Apple iMac 24″ (M1) vs Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)

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iMac 24″ (M1) compared with iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)

	AppleiMac 24″ (M1)	AppleiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
Overview
Released
Released	May 2021	August 2020
Performance
Processor
Processor	Apple M1	Intel Core i5-10500, Intel Core i5-10600, Intel Core i9-10910 or Intel Core i7-10700K
CPU cores
CPU cores	8	6, 8 or 10
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	12, 16 or 20
Graphics
Graphics	7-core GPU or 8-core GPU	Radeon Pro 5300 (4 GB GDDR6), Radeon Pro 5500 XT (8 GB GDDR6), Radeon Pro 5700 (8 GB GDDR6) or Radeon Pro 5700 XT (16 GB GDDR6)
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB	8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 2 TB	256 GB to 8 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores	Six-core Core i5 at 3.1 GHz (Turbo Boost 4.5 GHz) or 3.3 GHz (4.8 GHz), or eight-core Core i7 at 3.8 GHz (5.0 GHz). Upper two bases configurable to 3.6 GHz ten-core Core i9 (5.0 GHz). Exact CPU identities follow Geekbench. Apple specifies a 5.0 GHz Core i7 limit in this iMac, while Intel lists 5.1 GHz for the chip itself.
GPU
GPU	7-core GPU in the two-port model; 8-core GPU in the four-port model	Radeon Pro 5300 with 4 GB GDDR6 on the two Core i5 bases. Upper base has Radeon Pro 5500 XT with 8 GB GDDR6, optionally Radeon Pro 5700 with 8 GB or 5700 XT with 16 GB GDDR6.
Memory type
Memory type	–	2666 MHz DDR4; 8 GB standard as two 4 GB modules. Four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots; configurable to 16/32/64/128 GB on every base.
AI engine
AI engine	16-core Neural Engine	–
Storage type
Storage type	SSD; two-port model configurable to 512 GB or 1 TB, four-port model to 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB	Lower base: fixed 256 GB SSD. Middle base: 512 GB/1/2 TB SSD. Upper base: 512 GB/1/2/4/8 TB SSD.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	24″	27″
Resolution
Resolution	4480 × 2520	5120 × 2880 (better)
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	60 Hz	–
Brightness
Brightness	500 nits	500 nits
Display type
Display type	4.5K Retina display; actual diagonal 23.5 inches; IPS panel and 60 Hz refresh rate confirmed by Notebookcheck	LED-backlit Retina 5K display; IPS panel confirmed by EveryMac. Apple does not publish native refresh rate in the specification sheet.
Pixel density
Pixel density	218 ppi	–
Display features
Display features	1 billion colours; wide colour (P3); True Tone; anti-reflective coating	Wide colour (P3), one billion colours and True Tone; standard glass or optional nano-texture glass
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB4, headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	–	1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 1	Up to 2 (better)
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6	802.11ac
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	5.0
Camera
Camera	1080p FaceTime HD	1080p FaceTime HD
Back ports
Back ports	Two-port model: two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports with DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4 up to 40 Gb/s, and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; optional Gigabit Ethernet. Four-port model adds two USB 3 ports up to 10 Gb/s and includes Gigabit Ethernet. Both have a 3.5 mm headphone jack.	Four USB-A ports; two Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports with DisplayPort, Thunderbolt up to 40 Gb/s and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; UHS-II SDXC, Gigabit Ethernet and 3.5 mm headphone jack; Kensington lock slot. Optional 10Gb Ethernet supports 1/2.5/5/10Gb connections. Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI and VGA require adapters.
External displays
External displays	One external display up to 6K 60 Hz, alongside the built-in display at full resolution	One 6K or 5K external display, or two 4K displays; two 6K displays require Radeon Pro 5700 or 5700 XT. All listed external modes run at 60 Hz.
Camera
Camera	1080p FaceTime HD camera; advanced image signal processor with computational video	–
Speakers
Speakers	High-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo sound; spatial audio with Dolby Atmos	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming; Hey Siri	Three-mic array with directional beamforming; supports Hey Siri
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard; keyboard has Touch ID on the four-port model and optionally on the two-port model; Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad available instead	Rechargeable Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2; optional numeric keyboard and Magic Trackpad
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	4.46 kg (better)	8.92 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	547 × 147 × 461 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 also available.
Power supply
Power supply	143 W external power adapter with magnetic connection; Gigabit Ethernet built into the adapter where fitted	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase
Noise
Noise	7 dBA sound pressure at idle and during Apple's wireless web test (operator position)	–
Materials
Materials	Recyclable, low-carbon aluminium enclosure	Recyclable, low-carbon aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight
Colours
Colours	Two-port model: Blue, Green, Pink, Silver. Four-port model also comes in Yellow, Orange and Purple.	–
In the box
In the box	iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, 143 W power adapter, 2 m power lead, USB-C to Lightning cable	iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, power lead, Lightning to USB cable and polishing cloth