Apple iMac M4 Review: The Best All-in-One Gets a Bit Better

Thin, compact and elegant, the iMac remains better designed than any of its all-in-one Windows competitors, so it’s hard to ding Apple for failing to update its look for a third consecutive refresh cycle. The latest M4 version looks the same as the M3 version from last year, which looked the same as the M1 version from 2021. (Apple skipped the M2 for the iMac.) And while the CPU update is the headlining upgrade, a change to the memory might be more significant. 

In addition to moving to the M4 processor, Apple has scrapped the 8GB of RAM it previously offered on the lower-end models and now supplies a minimum of 16GB. With Apple keeping the starting prices the same, that’s like getting a $200 discount. Sadly, the undersized 256GB SSD is still standard issue for the $1,299 and $1,499 models.

So what else is new other than M4 silicon and more minimum memory? Just a few minor tweaks. The webcam offers the same 1080p HD video output but now has a larger 12-megapixel sensor and an ultrawide lens while adding Center Stage and Desk View features for better FaceTiming. The display is the same 4.5K Retina panel, but Apple now offers a nano-texture glass option that provides a stellar matte finish. And around back, the models with four USB-C ports now supply Thunderbolt 4 connectivity across the board. 

It all adds up to a minor refresh that doesn’t require an update if you’re using an M3 model, but owners of an M1 iMac, and certainly those still using an older Intel-based iMac, will appreciate the peppier performance from the new M4 chip that comes paired with more RAM at minimum.

Like the previous version, the M4 iMac starts at $1,299, but this time it includes 16GB of unified memory along with a 256GB SSD. This baseline model features an M4 chip with 8 CPU cores and 8 GPU cores. Starting with the step-up $1,499 model, you get an M4 with 10 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores. This model and above also doubles the number of USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports to four. It’s not until you get to the $1,699 model, however, that the standard storage jumps from the undersized 256GB SSD to 512GB. And the top-end $1,899 config offers 24GB of RAM standard. 

The $1,499, $1,699 and $1,899 configurations are really the same model at just different starting points. Take any of them and outfit it with 24GB RAM, a 1TB SSD, the nano-textured glass display and the Touch ID keyboard with numpad, and you will arrive at our $2,329 test model. 

Our test model gets expensive fast in large part because Apple charges too much for the SSD upgrades. It’s a hefty $200 to go from 256GB to 512GB and then another $200 to double it again to 1TB. And if you wanted even more storage, jumping from 1TB to the max 2TB costs an additional $400. 

Two last notes on the M4 iMac customization options: 

In addition to raising the minimum RAM to 16GB, Apple also upped the maximum RAM to 32GB from a max of 24GB on the previous M3 iMac. And yes, the $200 Apple charges to move from 16GB to 24GB or from 24GB to 32GB is too much.

The full rainbow of color choices — blue, green, pink, yellow, orange, purple and silver — are available on every M4 iMac, including the baseline $1,299 model. Previously, the yellow, orange and purple options were available only with the $1,499 config and above.

The M4 iMac starts at £1,299 in the UK and AU$1,999 in Australia. 

Watch this: Apple’s New M4 Macs Up Close: 2024 MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, iMac Details

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M4 iMac performance 

The M4 iMac proved to be faster than the preceding M3 model. On the Geekbench 6 multi-core CPU test, it was 24% faster than the M3 iMac. I also ran Geekbench 5 to see how it stacked up to the M1 iMac since Apple focused its performance claims in comparison to the M1 model, saying you can expect the M4 iMac to be up to 1.7x faster than the M1 iMac on everyday tasks and up to 2.1x faster on more demanding tasks like photo editing and gaming. On the Geekbench 5 multi-core CPU test, the M4 iMac fell short of Apple’s claims but did show substantial improvement with a score that was 70% faster than that of the M1 iMac. It was also 20% faster than the M3 iMac. And compared with a pair of Intel-based all-in-ones from Dell and HP, the M4 iMac was miles ahead on the test.

