Apple iMac (21.5-inch, 2017) vs Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)

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iMac (21.5-inch, 2017) compared with iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)

	AppleiMac (21.5-inch, 2017)	AppleiMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
Overview
Released
Released	June 2017	October 2015
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-7360U	Intel Core i5-5250U or Intel Core i5-5575R
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2 or 4
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	–
Graphics
Graphics	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640	Intel HD Graphics 6000 or Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB	8 GB or 16 GB
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 1 TB	256 GB to 2 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	2.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz; Geekbench identifies the exact processor as Core i5-7360U	1.6 GHz dual-core Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 2.7 GHz or 2.8 GHz quad-core Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 3.3 GHz; Geekbench identifies the processors as Core i5-5250U and Core i5-5575R, respectively
GPU
GPU	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640; no discrete graphics option	Intel HD Graphics 6000 in the 1.6 GHz model and Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 in the 2.8 GHz model; no discrete graphics option
Memory type
Memory type	8 GB of 2133 MHz DDR4, configurable to 16 GB	8 GB of 1867 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory, configurable to 16 GB; soldered memory cannot be upgraded after purchase (Expert Reviews and Alphr)
Storage type
Storage type	1 TB 5400-rpm hard drive, configurable to 1 TB Fusion Drive or 256 GB SSD	1 TB 5400-rpm hard drive on both models; the 1.6 GHz model can have a 1 TB Fusion Drive or 256 GB SSD, and the 2.8 GHz model can have a 1 TB or 2 TB Fusion Drive or 256 GB SSD. Apple specifies 24 GB of flash for the 1 TB Fusion Drive and 128 GB for the 2 TB Fusion Drive.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	21.5″	21.5″
Resolution
Resolution	1920 × 1080	1920 × 1080
Panel
Panel	–	IPS LCD
Display type
Display type	21.5-inch LED-backlit display; 1920 × 1080 with support for millions of colours. Apple does not identify the panel technology, native refresh rate or brightness in its specification sheet; Retina model display figures do not apply.	21.5-inch LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 1920 × 1080 with support for millions of colours. This is the non-Retina model.
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt 2, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	1 Gb/s	1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 2 (better)	Up to 1
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11ac	802.11ac
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.2	4.0
Camera
Camera	FaceTime HD	FaceTime HD
Back ports
Back ports	Four USB-A ports, two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet, 3.5 mm headphone jack and Kensington lock slot. Thunderbolt 3 supports DisplayPort, up to 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt and up to 10 Gb/s USB 3.1 Gen 2; Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI and VGA require adapters.	Four USB 3 ports, two Thunderbolt 2 ports with Mini DisplayPort output, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet, headphone and optical digital audio output; Kensington lock slot. HDMI, DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI need separately sold adapters.
External displays
External displays	Built-in display at native resolution alongside one 5120 × 2880 display at 60 Hz with one billion colours, two 3840 × 2160 displays at 60 Hz with one billion colours, or two 4096 × 2304 displays at 60 Hz with millions of colours	Built-in display at native resolution alongside one external display up to 3840 × 2160 on the 1.6 GHz model or 4096 × 2304 on the 2.8 GHz model; extended desktop and video mirroring
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone	Stereo speakers; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone
Microphones
Microphones	Built-in microphone	Dual microphones
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, Lightning to USB cable and polishing cloth; configurable with Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad or Magic Trackpad	Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2 and Lightning to USB cable; optional Magic Trackpad 2
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	5.44 kg (better)	5.68 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	528 × 175 × 450 mm	528 × 175 × 450 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	Dimensions include the stand; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. A built-in VESA mount version was available.	Dimensions include the stand; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. A built-in VESA mount version was available, but its listed height in inches conflicts with the metric value and is omitted.
Power supply
Power supply	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase
Noise
Noise	Apple reports operator-position sound pressure of 11 dB at idle and during wireless web, and 12 dB during hard-drive seek, tested on the Core i5 with 8 GB memory and 1 TB hard drive	Apple reports operator-position sound pressure of 11.5 dB at idle and during wireless web, and 12 dB during hard-drive seek, tested on the 1.6 GHz Core i5 with 8 GB memory and 1 TB hard drive
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free display glass; mercury-, BFR- and beryllium-free with regional exceptions for PVC-free power leads	Recyclable aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free display glass and mercury-free LED backlight; speaker enclosures contain 35 percent post-consumer recycled plastic
In the box
In the box	iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, Lightning to USB cable, polishing cloth and power lead. Apple's current support page describes the later macOS Big Sur release.	iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, Lightning to USB cable and power lead; OS X El Capitan at launch. The support sheet's macOS Sierra wording reflects a later software update.