iMac M4 vs iMac M1: Apple’s new iMac features M4 processors primed for Apple Intelligence. So if you’ve been rocking an M1 iMac since 2021 that’s beginning to feel the pace, now sounds like a great time for an upgrade.
If the M2 iMac felt like a modest upgrade and the iMac M3 didn’t blow your mind, then perhaps a new model that’s designed to make the best of Apple’s smartest new technology – Apple Intelligence.
Apple’s key improvements are on the inside here. The design is the same, the display remains the same 24-inches in size and with the same 4.5K resolution. There is an option to add nano-textured glass to the display to help with glare in sunlight. So let’s have a look at the key differences.
The AirPods 4 are seeing their first price drop on Amazon
Ahead of Black Friday, the recently launched Apple AirPods 4 (without ANC) are currently just £116.10 on Amazon.
- Amazon
- Was £129
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M4 vs M1: What’s three generations?
Apple is keenly aware owners of the M1 model might be eyeing this release so they’re pitching this as the perfect upgrade. The world’s fastest CPU core (Apple’s words), is up to 1.7x faster than the M1 for productivity tasks, and up to 1.5x faster for browsing.
The GPU is 2.1x faster for photo and video editing than the M1, while it can offer up to 2x higher frame rates for gaming. Apple says the Neural Engine in the M4 is 3x faster than the M1.
That new NPU is designed for Apple Intelligence, which is now rolling out for M-Series Mac models. The new neural engine now has 16 cores and is capable of 38 trillion operations per second.
So, performance is likely to be greatly improved over the M1 when using Gen AI features and it’s likely, at some point, some features might not be available on M1 iMac models at all.
The base RAM is now 16GB of Unified Memory whereas Apple only offered 8GB as standard with the M1 iMac.
New connectivity options
The M4 iMac’s higher end configurations now includes four rear USB-C ports and all support Thunderbolt 4 connectivity (40Gbps). That’ll support more accessories like a pair of 6K displays at 60Hz and a single 8K display at 120Hz. There’s Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, a 3.5mm jack, and support for Gigabit internet. The older USB-A style ports have been phased out.
The iMac M1 included a pair of Thunderbolt 3 with data transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps. Meanwhile, it offered two USB-3 ports (10Gbps), Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, were offered as well as Gigabit Ethernet, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
That unlocks support for more accessories including a pair of additional 6K displays at 60Hz (or one 8K display at 120Hz), or external storage docks.
New webcam keeps you Centre Stage
Apple is upgrading the iMac’s webcam, including the Center Stage technology for the first time. This intelligently tracks your movement while you’re sitting at your desk, keeping you in the centre of the frame. The M1 model just had a static 1080p FaceTime HD camera.
USB-C accessories are just Magic
Apple has replaced the Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse’s charging solution with USB-C. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you upgrading these accessories for your M1 if you fancy. The Magic Keyboard with Touch ID now comes as standard, whereas the security key was an optional extra last time around.
New colours
The iMac M4 (2024) is available in green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver. There’s a two tone approach with Apple saying: “The back of iMac features bold colors designed to stand out, while the front expresses subtle shades of the new palette so users can focus on doing their best work.”
The M1 version came in blue, pink, orange, yellow, green, silver and purple.