The M4 iMac put even more distance between itself and the M3 model on our Cinebench tests. It was 40% faster on the Cinebench 2024 multi-core CPU test. And to see how it compared with the M1 iMac, I also ran the older Cinebench R23 test where the M4 iMac was 35% faster than the M3 model and 65% faster than the M1 model.

The new M4 processor with its 10-core integrated GPU doesn’t make the iMac a pro-level content-creation machine, and Apple doesn’t offer the M4 Pro upgrade that you can get with the new Mac Mini that bumps you up to a 16-core GPU. Still, it was 17% faster than the M3 iMac on the Geekbench 5 GPU test and 19% faster than it on the Cinebench 2024 GPU test. 

The M4 processor doesn’t turn the iMac into a screaming gaming machine, and the pedestrian 60Hz refresh rate is insufficient for serious gamers. And then there’s the fact that a fraction of the games available for Windows are available for MacOS. That said, the M4 iMac does offer the ability to engage in some casual gaming. Myst looked gorgeous on the iMac’s 24-inch Retina display but ran much more smoothly with ray tracing turned off. I ran our standard Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark (1,920x,1,080 at highest settings), and the M4 iMac averaged a meager 40 fps. When I dropped the quality settings to lowest, it nearly doubled to 79 fps where the game was more playable.

The M4’s 16-core neural engine is built to run Apple Intelligence AI features, which are ever so slowly trickling out. On Geekbench’s AI test, the iMac proved to be much more capable than a pair of Intel-based AI laptops. I need to play around with the Apple Intelligence’s tools before I can form an opinion of their utility and accuracy. Plus, many have yet to be released, including Image Playground, Genmoj, a more context-aware Siri and — the big one — ChatGPT integration.

Lean and green

The M4 iMac is nearly identical in looks to the M3 version. You won’t be able to tell the two machines apart from the front, but the hues on the back panels are quite different from one another. We received the green model for both last year’s M3 iMac and the new M4 iMac, and green hue on the back panels are strikingly distinct. Last year’s M3 model is a blueish-green color, while this year’s M4 model is a truer, more vibrant green. 

I prefer the color of this year’s model, especially when you consider it’s closer to the color-matched Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse and power cord for a more coordinated overall look. The back panel is just a darker shade of the pale green of the stand, the bar below the display and peripherals.

The Magic Keyboard and Mouse have ditched the Lightning connection for USB-C but are the same as last year’s offerings. The Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse are included with the baseline $1,299 model, and the higher-end models include the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID. We received the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keyboard, which is a $30 upgrade. You can also ditch the Magic Mouse for the Magic Trackpad for $50. 

I use a MacBook Pro as my primary computer and have grown so accustomed to its trackpad that I wished Apple had included the Magic Trackpad instead of the mouse with our review unit. That’s $50 I would gladly spend. I found the Magic Mouse to be a bit undersized, and I felt much slower in moving the cursor around the iMac’s 24-inch screen with it than I am with swiping on my MacBook Pro’s trackpad across its admittedly much smaller 14-inch display. (And yes, the charging port on the mouse is on the bottom so you can’t use the mouse while it’s charging.)

I felt immediately comfortable typing on the flat, shallow-travel keys of the Magic Keyboard, but I wish it had tabs along the underside of its top edge that would let me angle it up a bit.

New nano-texture, non-reflective display option

The 24-inch 4.5K Retina display remains unchanged and excellent. It produces crisp and detailed images with accurate color. It’s rated for 500 nits of brightness, and my tests with a Spyder X Elite colorimeter confirmed that figure. It hit a peak brightness of 507 nits while also exhibiting good color coverage with 100% of the sRGB gamut, 99% of P3 and 88% of AdobeRGB. 

