Apple iMac (21.5-inch, 2017) vs Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Mid 2015)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

iMac (21.5-inch, 2017) compared with iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Mid 2015)

	AppleiMac (21.5-inch, 2017)	AppleiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Mid 2015)
Overview
Released
Released	June 2017	May 2015
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-7360U	Intel Core i5-4590
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	4
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	4
Graphics
Graphics	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640	AMD Radeon R9 M290 (2 GB GDDR5)
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB	8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 1 TB	256 GB to 3 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	Fixed 3.3 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5-4590 with Turbo Boost up to 3.7 GHz; exact chip identified in Macworld and The Register's tests. Apple's configure-to-order section is headed 3.5 GHz and repeats options from the higher model; those processor options are excluded from this entry.
GPU
GPU	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640; no discrete graphics option	AMD Radeon R9 M290 with 2 GB GDDR5; the higher model's M290X and optional M295X are outside this configuration
Memory type
Memory type	8 GB of 2133 MHz DDR4, configurable to 16 GB	1600 MHz DDR3; 8 GB (two 4 GB modules), configurable to 16 GB or 32 GB; four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots
Storage type
Storage type	1 TB 5400-rpm hard drive, configurable to 1 TB Fusion Drive or 256 GB SSD	1 TB 7200-rpm hard drive, configurable to 3 TB hard drive, 1 TB or 3 TB Fusion Drive, or 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB flash storage (SSD)
Display
Screen size
Screen size	21.5″	27″
Resolution
Resolution	1920 × 1080	5120 × 2880 (better)
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.	27-inch Retina 5K display with IPS technology and support for millions of colours
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. DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI require 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; 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	Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse; optional Magic Trackpad
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	5.44 kg (better)	9.54 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	528 × 175 × 450 mm	650 × 203 × 516 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 also available.
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	–
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free display glass; mercury-, BFR- and beryllium-free with regional exceptions for PVC-free power leads	Recyclable aluminium and glass enclosure; arsenic-free display glass and mercury-free LED backlight
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 with Retina 5K display, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse and power lead; OS X Yosemite