The iMac M4 still has several variants, starting with a $1,299 model that includes an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and just two USB-Cs. thunderbolt 4 port(sorry, it's not vajra 5 Available on iMac unlike MacBook Pro Mac Mini with M4 Pro.) At least it now supports two 6K external displays instead of one. Note that Apple's great peripherals still cost extra no matter how you configure the machine, including the Magic Keyboard with numeric keypad ($30) and the Magic Trackpad ($50).
Photograph: Christopher Null
Move up the price ladder and you'll add extra power and storage space, USB ports, an improved keyboard (with a Touch ID fingerprint reader), and more. My tested configuration — a full $1,000 more expensive at $2,299 — included a passel of upgrades, including a 10-core CPU and GPU, 24GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, four USB ports, Gigabit Ethernet over the power brick, and Apple's new nanotechnology. -Textured glass upgrade for 24-inch screen.
This last option alone is a $200 upgrade, but it's the best of the bunch and you should definitely put it on your iMac. As much as I said in my MacBook Pro M4 Pro ReviewThis makes the 4,480 x 2,520-pixel display look like a glare-free picture. It's hard to imagine using the machine without it – although I'm still puzzled as to why the iMac doesn't feature a touchscreen, which is standard among competing all-in-ones smaller than 30 inches.
Another notable upgrade is the webcam, which is now an impressive 12-megapixel sensor, up from the 2.1-megapixel version in the iMac M3. The Center Stage feature is effective, auto-centering the frame during a video call, even if you're moving around. Apple's new Desk View feature is also included in this. Designed primarily for education purposes, it lets you add a top-down view of your desk to your video stream so you don't have to hold things in front of the camera lens. This is definitely a niche feature, but some people may find it useful. The iMac M3's three-microphone and six-speaker setup hasn't changed, and they both remain sharp.
There are only two things on my colleague Stolyar's 2023 iMac M3 “tired” list that Apple hasn't addressed with this 2024 release. First, there's the lack of screen height adjustment, which I'm willing to give Apple. Adjustable height is unusual on a 24-inch all-in-one across the board, and the iMac at least has a tilt feature, which is about as much as I'd expect in a machine of this size.
The second issue is more complicated: price. Even at a base price of $1,299, the iMac is expensive compared to other small all-in-ones. And with all the bells and whistles, it's significantly more expensive than many Windows all-in-ones with nearly double the LCD surface area. This is a difficult challenge to overcome.
If you've made it this far in the review, there's a good chance you already have an Apple Silicon iMac on your desk. That's another issue. Is the upgrade to the M4 version worth junking your old computer to get to this new computer? Only your accountant can help you answer this.