Video Review: A Month With the M4 iMac

It's been just over a month since Apple released the refreshed M4 iMac, so we've finally been able to spend enough time with it to provide MacRumors readers with a comprehensive review ahead of the holiday season.


Apple didn't make external design changes to the M4 ‌iMac‌ except for tweaking the colors, but it does have the latest M4 chip. You can't get the ‌iMac‌ with the M4 Pro or the M4 Max, as those higher-end chips are limited to the Mac mini and the MacBook Pro, but the M4 in the ‌iMac‌ is more than powerful enough for most people.

It can be used for simple tasks like web browsing and watching videos, but it's also powerful enough for photo editing, video editing, graphics work, 3D work, and gaming. Some of the latest console games can be played on the M4 ‌iMac‌ thanks to support for hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading.

This year, all M4 Macs come with 16GB RAM minimum with no increase in base cost, which is great. Depending on what you're going to do with your ‌iMac‌, you might want to upgrade the RAM to 24GB or 32GB, but 16GB will get you by for most tasks. You can also get up to 2TB of SSD storage depending on which ‌iMac‌ you pick.

The base ‌iMac‌ has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, while higher-end models have four Thunderbolt 4 ports, another nice upgrade compared to the prior-generation ‌iMac‌ that had two Thunderbolt ports and two USB-C ports. Nano-texture, the feature that Apple first brought to the Pro Display XDR, is an option for the ‌iMac‌ this time, so you can get a super matte display that's ideal if you need to work in the sun or in bright lights.

If you have an M1 ‌iMac‌ or an ‌iMac‌ with an Intel chip, the M4 ‌iMac‌ is going to be a huge update that's worth it. If you have a newer ‌iMac‌, there's no real reason to update.

Make sure to watch our video for a deeper overview of the ‌iMac‌, and let us know if you have plans to get one in the comments below.

Related Roundup: iMac
Buyer's Guide: iMac (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iMac

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Top Rated Comments

doelcm82 Avatar
17 weeks ago

24 inch screen.
I remember when that was big for a computer monitor.

I remember when that was big for a TV.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Andres Cantu Avatar
17 weeks ago
I wouldn’t say the M4 is a huge upgrade from the M1, since it’s the same design and the M1 is still a very good chip.

I could definitely see it for the Intel iMacs, at least the smaller ones.

If I had an M1 iMac, I’d wait for the rumored 90Hz M5 iMac. First display upgrade for this new generation.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sherwinzadeh Avatar
17 weeks ago
Just wish they would have a Silver + Black bezels option.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SteeLD Avatar
17 weeks ago
"It can be used for simple tasks like web browsing and watching videos."

OMG no way, I'm getting two immediately. I can't believe they have figured that out at apple.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gk_brown Avatar
17 weeks ago

I wouldn’t say the M4 is a huge upgrade from the M1, since it’s the same design and the M1 is still a very good chip.
I have to agree. I just got the new M4 Pro mini and it honestly doesn't seem any faster than my M1 Pro MBP.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TSE Avatar
17 weeks ago
Yellow is the only color to get.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)