Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019) vs Apple Mac mini (2018)

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iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019) compared with Mac mini (2018)

	AppleiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019)	AppleMac mini (2018)
Overview
Released
Released	March 2019	November 2018
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-8500, Intel Core i5-8600, Intel Core i9-9900K or Intel Core i5-9600K	Intel Core i3-8100B, Intel Core i5-8500B or Intel Core i7-8700B
CPU cores
CPU cores	6 or 8	4 or 6
CPU threads
CPU threads	6 or 16	4, 6 or 12
Graphics
Graphics	Radeon Pro 570X (4 GB GDDR5), Radeon Pro 575X (4 GB GDDR5), Radeon Pro 580X (8 GB GDDR5) or Radeon Pro Vega 48 (8 GB HBM2)	Intel UHD Graphics 630
Memory
Memory	8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB	8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 3 TB (better)	128 GB to 2 TB
CPU
CPU	Six-core Core i5 at 3.0 GHz (Turbo Boost 4.1 GHz), 3.1 GHz (Turbo Boost 4.3 GHz) or 3.7 GHz (Turbo Boost 4.6 GHz); upper two bases configurable to 3.6 GHz eight-core Core i9 with Turbo Boost up to 5.0 GHz. Exact K-suffix CPU identities follow Geekbench’s model database; Macworld instead lists KF suffixes.	3.6 GHz quad-core Core i3 with 6 MB shared L3 cache; 3.0 GHz six-core Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 4.1 GHz and 9 MB cache; configurable to 3.2 GHz six-core Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 4.6 GHz and 12 MB cache
GPU
GPU	Radeon Pro 570X or 575X with 4 GB GDDR5, or Radeon Pro 580X with 8 GB GDDR5; only the upper base supports Radeon Pro Vega 48 with 8 GB HBM2	Intel UHD Graphics 630; exact i3-8100B model identified by Tom’s Guide; i5-8500B and i7-8700B identified in Apple’s Common Criteria security target
Memory type
Memory type	2666 MHz DDR4; 8 GB standard as two 4 GB modules in four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots. Lower base configurable to 16/32 GB; upper two bases to 16/32/64 GB.	2666 MHz DDR4 SO-DIMM; 8 GB, configurable to 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB
Storage type
Storage type	570X base: 1/2 TB Fusion Drive or 256/512 GB/1 TB SSD. 575X base: 1/2/3 TB Fusion Drive or 256/512 GB/1 TB SSD. 580X/Vega base: 2/3 TB Fusion Drive or 512 GB/1/2 TB SSD.	PCIe-based SSD; launch Core i3 starts at 128 GB and Core i5 at 256 GB; configurable to 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB; 128 GB Core i7 combinations omitted because their configure-to-order availability is not independently verified
Display
Screen size
Screen size	27″	None built in
Resolution
Resolution	5120 × 2880	–
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	–
Brightness
Brightness	500 nits	–
Display type
Display type	LED-backlit Retina 5K display; IPS panel confirmed by EveryMac; Apple does not publish native refresh rate in this model’s specification sheet	–
Display features
Display features	Wide colour (P3); supports one billion colours	–
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack	4 × Thunderbolt 3, 2 × USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	1 Gb/s	1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 2	Up to 3 (better)
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11ac	Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.2	5.0
Camera
Camera	FaceTime HD	–
Back ports
Back ports	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; SDXC, Gigabit Ethernet and 3.5 mm headphone jack; Kensington lock slot. Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI and VGA require separately sold adapters.	Four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports with DisplayPort and Thunderbolt 3 up to 40 Gb/s and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; two USB-A ports up to 5 Gb/s; HDMI 2.0; Gigabit Ethernet, configurable to 10 Gb Ethernet with 1/2.5/5/10 Gb support; 3.5 mm headphone jack
External displays
External displays	Built-in display at full 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	Two displays up to 4096 × 2304 at 60 Hz over Thunderbolt 3 plus one up to 4096 × 2160 at 60 Hz over HDMI 2.0; alternatively, one 5120 × 2880 display at 60 Hz over Thunderbolt 3 plus one 4096 × 2160 display at 60 Hz over HDMI 2.0
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers	Built-in speaker; HDMI 2.0 supports multichannel audio output
Microphones
Microphones	Built-in microphone	–
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Rechargeable Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2; optional Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Magic Trackpad 2	–
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	Compact
Weight
Weight	9.42 kg	1.3 kg (better)
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	650 × 203 × 516 mm	197 × 197 × 36 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	Dimensions include the stand; weight varies by configuration. A built-in VESA mount version was also available.	–
Power supply
Power supply	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase	Built-in; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz; maximum continuous power 150 W
Materials
Materials	Recyclable aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight	100% recycled aluminium enclosure
Colours
Colours	–	Space Grey
In the box
In the box	iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, power lead and Lightning to USB cable	Mac mini, power cord