Touted as the "most advanced Mac ever built," the "MacBook Pro with Retina Display" models integrate a stunning high-resolution 15.4-inch widescreen 2880x1800 (220 ppi) LED-backlit "retina" display into a sleek, thin case weighing under 4.5 pounds (2.02 kg). Curiously, these systems are not branded on the display bezel like earlier versions.
Controversially, these Retina Display models feature a "sealed" design where the RAM is soldered and non-upgradable, storage is not intended for user replacement, and the battery is not easily swappable. This particular model, the "Core i7" 2.7 15-Inch (Mid-2012), is a build-to-order version of the 2.6 15-Inch model, documented separately for clarity. Apart from a faster processor and larger L3 cache, they are identical.
It is powered by a 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" 2.7 GHz Intel "Core i7" processor (3820QM) with four cores, an 8 MB shared L3 cache, and 8 GB of non-upgradable 1600 MHz DDR3L SDRAM. Storage consists of a 256 GB or 512 GB flash drive (with the 256 GB option added on August 2, 2012). It has dual graphics: a NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory and an integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000. It includes a 720p FaceTime HD webcam but no optical drive.
Connectivity includes 3-stream AirPort Extreme, Bluetooth 4.0, two USB 3.0 ports, two "Thunderbolt" ports, an HDMI port, an audio in/out jack, and an SDXC card slot. Adapters for Gigabit Ethernet and Firewire "800" were sold separately. The model also features a backlit keyboard, a "no button" glass trackpad, a "MagSafe 2" adapter, and a sealed battery with a 7-hour estimated life.