Apple’s refreshed iMac with the M4 chip is a worthy upgrade for most people, with more memory for the same price as previous years, a host of AI-powered features, and stylish new colors.
Apple’s new M4 iMac looks as slick as ever with new colors, updated displays, and a host of helpful features. The new chips are built to take AI-powered workflows to the next level, Apple says, but the M4 processors are powerful enough in their own right, handily outperforming last year’s M3.
Some great news about the new iMacs: the base model finally comes with 16GB of RAM instead of 8GB — and for the same starting price of $1,299. Previous iMacs have always started at 8GB, which in today’s digital landscape just isn’t enough to be a robust main driver for many people, even for an Apple device.
The 16GB of RAM expands the multitasking and productivity workflow possibilities, and the memory boost applies to the top end of the new iMac M4 line as well, with a 32GB configuration. In previous models, this amount of memory was relegated to the high-end iMac Studio. Paired with the power of the M4 processor, the new iMac offers a solid performance foundation.
ZDNET RECOMMENDS Apple iMac M4
Apple’s new iMac M4 brings next-level performance, more memory, and Apple Intelligence to a versatile all-in-one that couldn’t be easier to use.
The bottom line is that this is not a vastly different device compared to previous versions of the iMac. Instead, the M4 focuses on fine-tuning the physical form and boosting the available memory and processing power, especially for AI.
The physical form factor of the new iMac is very similar to the previous M3 version. Maybe it’s a little more sleek. The lighter colorways (available in blue, purple, pink, yellow, orange, green, and silver) are subtle and stylish, and the matching peripherals bring some flavor and personality to a market of products that is historically deathly afraid of color.
It’s also quite thin, measuring less than half an inch thick. The display is 5.8 inches from the back of the stand to the front. In terms of weight, it’s lighter than the M3, but barely — the 0.08-pound difference is not something you’ll likely notice.
The peripherals didn’t get a major redesign, though the switch to standard USB-C ports for charging has been a highly-requested change. This move brings Apple’s ecosystem of products (as with the iPhone 15) in line with every other device that uses a USB-C port and makes charging and power management a lot easier and less exclusive.
The iMac’s display is one of its best-looking features. The 24-inch 4.5K Retina screen is crisp and bright for indoor viewing at 500 nits, while support for a second display at 8K resolution and 60Hz (or two additional monitors at 6K resolution) is some of the best visual performance available relative to the price.
