Apple iMac 24″ (M4) vs Apple Mac mini (M2 or M2 Pro)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiMac 24″ (M4) | AppleMac mini (M2 or M2 Pro) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | November 2024 | January 2023 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Apple M4 | Apple M2 or Apple M2 Pro |
| CPU cores | 8 or 10 | 8, 10 or 12 |
| Graphics | 8-core GPU or 10-core GPU | 10-core GPU, 16-core GPU or 19-core GPU |
| AI engine (NPU) | 38 TOPS | – |
| Memory | 16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB | 8 GB, 16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB |
| Storage | 256 GB to 2 TB | 256 GB to 8 TB (better) |
| CPU | 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores (two-port model), or 10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores (four-port models) | M2: 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores; M2 Pro: 10-core CPU with 6 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, or 12-core CPU |
| GPU | Hardware-accelerated ray tracing | M2: 10-core GPU; M2 Pro: 16-core or 19-core GPU |
| AI engine | 16-core Neural Engine | 16-core Neural Engine |
| Memory bandwidth | 120GB/s | M2: 100GB/s; M2 Pro: 200GB/s |
| Storage type | SSD | SSD |
| Media engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW; video decode engine; video encode engine; ProRes encode and decode engine; AV1 decode | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW; video decode engine; video encode engine; ProRes encode and decode engine |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 24″ | None built in |
| Resolution | 4480 × 2520 | – |
| Panel | IPS LCD | – |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | – |
| Brightness | 500 nits | – |
| Display type | 4.5K Retina display; actual diagonal 23.5 inches | – |
| Pixel density | 218 ppi | – |
| Display features | 1 billion colours; wide colour (P3); True Tone; nano-texture glass option on four-port models | – |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × Thunderbolt 4, headphone jack | 2 × Thunderbolt 4, 2 × USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Ethernet | – | 1 Gb/s |
| External displays | Up to 1 | Up to 2 (better) |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Camera | 12MP Center Stage | – |
| Back ports | 2 × Thunderbolt / USB 4 (two-port model) or 4 × Thunderbolt 4 (four-port models), each with Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s) and DisplayPort; Gigabit Ethernet on the power adapter, standard on four-port models and optional on the two-port model | 2 × Thunderbolt 4 (M2) or 4 × Thunderbolt 4 (M2 Pro), with DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s) and USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s); 2 × USB-A (up to 5Gb/s); HDMI with multichannel audio output; Gigabit Ethernet, configurable to 10Gb Ethernet; 3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones |
| External displays | Two-port model: one at up to 6K 60Hz; four-port models: two at up to 6K 60Hz, or one at up to 8K 60Hz | M2: up to two (one at up to 6K 60Hz over Thunderbolt, plus one at up to 5K 60Hz over Thunderbolt or 4K 60Hz over HDMI); M2 Pro: up to three (two at up to 6K 60Hz over Thunderbolt plus one at up to 4K 60Hz over HDMI), or one at up to 8K 60Hz or 4K 240Hz over HDMI |
| Camera | 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View; 1080p HD video recording; advanced image signal processor with computational video | – |
| Speakers | High-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo sound; Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos | Built-in speaker |
| Microphones | Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming | None built in |
| Keyboard and mouse | Magic Keyboard (two-port model) or Magic Keyboard with Touch ID (four-port models), and Magic Mouse; Magic Trackpad or Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad available instead | – |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | All-in-one | Compact |
| Weight | 4.42 kg | 1.18 kg (better) |
| Width × depth × height | 547 × 147 × 461 mm | 197 × 197 × 35.8 mm |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Power supply | 143W external power adapter; power lead (2 m) | Built-in; 100–240V AC; 150W (M2) or 185W (M2 Pro) maximum continuous power |
| Power use | – | M2 with 24GB and 2TB: 7W idle, 50W CPU maximum; M2 Pro with 32GB and 8TB: 7W idle, 100W CPU maximum |
| Noise | – | 5 dBA sound pressure at idle (operator position) |
| Materials | 100% recycled aluminium in the stand; more than 15% recycled content overall | – |
| Colours | Blue, Purple, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green, Silver | Silver |
| In the box | iMac, Magic Keyboard (with Touch ID on four-port models), Magic Mouse, 143W power adapter, power lead (2 m), USB-C Charge Cable, polishing cloth (nano-texture glass only) | Mac mini, power lead |
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