The best feature on Apple's iMac M4 might one of the least talked about – ZDNet

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The iMac M4 is available for preorder now, starting at $1,299, and available on November 8th, 2024.
• The base model comes with 16GB of memory for the same price, and the hardware makes for a fast, powerful desktop flexible enough to handle virtually any use case.
• The base model M4 might not feel as impactful for M3 Pro or Max users looking for a high-end machine.

Apple’s new iMac with the M4 processor looks slick as ever with new colors, updated displays, and a host of new 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. 

Also: The MacBook Air’s free RAM upgrade was sneakily the best announcement during Apple’s Mac event

The 16GB of RAM allows for more possibilities in multitasking and productivity workflows, 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.

The bottom line is that this is not a vastly different device overall compared to previous versions of the iMac. Instead, the M4 focuses on fine-tuning its physical form and boosting the power under the hood, regarding available memory and processing power, especially for AI. 

The physical form factor of the new iMac is very similar to the previous M3 version and 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 see a major redesign, except for the switch to standard USB-C ports for charging. This move brings Apple’s ecosystem of products (as with the iPhone 16) in line with every other device that uses a USB-C port and makes charging and power management a whole 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 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 price. 

Note that there was some confusion about this, as initial reports from Apple stated that it would support an additional display at 8K and 120Hz refresh rate, but later quietly adjusted the official specs page to reflect the accurate 60Hz refresh rate.

You can opt for the glossy finish on the display (which is still quite good at mitigating glare) or the new nano-texture glass for a matte option. Both options look great, but the latter will bump up the price by $200. 

The iMac’s 12MP webcam is another notable hardware upgrade. It’s one of the best webcams I’ve used for how little configuration is needed. Right out of the box, the camera is smooth and well-situated, without any adjustments or fiddling with settings. 

Also: Apple Magic Mouse gets USB-C, but still plugs in the bottom. Buy this instead

The 1080p HD video quality offers a clear, bright picture (even in suboptimal lighting conditions) that feels smooth and premium. While on a call, the camera’s Center Stage feature automatically adjusts to your position, even tracking you if you’re standing far away enough to walk around the room. 

Support for Apple Intelligence is now in full swing on the iMac M4, and the 16-core neural engine offers speedy on-device performance. Apple Intelligence can proofread and suggest edits to text in emails and iMessage, while natural language can help you find photos and videos in a crowded image library. 

Although Apple Intelligence’s rollout came a little bit later than expected, the live features are integrated into apps and frameworks that Apple users already use. The delay has worked in Apple’s favor to some degree, as its approach to AI technology has been careful and deliberate, focusing on privacy. The features on the iMac support this, and are well-optimized and natural feeling.

Regarding its performance, this thing is fast. Web browsing is snappy, working with dozens of tabs across different apps feels responsive and lightweight, and more demanding workflows like 4K video editing feel natural. Paired with the display and dual display, this is a device that is made for creative tasks. 

Also: M4 Mac Mini vs. M2 Mac Mini: Which Apple desktop should you buy?

For everyday users, Apple says the M4 chip is up to six times faster than the most popular Intel-based iMac, which looks like an impressive number, but this specifically refers to the six‑core Intel Core i5‑based iMacs, which aren’t exactly new machines. 

Conversely, it says the M4 iMac is 1.3 times faster at handling productivity tasks than the M3 chip, and up to 2.1 times faster than the M1 iMac, which is a far less impressive number on paper, however, what this actually means in terms of performance is more significant than it might appear.

The M4 processor has 8-10 cores and a 16GB memory bandwidth (up from 8GB). In essence, it has more raw power and can harness more of that power at once. By comparison, the M3 Pro has 12 cores, outperforming the base-level M4, but the M4 Max (not available on the iMac yet) is the most powerful chip in Apple’s product lineup. We’ll likely see that chip in the high-end Mac Studio next year. 

In my benchmarking, the iMac M4 got some pretty impressive numbers, going head-to-head — and surpassing — many of the high-end Windows-on-ARM compatible devices with the Snapdragon X Elite chip.

Regarding the GPU, the M4 is built similarly to previous chips, with 10 cores and support for ray tracing and dynamic caching. Apple has historically not been the first choice for gaming machines, but that is slowly changing. I fired up a few games on the iMac M4 and performance was certainly not on par with a dedicated gaming machine, but it was better than I expected. 

This device in particular wouldn’t be my top pick for an Apple gaming machine (the Mac Mini M4, for example, now supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing and can be configured with a gaming monitor and peripheral setup) but the hardware on board is powerful enough to support it nonetheless.

Is the M4 worth the upgrade? 

The answer depends on what you want to use it for and what you currently are using. If you have an iMac M2 or prior, the M4 will probably feel like a significant upgrade, especially if you plan on utilizing AI features.

Also: The Mac Studio feature keeping me from buying a new M4 Mac Mini this fall

If you have an M3 iMac, especially a high-end M3 Pro or Max, the upgrade might not feel as impactful. I would wait until next year when the Mac Studios with the M4 are released and we see just how those perform. 

ZDNET’s buying advice

The iMac M4 is a quintessential jack-of-all-trades desktop that improves upon the previous version enough to stand out as a worthy upgrade. The M4 processor is powerful, and enables the device to be capable and flexible for both work and play. 

Regarding the former, however, I’d say the iMac is a fantastic work machine. It’s very well optimized for productivity, and the powerful hardware on board shines when it’s being used to create, whether that’s video editing, design, or spreadsheet surfing. 

Additionally, if you take a lot of video calls and want a premium, high-fidelity webcam, the iMac M4 is one of the best options on the market right now, especially since the high-quality webcam can also be used with FaceTime and other messaging apps.