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Touch Bar MacBook Pro Q&A
Update Published May 12, 2020
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What are all the differences between the "2019" MacBook Pro models and the "Mid-2018" models replaced?
Please note that the "Mid-2018" and "2019" 13-Inch and 15-Inch MacBook Pro models all have been discontinued. This Q&A has been updated with the latest details and can be quite useful to anyone buying or selling one of these notebooks on the used market. EveryMac.com also compares the "2019" 15-Inch and 16-Inch MacBook Pro models separately.
There are three standard configurations of the "Mid-2018" MacBook Pro and originally three standard configurations of the "2019" MacBook Pro, which Apple later expanded to four. All of these models feature a "Touch Bar" above the traditional keyboard keys.
The three standard configurations of the "Mid-2018" MacBook Pro line are the MacBook Pro "Core i5" 2.3 13" Touch Bar, "Core i7" 2.2 15" Touch Bar, and "Core i7" 2.6 15" Touch Bar.
In turn, the standard "2019" MacBook Pro models are the MacBook "Core i5" 2.4 13" Touch/2019, "Core i7" 2.6 15" Touch/2019, and "Core i9" 2.3 15" Touch/2019. On July 9, 2019, Apple added a lower-end, fourth standard configuration -- the MacBook Pro "Core i5" 1.4 13" Touch/2019 2 TB 3. On November 13, 2019, Apple discontinued the MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.6 15" Touch/2019 and "Core i9" 2.3 15" Touch/2019.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Touch Bar MacBook Pro Models)
Because the "Mid-2018" and "2019" MacBook Pro models look the same from the outside, it is difficult to tell them apart. However, there is one important external difference as well as major internal differences and a detailed comparison can be worthwhile accordingly.
External Differences
The "Mid-2018" and "2019" MacBook Pro models use identical "sealed" aluminum and glass case designs and essentially are the same externally.
The 13-Inch models from each line are 0.59 of an inch thick and weigh 3.02 pounds (1.37 kg) whereas the 15-Inch models are 0.61 of an inch thick and weigh 4.02 pounds (1.83 kg). Both sizes are available in either a silver colored aluminum or a darker "Space Gray" colored aluminum housing.
All of these notebooks have high-resolution LED-backlit, True Tone, P3 color gamut, widescreen "Retina" displays, integrated stereo speakers, three microphones, a 720p FaceTime HD webcam, large "Force Touch" trackpads and an integrated touch-sensitive "Touch Bar" in lieu of traditional function keys (and the escape key). The Touch Bar provides Touch ID login and Apple Pay support, too.
Photo Credit: iFixit. (Key switches: Mid-2018 - Left; 2019 - Right)
Both the "Mid-2018" and "2019" MacBook Pro models are considered to have a "third generation" butterfly keyboard, but Apple quietly changed the materials in the "revision" of the third generation keyboard in the "2019" MacBook Pro in yet another effort to improve reliability. This keyboard change is an important, but officially unlisted, difference between these notebook lines.
Connectivity Differences
All "Mid-2018" and the original "2019" MacBook Pro notebooks have the same modest connectivity.
Regardless of series or size, all of these MacBook Pro models have four full-speed Thunderbolt 3 ports (size compatible with USB-C), a "traditional" 3.5 mm headphone jack that does not support optical audio, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 5.0.
However, the lower-end "2019, 2 TB 3" 13-Inch models introduced on July 9, 2019 only have two full-speed Thunderbolt 3 ports instead of four. They otherwise are the same as far as connectivity goes.
Identification Differences
The "Mid-2018" and "2019" MacBook Pro models share the A1989 and A1990 Model Numbers as well as the MacBookPro15,1, MacBookPro15,2, and MacBookPro15,3 Model Identifiers.
The lower-end "2019, 2 TB 3" MacBook Pro models do have a unique Model Number (A2159) and Model Identifier (MacBookPro15,4).
However, it is possible to uniquely identify all of these models by EMC Number on the bottom of the case.
Just as the site has done for decades, EveryMac.com has diligently hand documented these details from the hardware itself for your convenience:
MacBook Pro |
EMC |
13-Inch (Mid-2018, Touch Bar) |
|
15-Inch (Mid-2018, Touch Bar) |
|
13-Inch (2019, Touch Bar) |
|
15-Inch (2019, Touch Bar) |
|
13-Inch (Touch Bar, 2 TB 3) |
Additionally, EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Lookup feature can uniquely identify each one of the Touch Bar MacBook Pro models by their serial numbers, which are listed in software as well as on the bottom of the system.
Internal Differences
The "2019" MacBook Pro models have faster processors and some models have newer architectures than the "Mid-2018" MacBook Pro models that they replaced.
Specifically, all "Mid-2018" models use the 8th Generation "Coffee Lake" architecture whereas 13-Inch "2019" MacBook Pro models use the same architecture albeit some with faster processors and the 15-Inch "2019" MacBook Pro models use a faster 9th Generation architecture (still dubbed "Coffee Lake") and faster processors with as many as eight cores.
All of these models have soldered RAM and storage that cannot be upgraded after the initial system purchase.
Comparison Charts
The major differences between the "Mid-2018" and "2019" MacBook Pro models are summarized below. Please refer to the specs page for the model of interest for complete details.
