Reviewers found the entry model noticeably faster than its predecessor and valued the addition of Thunderbolt 3. It remained a convenient all-in-one for everyday tasks, but both preferred the Retina alternative for its sharper display and stronger graphics. Slow standard hard-drive storage also weakened its appeal.
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
GPU
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640; no discrete graphics option
Memory type
8 GB of 2133 MHz DDR4, configurable to 16 GB
Storage type
1 TB 5400-rpm hard drive, configurable to 1 TB Fusion Drive or 256 GB SSD
Display
Screen size
21.5″
Resolution
1920 × 1080
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.
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.
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
Speakers
Stereo speakers; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone
Microphones
Built-in microphone
Keyboard and mouse
Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, Lightning to USB cable and polishing cloth; configurable with Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad or Magic Trackpad
Design and power
Type
All-in-one
Weight
5.44 kg
Width × depth × height
528 × 175 × 450 mm
Operating system
macOS
Size and weight detail
Dimensions include the stand; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. A built-in VESA mount version was available.
Power supply
100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase
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
Aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free display glass; mercury-, BFR- and beryllium-free with regional exceptions for PVC-free power leads
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.
Configurations
Processor
Memory
Storage
Storage type
Intel Core i5-7360U
8 GB
1 TB
Hard drive
Intel Core i5-7360U
8 GB
1 TB
Fusion Drive
Intel Core i5-7360U
8 GB
256 GB
SSD
Intel Core i5-7360U
16 GB
1 TB
Hard drive
Intel Core i5-7360U
16 GB
1 TB
Fusion Drive
Intel Core i5-7360U
16 GB
256 GB
SSD
Pros and cons
Pros
+Thunderbolt 3 and USB-A ports
+Supports one external 5K display or two external 4K displays
+Fusion Drive and SSD storage options
Cons
−Standard storage is a 5400-rpm hard drive
−Full HD display has fewer pixels than Retina alternatives
−Integrated graphics and a dual-core processor limit demanding work
