Apple iMac (2024, M4)

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Apple's iMac all-in-one desktops have always been nice to look at. But the combination of colorful options and a powerful new M4 processor keeps the 2024 iMac (starts at $1,299; $2,299 as tested) feeling fresh and new, even as the fundamental design remains unchanged since 2021. With new phone mirroring and Apple Intelligence features, it's the smartest iMac yet, and it taps into an Editors' Choice award for consumer all-in-one PCs.

Configuration Options: Build Your Perfect iMac

The only crucial changes to the iMac from previous models are under the hood, with a new M4 processor available in two versions, one with eight CPU and eight GPU cores, and one with 10 of each. The $1,299 base model is the only eight-core machine; it's also limited to two instead of four Thunderbolt 4 ports and no Gigabit Ethernet. Like the $1,499 step-up config, the base model comes with 16GB of memory and a 256GB solid-state drive. Memory and storage scale to 32GB and 2TB, respectively.

Our 10-core review unit was upgraded with 24GB of RAM and a 1TB drive. With the addition of a Magic Keyboard With Touch ID and Numeric Keypad ($30 extra) and the standard Magic Mouse, it came to $2,299. If you want to go all out, the top-configured $2,979 iMac maxes out the memory and storage (and it swaps out the Magic Mouse for a Magic Trackpad).

Design: Familiar Form, New Colors

Apple's home and small-office desktop got a big revamp back in 2021, adopting a super-slim design that's closer to an iPad on a stand than a bulky tower desktop. And while there's plenty to say about this design, which continues unchanged in 2024, there's one glaringly obvious place to start: color.

The MacBook Pro (available in 14-inch and 16-inch screen sizes) and the Mac mini avoid a rainbow of color options, instead sticking to sedate bare metal and gray or silver finishes. But the iMac is more similar to the iPhone in this regard, throwing that mild-mannered approach out the window with candy-store colors and color-matched accessories that stand in bright contrast to the rest of the Mac family.

This was abundantly clear in our review unit, which has a vibrant green finish. (Other choices are blue, pink, purple, orange, yellow, and silver.) The all-metal chassis and stand come in a two-tone anodized finish, in this case a verdant green across the back of the display enclosure, and a much paler shade on the stand and front of the system. That same pale green appears on the metal parts of the bundled Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse. You get color-matched peripherals with the 2024 iMac you buy, and that's the only way to get the colorful versions of the input devices. (Apple itself sells them separately only in white or black.)

The magnetic power connector is also color-matched, as is the braided cable, but it plugs into a plain white power adapter, so the color matching does have its limits! Built into the power adapter is an Ethernet port, which serves as the iMac's wired networking connection.

When it comes to connectivity, the iMac strikes a balance between Spartan and splurge, offering four USB4 Thunderbolt 4 ports on the back of the machine, as well as Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. If you were looking for something like a USB-A port or an HDMI port for connecting an external monitor, you'll need to get an adapter first.

But the star of the show here is the 24-inch display, which actually measures 23.5 inches diagonally and offers 4.5K (4,480-by-2,520-pixel) resolution. (To remind you: 24 inches is the only current panel size offered for the iMac, though other sizes were indeed offered in the past.) New to this generation of iMacs is a $200 option for nano-textured glass, which has microscopic angled facets across the surface of the display to diffuse reflections and glare while letting the bright color and image quality shine through.

Going eyes-on with the display was really a testament to how well it works. I've seen plenty of matte-finish displays, but the iMac's better-than-4K screen looked fantastically clear, with none of the sharpness lost.

The nano-texture iMac also comes with a special cleaning cloth. You'll want to make sure not to lose it, because replacement cloths are $19 each.

Even a few years after Apple introduced the system, the slimness of the iMac is still pretty impressive. The enclosure is less than half an inch thick, with only an unobtrusive chin below the display housing the iMac's mainboard.

The whole thing is held up by the integrated stand, an elegant-looking foot that (like the rest of the iMac) has the same colorful finish as the display and peripherals. The stand still doesn't offer height adjustment, which is a pain, but the minimalistic design is aesthetically pleasing, and there's an optional VESA mount if you need adjustability or mounting flexibility.

