Apr 23, 2021 12:30:00

Compare the specifications of the new 'iMac' reborn with the M1 chip and the iMac with the Intel chip

Apple's display-integrated computer, the iMac, has had the same design for over a decade, but at the April 2021 delivery event , the newly designed M1-equipped iMac was finally announced. The new iMac has the first Apple Silicon ' M1 ' chip. On the other hand, iMacs with Intel CPUs are still on sale, so I compared the specifications of the M1 equipped iMac and the Intel chip equipped iMac.

New M1 iMac vs Intel: Specs, features, price, more --9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2021/04/22/new-m1-imac-vs-intel-imac/

Introduced in April 2021, the M1-powered iMac is the entry-level new iMac to replace the previously sold 21.5-inch Intel-chip-powered iMac. By installing the M1 chip, it is possible to reduce the heat exhaust engine by downsizing the logic board and improving power efficiency, and it has been reborn as the thinnest iMac ever, only 11.5 mm.

◆ CPU / GPU / Storage / Memory
Apple says it will improve CPU performance by up to 85%, GPU performance by up to 2x, and machine learning performance by up to 3x when comparing the M1 iMac with its predecessor, the 21.5-inch Intel chip iMac. I will.

The table comparing the actual specifications is as follows.

	M1 iMac	21.5 inch Intel iMac	27 inch Intel iMac
CPU	M1 (8 cores)	Intel Core i7 (6 cores up to 3.2GHz)	Intel Core i9 (10 cores up to 3.6GHz)
GPU	M1 (base model has 7 cores, other 8 cores)	Maximum AMD Radeon Vega 20	Maximum AMD Radeon Pro 5700XT
storage	SSD up to 2TB	Up to 1TB Fusion Drive	Up to 8TB SSD
memory	8 or 16GB	8 or 16 or 32GB	8-128GB
Neural engine	16 cores	None	None

While the M1 chip's specs may seem poor when compared numerically, benchmarks have shown that the M1 chip is far more powerful than Intel CPUs and third-party graphics cards.

Benchmark of Apple's original SoC 'M1' chip will be released, what is its ability? --GIGAZINE

Apple's proprietary 'M1' chip found to outperform GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and Radeon RX 560 in benchmarks-GIGAZINE

◆ Display
The new iMac uses a 24-inch display with a resolution of 4.5K (4480 x 2520 pixels). Display size increased from 21.5 inches to 24 inches, resolution increased from 4K to 4.5K. Although the display size has increased, the smaller bezel has succeeded in increasing the size of the display while adopting a housing of the same size.

The following is a comparison of display specifications.

	M1 iMac	21.5 inch Intel iMac	27 inch Intel iMac
size	24 inches	21.5 inches	27 inches
resolution	4480 x 2520 (4.5K)	4096 x 2304 (4K)	5120 × 2880 (5K)
aspect ratio	16: 9	16: 9	16: 9
Luminance	500 nito	500 nito	500 nito
Retina display	〇	〇	〇
P3 wide color gamut	〇	〇	〇
True Tone Technology	〇	×	〇
Nano-Texture glass	×	×	〇

◆ I / O
The new iMac's I / O ports (I / O) have two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports and two USB 3 Type-C ports, with no USB-A port or SD card slot.

The I / O part is as follows when compared with the iMac so far.

	M1 iMac	21.5 inch Intel iMac	27 inch Intel iMac
Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4	2	×	×
Thunderbolt 3 / USB	×	2	2
USB 3 Type-C	2 (other than the base model)	×	×
USB A	×	Four	Four
Gigabit Ethernet	Base model is optional	〇	〇
10 Gigabit Ethernet	×	×	option
SDXC slot	×	〇	〇
Wifi	Wi-Fi 6	Wi-Fi 5	Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth	5.0	4.2	5.0
Touch ID	Base model is optional	×	×
Hey Siri support	〇	×	〇
webcam	FaceTime 1080p HD + M1 ISP	FaceTime 720p HD	FaceTime 1080p HD
Video output	Up to 6K external display at 60Hz x 1	Up to 4K external display at 60Hz x 2 Or Up to 6K external display at 60Hz x 1	Up to 6K external display at 60Hz x 2

◆ Audio
The M1-equipped iMac is equipped with two sets of force-scan selling woofers for loud and accurate sound, and a six-speaker system for excellent bass response. This allows the new iMac to express more profound sound than ever before.

The following is a comparison of audio-related specifications.

	M1 iMac	21.5 inch Intel iMac	27 inch Intel iMac
6 speaker system	〇	×	×
Stereo speakers	×	〇	〇
Wide stereo sound	〇	×	×
Dolby Atmos support	〇	×	×
Studio quality 3 mic array	〇	×	〇
3.5mm earphone jack	〇	〇	〇

◆ Size and weight
The following is a comparison of iMac sizes and weights. The depth of the new iMac is 14.7 cm, but this is the size including the stand, and the display part is astonishingly thin at only 11.5 mm.

	M1 iMac	21.5 inch Intel iMac	27 inch Intel iMac
color	Blue, green, pink, silver Yellow, orange, purple	Silver	Silver
weight	4.48kg	5.48kg	8.92kg
height	46.1cm	45cm	51.6cm
width	54.7cm	52.8cm	65cm
Depth including stand	14.7cm	17.5cm	20.3cm

◆ Price
Below is a comparison of the prices of the M1 equipped iMac and the Intel chip equipped iMac.

	M1 iMac	21.5 inch Intel iMac	27 inch Intel iMac
256GB SSD / 8GB RAM (basic model)	Tax-included 154,800 yen	132,800 yen including tax	213,800 yen including tax
256GB SSD / 8GB RAM (4 ports)	177,800 yen including tax	---	---
512GB SSD / 8GB RAM (4 ports)	Tax-included 199,800 yen	---	---
512GB SSD / 8GB RAM	---	---	233,800 yen including tax
512GB SSD / 8GB RAM + GPU upgrade	---	---	274,800 yen including tax
Custom configuration	---	---	Maximum tax included 966,800 yen