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Which Mac operating system would give the best for battery life on a 15 inch mid 2012 MacBook Pro?

I'm currently using a 15 inch mid 2012 MacBook Pro running OS X Yosemite. I'd like to know which operating system(not older than Yosemite) would give the best battery life on this version of MacBook Pro. Thanks.

MacBook Pro 15", OS X 10.11

Posted on Apr 12, 2020 1:25 AM

Reply
Question marked as Apple recommended

Your mid 2012 is quite capable of running the latest macOS Cataliana at full flight speed.


There is no one overwhelming macOS that is geared towards "better battery life" as its main component or selling point.


Typically you are always better off running the most current macOS your machine will allow—especially for the built in security features.




Old app compatibility maybe one reason to hold back— you have to do your own homework here: https://roaringapps.com/apps


32-bit app compatibility with macOS High Sierra 10.13 ... - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208436


-----------------------------------------


https://www.apple.com/macos/catalina/


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-catalina/id1466841314?mt=12&l=en-us


macOS Catalina - Technical Specifications - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/kb/SP803?locale=en_US


System requirements macOS 10.15 Catalina


macOS Catalina will run on all Macintosh computers that supported Mojave:


MacBook: Early 2015 or newer

MacBook Air: Mid 2012 or newer

MacBook Pro: Mid 2012 or newer

Mac Mini: Late 2012 or newer

iMac: Late 2012 or newer

iMac Pro

Mac Pro: Late 2013 or newer; Mid 2010 or Mid 2012 if upgraded with a recommended Metal-capable GPU




---------------------------------------------------------



macOS 10.14 Mojave - Technical Specifications:

https://support.apple.com/kb/SP777


Upgrade to macOS Mojave - Official Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/macos/mojave


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-mojave/id1398502828?mt=12



MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)

MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)

MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer)

Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)

iMac (Late 2012 or newer)

iMac Pro (2017)

Mac Pro (Late 2013; Mid 2010 and Mid 2012 models with recommended Metal-capable graphics cards)



---------------------------------------------------------



macOS 10.13 High Sierra - Technical Specifications:

https://support.apple.com/kb/SP765?locale=en_US


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-high-sierra/id1246284741?ls=1&mt=12


How to upgrade to macOS High Sierra

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208969



MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)

MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)

MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)

Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)

iMac (Late 2009 or newer)

Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)



---------------------------------------------------------



If you can run macOS 10.12 Sierra, you can run macOS 10.13 High Sierra


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-sierra/id1127487414?ls=1&mt=12



---------------------------------------------------------



OS X 10.11 El Capitan - Technical Specifications:

https://support.apple.com/kb/SP728


How to upgrade to OS X El Capitan - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206886


download direct: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-catalina/id1466841314?ls=1&mt=12


MacBook (Early 2015)

MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)

MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)

MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)

Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)

iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)

Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)

Xserve (Early 2009)




Posted on Apr 12, 2020 4:31 AM

2 replies
Question marked as Apple recommended

Apr 12, 2020 4:31 AM in response to mrmagnetoman88

Your mid 2012 is quite capable of running the latest macOS Cataliana at full flight speed.


There is no one overwhelming macOS that is geared towards "better battery life" as its main component or selling point.


Typically you are always better off running the most current macOS your machine will allow—especially for the built in security features.




Old app compatibility maybe one reason to hold back— you have to do your own homework here: https://roaringapps.com/apps


32-bit app compatibility with macOS High Sierra 10.13 ... - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208436


-----------------------------------------


https://www.apple.com/macos/catalina/


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-catalina/id1466841314?mt=12&l=en-us


macOS Catalina - Technical Specifications - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/kb/SP803?locale=en_US


System requirements macOS 10.15 Catalina


macOS Catalina will run on all Macintosh computers that supported Mojave:


MacBook: Early 2015 or newer

MacBook Air: Mid 2012 or newer

MacBook Pro: Mid 2012 or newer

Mac Mini: Late 2012 or newer

iMac: Late 2012 or newer

iMac Pro

Mac Pro: Late 2013 or newer; Mid 2010 or Mid 2012 if upgraded with a recommended Metal-capable GPU




---------------------------------------------------------



macOS 10.14 Mojave - Technical Specifications:

https://support.apple.com/kb/SP777


Upgrade to macOS Mojave - Official Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/macos/mojave


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-mojave/id1398502828?mt=12



MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)

MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)

MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer)

Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)

iMac (Late 2012 or newer)

iMac Pro (2017)

Mac Pro (Late 2013; Mid 2010 and Mid 2012 models with recommended Metal-capable graphics cards)



---------------------------------------------------------



macOS 10.13 High Sierra - Technical Specifications:

https://support.apple.com/kb/SP765?locale=en_US


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-high-sierra/id1246284741?ls=1&mt=12


How to upgrade to macOS High Sierra

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208969



MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)

MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)

MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)

Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)

iMac (Late 2009 or newer)

Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)



---------------------------------------------------------



If you can run macOS 10.12 Sierra, you can run macOS 10.13 High Sierra


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-sierra/id1127487414?ls=1&mt=12



---------------------------------------------------------



OS X 10.11 El Capitan - Technical Specifications:

https://support.apple.com/kb/SP728


How to upgrade to OS X El Capitan - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206886


download direct: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-catalina/id1466841314?ls=1&mt=12


MacBook (Early 2015)

MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)

MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)

MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)

Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)

iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)

Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)

Xserve (Early 2009)




Apr 12, 2020 3:51 PM in response to leroydouglas

Thanks a lot for sharing that information, leroydouglas. It's very thorough. If I may further clarify, when one upgrades her operating system on a given computer to one which has improved performance, does this mean that it would consume a greater amount of power on the average for the given computer, resulting in reduced battery life overall? Or is there generally a feature incorporated into new Mac operating systems that ensures that better performance isn't necessarily at the expense of average power consumption/battery life?

Which Mac operating system would give the best for battery life on a 15 inch mid 2012 MacBook Pro?

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