Apple Adds High-End 15" Retina MacBook Pro to List of Macs Supporting Dell's 5K Display

dell_up2715k_5kApple has updated a support document on its website to reflect that the high-end 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro, equipped with AMD Radeon R9 M370X graphics, is capable of driving Dell's dual-cable UP2715K 27-inch 5K display. Apple initially released OS X 10.10.3 in April with support for the dual-cable 5K monitor on the Retina 5K iMac and 2013 Mac Pro, but no notebooks supported the display at the time.

Dual-Cable Displays

Some displays with resolutions higher than 4K require two DisplayPort cables to connect the display at full resolution. With OS X Yosemite v10.10.3 or later, the Dell UP2715K 27-inch 5K display is supported on the following Mac computers:

Mac Pro (Late 2013)
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014 and later)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) with AMD Radeon R9 M370X

Dell's dual-cable 5K display requires more bandwidth than is currently supported over a current single DisplayPort cable, so it uses a dual-cable solution that takes up two Thunderbolt ports on a Mac. The availability of Intel's Skylake platform with DisplayPort 1.3 support later this year will enable Apple to update Macs with support for external 5K displays that function over a single cable, at which point the company could theoretically release a 5K Thunderbolt Display.

The support document also lists the high-end 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro as capable of driving most single-stream 4K displays (4,096-by-2,160) at 60Hz on OS X 10.10.3, becoming the first notebook to support single-stream 4K displays alongside the Mac Pro (Late 2013) and iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014 and later).

Apple initially listed the high-end 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro with AMD Radeon graphics as capable of supporting an ultra-wide display with up to 5,120-by-2,160 resolution at 60Hz, but has since updated the notebook's technical specifications to reflect its ability to drive a single external display at up to 5,120-by-2,880 resolution at 60Hz.

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

Popular Stories

Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple's CarPlay Ultra to Expand to These Vehicle Brands Later This Year

Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. In his Powe...
Apple Logo Black

Apple's Next Launch is 'Imminent'

Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models. "All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

New MacBook Pros Reportedly Launching Alongside macOS 26.3

Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
We are still waiting for the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate to come out, so the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week or two away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

Apple Changes How You Order a Mac

Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...

Top Rated Comments

furi0usbee Avatar
140 months ago
The race for "thinner" and "higher resolution" is killing Apple's computers IMO. The point will be here soon where I have this thin piece of crap that can drive a 5k display with, but can't do much else due to the crippling of hardware/software and the lack of any usefulness.

I've said this before, and I'll say it again. When I get a new iPhone, the first thing I did was put all Apple's apps in one folder and put them on page two. I then went and downloaded third party apps that were better and did what those Apple apps should have done.

Now, when I install Yosemite, I do the same thing. I don't use any Apple apps any longer, except really Aperture. Yosemite has to be the worse OS X version I've ever used. All I do all day it seems is force quit apps, and that's after a clean install.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PBG4 Dude Avatar
140 months ago
Not sure why anyone would buy a Dell UP2715K when for $300 more you can get a whole 5k iMac.

In a few years, when the iMac is obsolete, the Dell 5K display will be able to migrate to a new computer. The iMac 5K display will not.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Going Digital Avatar
140 months ago
Not sure why anyone would buy a Dell UP2715K when for $300 more you can get a whole 5k iMac.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Benjamin Frost Avatar
140 months ago
Does anyone know if the Apple Watch can run this display?

----------

The race for "thinner" and "higher resolution" is killing Apple's computers IMO. The point will be here soon where I have this thin piece of crap that can drive a 5k display with, but can't do much else due to the crippling of hardware/software and the lack of any usefulness.

I've said this before, and I'll say it again. When I get a new iPhone, the first thing I did was put all Apple's apps in one folder and put them on page two. I then went and downloaded third party apps that were better and did what those Apple apps should have done.

Now, when I install Yosemite, I do the same thing. I don't use any Apple apps any longer, except really Aperture. Yosemite has to be the worse OS X version I've ever used. All I do all day it seems is force quit apps, and that's after a clean install.

I can hear the violins from here.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
elmateo487 Avatar
140 months ago
Exactly. $300 more for a new Mac and a vastly superior display to the Dell. Dude, don't buy the Dell.
I am pretty sure the point of a laptop is to have a laptop.... you know. So you can take it places and put it on your lap.

*smacks forehead*
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
scott911 Avatar
140 months ago
Not sure why anyone would buy a Dell UP2715K when for $300 more you can get a whole 5k iMac.

Because all in ones are as smart as having a vcr or dvd player built into your tv set.

That notion fails everywhere except apple thanks to it's marketing.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)