13-Inch "Touch Bar" MacBook Pro Models
 13" Mid-2018 |
13" 2019 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Architecture: | 8th Gen Coffee Lake | 8th Gen Coffee Lake |
| Clockspeed: | 2.3 GHz | 2.4 GHz/1.4 GHz |
| Processor Cores: | 4 | 4 |
| Std. RAM: | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Max RAM: | 16 GB† | 16 GB† |
| RAM Speed: | 2133 MHz | 2133 MHz |
| RAM Type: | DDR3L | DDR3L |
| Standard Storage: | 256, 512 GB | 256, 512 GB |
| Video Card(s): | Iris Plus 655 | Iris Plus 655/645 |
| Ext. Display: | 5120x2880 | 5120x2880 |
| Battery Life: | 10 Hours | 10 Hours |
| Battery Capacity: | 58 W h | 58 W h/58.2 W h |
| Butterfly KB: | 3rd Gen | 3rd Gen Revision |
| Thunderbolt: | 4 (3.0) | 4 (3.0), 2 (3.0) |
| Microphones: | 3 | 3 |
| Wi-Fi: | 802.11ac | 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth: | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Height (In): | 0.59 | 0.59 |
| Width (In): | 11.97 | 11.97 |
| Depth (In): | 8.36 | 8.36 |
| Weight: | 3.02 lbs | 3.02 lbs |
| Model No: | A1989 | A1989/A2159 |
| EMC No: | 3214 | 3358/3301 |
| Model ID: | MacBookPro15,2 | MacBookPro15,2 MacBookPro15,4 |
| Intro Price (US): | US$1799, US$1999 | US$1799, US$1999 US$1299, US$1499 |
| Intro Price (UK): | £1749, £1949 | £1749, £1949 £1299, £1499 |
| Intro Price (CA): | C$2399, C$2649 | C$2399, C$2649 C$1699, C$1949 |
| Intro Price (AU): | A$2699, A$2999 | A$2699, A$2999 A$1999, A$2299 |
† All of these MacBook Pro models can, or could, be upgraded to 16 GB of RAM, but only at the time of initial purchase. RAM cannot be upgraded after purchase in any of these models.
15-Inch "Touch Bar" MacBook Pro Models
 15" Mid-2018 |
15" 2019 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Architecture: | 8th Gen Coffee Lake | 9th Gen Coffee Lake |
| Clockspeed: | 2.2, 2.6 GHz (i7) | 2.6 (i7), 2.3 (i9) |
| Processor Cores: | 6 | 6-8 |
| Standard RAM: | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| Maximum RAM: | 32 GB† | 32 GB† |
| RAM Speed: | 2400 MHz | 2400 MHz |
| RAM Type: | DDR4 | DDR4 |
| Standard Storage: | 256 GB, 512 GB | 256 GB, 512 GB |
| Graphics Processor(s): | UHD Graphics 630 AMD Radeon Pro 555X/560X* |
UHD Graphics 630 AMD Radeon Pro 555X/560X* |
| GDDR5 VRAM: | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Ext. Display Support: | 5120x2880 x2 | 5120x2880 x2 |
| Battery W Hrs: | 83.6 W Hr | 83.6 W Hr |
| Battery Life: | 10 Hours | 10 Hours |
| Butterfly KB: | 3rd Gen | 3rd Gen Revision |
| Thunderbolt: | 4 (3.0) | 4 (3.0) |
| Wi-Fi: | 802.11ac | 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth: | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Dimensions: | 0.61 x 13.75 x 9.48 | 0.61 x 13.75 x 9.48 |
| Weight: | 4.02 lbs (1.83 kg) | 4.02 lbs (1.83 kg) |
| EMC Number: | 3215 | 3359 |
| Model Identifier: | MacBookPro15,1/15,3 | MacBookPro15,1/15,3 |
| Intro Price (US): | US$2399, US$2799 | US$2399, US$2799 |
| Intro Price (UK): | £2349, £2699 | £2349, £2699 |
| Intro Price (CA): | C$3199, C$3699 | C$3199, C$3699 |
| Intro Price (AU): | A$3499, A$4099 | A$3499, A$4099 |
† The 15-Inch "Mid-2018" and "2019" MacBook Pro models could be upgraded to 32 GB of RAM, but only at the time of initial purchase. RAM cannot be upgraded after purchase in any of these models.
* All of these models all have dual graphics. By default, the 15-Inch "Mid-2018" and "2019" MacBook Pro models are offered with an AMD Radeon Pro 550X or 560X with 4 GB of dedicated GDDR5 SDRAM and an Intel UHD Graphics 630 graphics processor that shares system memory. At the time of initial system purchase, some configurations from both lines could be upgraded to a Radeon Pro Vega 16 or Radeon Pro Vega 20, either with 4 GB of HBM2 memory, for an additional US$250 or US$350, respectively.
For introductory pricing in dozens of other countries, see the "Global Prices" on the specs page for each Mac as well as the "By Global Original Prices" section of EveryMac.com.
Comparison Summary
Ultimately, the "2019" MacBook Pro models look the same, but provide a performance boost and possibly a more reliable keyboard, too. Nevertheless, the "Mid-2018" MacBook Pro models are so similar that they remain well worth consideration, particularly given potentially even lower prices on the used market.
In the US, site sponsor Adorama sells new MacBook Pro models with free shipping. Other World Computing sells used and refurb MacBook Pro models at bargain prices with free shipping, as well. On the other hand, if you need to sell a MacBook Pro, A+ BBB-rated Cash for Your Mac and GoRoostr will buy your older notebook with an instant quote and prompt payment.
In the UK, site sponsor Hoxton Macs sells used MacBook Pro models with a one-year warranty and free next day delivery throughout the UK. Delivery across Europe also is available starting at just £9.99 for two-day delivery to France and Germany.
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