, so these models doesn’t include them.
Measuring at 0.71 inches in profile and weighing 4.46 pounds, the Retina MacBook Pros are among the thinnest and lightest laptops in the 15-inch + category. The dominant material is aluminum and keyboard is a full-size backlight one. The touchpad is multi-touch. The display is covered with glossy glass.
Despite thinness, the laptops don’t suffer from lack of ports and slots which is a downside of some laptops with similar height, such as MacBook Air or the Ultrabooks. There are two Thuderbolt ports, a pair of USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, and an SDXC memory card slot. It’s worth noting that Thunderbolt on the Apple laptops is also Mini DisplayPort compatible, providing another way for connection to an external screen. A wired Ethernet connection is possible via a separately sold Thunderbolt-to-Gigabit LAN adapter. The same applies to Firewire. For wireless networking, there’s Wireless-N built-in, accompanied by Bluetooth 4.0. Another update is a thinner MagSafe power connector.
On the audio side, the MacBook Pros are equipped with stereo speakers and dual microphones, while for video chat’s there’s a 720p camera.
At the time of this writing, the estimated shipping time for the MC975LL/A and MC976LL/A is two-to-three weeks, according to the Apple Store.
I called an Apple Store who confirmed that the MC975LL/A did use the i7-3615QM processor.