Our M4 iMac test model featured the $200 nano-texture glass display upgrade. It was very effective in combating glare and reflections as I moved the iMac around my house to see how it stood up to direct sunlight or a bright overhead artificial light. In every instance, it did its job of keeping distractions away. As impressive as the nano-texture glass is, you probably don’t need it if you plan to place your iMac in a room with normal lighting conditions. It’s a feature that’s more valuable on a MacBook or iPad that you will use in a variety of spots, including outdoors.

iMac fans waiting for the return of a large-screen iMac will need to keep waiting. The iMac has remained a one-size-fits-all proposition since the introduction of the 24-inch M1 iMac that replaced the 21.5-inch and 27-inch options. On my desk, the 24-inch display felt large enough for both work and entertainment. It was easy to juggle multiple apps for work, and shows and movies looked great. They also sounded great with the iMac’s six-speaker array. Its sound is clearly louder and more detailed than a two- or four-speaker setup on a laptop. 

So while I personally don’t have the need for a 27-inch iMac, I do wish that Apple could perhaps thin out the display bezels and offer a slightly larger panel inside the same footprint. Or expand it ever so slightly and squeeze in a 27-inch display by adding bezels as thin as a MacBook’s. The iMac’s bezels can’t be classified as thick and outdated looking, but there does seem to be a bit of room to work with there.

The iMac’s webcam gets a new 12-megapixel sensor and wide-angle lens, although Apple lists the video output as still 1080p HD — same as the previous version. I’m still waiting on a response from Apple about why the video resolution didn’t increase with the new sensor. A 12-megapixel sensor ought to be able to capture 4K video. The wide-angle lens is put to use with Desk View, a feature previously available on your iPhone that you have probably never used. 

Desk View lets you do a split-screen FaceTime call where your face appears in one window and whatever is directly in front of your iMac is in another window. I was surprised at how far away I needed to place something for it appear in the Desk View window — there’s a good 10 inches of dead space between the iMac and whatever you want to show off in Desk View. 

Desk View felt awkward in my attempts with it, but I suppose it could be useful for streamers whose content or instructions can be helped with visual aids. The webcam also supports Center Stage, a feature with which iPad users might be familiar. It’s a fun and useful feature that digitally pans and zooms to keep you centered in the frame. 

The webcam lacks an IR sensor, which means the iMac lacks the handy and secure Face ID feature you likely use dozens of times a day on your iPhone. If you want a secure biometric login feature with the iMac, you’ll need to get one of the two Magic Keyboards with Touch ID.

With only USB-C ports in the back and a headphone jack on the side (plus an Ethernet jack with the more expensive power supply), you’re still going to need a dock or dongles for other connections. But on the M4 iMac models with four USB-C ports, every port offers Thunderbolt 4 connectivity. That’s an improvement on last year’s model that offered two Thunderbolt 3 ports and two slower USB-C 3.0 ports. You are stuck with Wi-Fi 6E networking, however, which is a bummer if you have a Wi-Fi 7 router and were hoping the iMac could operate on the latest wireless standard.

Should I buy the M4 Apple iMac?

The easy answer is yes, if you are shopping for an all-in-one, then you should get the M4 iMac because it offers an unrivaled design and improved performance. It’s the best all-in-one you can buy. It offers incremental improvements over the M3 model and is significantly faster than the M1 model. Plus, getting 16GB of RAM without needing to pay Apple’s steep $200 up-charge is appreciated.

If you’re still holding onto an Intel-based iMac, it’s a no-brainer. In addition to better performance and more compact and elegant design, you also get Apple Intelligence features. The older Intel iMacs can’t run Apple Intelligence, but it’s important to note that the M1 and M3 are compatible with it. So the reason to upgrade from an M1 iMac isn’t for the ability to run Apple Intelligence but for the better performance, more RAM, improved webcam and Thunderbolt 4. 

If I had an M3 iMac, I’d pass on the M4 and wait for the next refresh since it feels like we are overdue for a design overhaul.