The other big change is one you can actually see—the webcam has been swapped for a 12-megapixel camera, with Center Stage auto-framing and improved image processing. But the changes aren't as impressive as you'd expect, since the iMac still only captures video in 1080p. Oh well.

Smart Software: MacOS Sequoia & Apple Intelligence

The other thing updated on the iMac is the software, with the new . It's a minor update from the previous macOS 14 (dubbed Sonoma) that adds some cool new features like iPhone mirroring and improved window management. In most respects, though, it's an iterative refinement of what came before.

The biggest change is , an AI suite of tools for everything from writing and summarizing text to and getting tech support. The new , for example, is trained on all sorts of technical info about the latest Macs, letting you turn to the assistant for help with things like learning new shortcuts, decoding error messages, and otherwise getting up to speed on the ins and outs of the iMac (or iPad or iPhone).

Testing the 2024 iMac 24-Inch: How It Stacks Up

The new iMac is not only the first we've seen with the new M4 processor, but it's also one of the first Macs we've tested since we updated our test protocols a couple of months ago. Thankfully, we've been able to retest previously reviewed Macs with the updated benchmarks, as well as compare the new desktop to a couple of Intel and AMD systems that have gotten the same tests.

As a result, we're comparing the 2024 iMac to the (with M3 chip), as well as the Mac mini—both the new 2024 model and the 2023 . We also stacked it against the recently reviewed Asus NUC 14 Pro (a mini-PC) and the Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 27.

Productivity & Content Creation Tests

We use a number of benchmark tests that focus on the CPU, using all available cores and threads, to rate a PC's suitability for processor-intensive workloads. Maxon's Cinebench R23 uses that company's Cinema 4D engine to render a complex scene, while Geekbench 6.3 Pro from Primate Labs simulates popular apps ranging from PDF rendering and speech recognition to machine learning. Finally, we use the open-source video transcoder HandBrake 1.8 to convert a 12-minute video clip from 4K to 1080p resolution (lower times are better).

We also run PugetBench for Photoshop by workstation maker Puget Systems. It works with the 2024 version of Adobe's famous image editor to rate a PC's performance for content creation and multimedia applications. It's an automated extension that executes a variety of general and GPU-accelerated Photoshop tasks, from opening, rotating, resizing, and saving an image to applying masks, gradient fills, and filters.

When comparing the M4 iMac to the other Macs in our comparison chart, we clearly see that the M4 processor offers better performance than the M3 chip, but not so much that it overtakes the M2 Pro, despite the two-generation difference. And when we look at the scores offered by the new Mac mini with M4 Pro, it leads the pack with Apple's latest step-up processor.

But what was most interesting to see? How easily the M4 iMac surpassed both the Intel-based Asus NUC 14 Pro (in some tests) and the AMD-powered Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 27 (in all of them). All told, the conclusion is pretty clear: The iMac isn't a powerhouse workstation, but it's a highly capable all-in-one.

Display Tests

To measure display performance, we use a Datacolor SpyderX Elite monitor calibration sensor and software to measure a laptop screen's color saturation—what percentage of the sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3 color gamuts or palettes the display can show—and its 50% and peak brightness in nits (candelas per square meter).

In our testing, we saw excellent color reproduction on the iMac's 23.5-inch display, with the 2024 model squeezing ahead with a slightly higher percentage of the DCI-P3 gamut. Compared to the more average all-in-one results we saw from the Lenovo, it's a drastic difference, with the iMac delivering a decidedly more premium viewing experience.

The same difference showed up in brightness tests, where the 2024 iMac delivered more nits than the previous model, while both surpassed the IdeaCentre by a significant margin. Again, it's the difference between a premium product and one that's just satisfactory. Not many all-in-one shoppers are looking for that level of quality, but Apple is a smart choice for those who are.

Verdict: A More Colorful & Capable iMac

The Apple iMac (2024, M4) is the most colorful member of the Mac family, but the addition of the M4 chip makes it a capable workhorse, too. From the above-average performance and beautiful display to the extras, including an extended, color-matched keyboard and the nano-textured screen glass, this iMac steps up the classic Apple all-in-one to a new level.