iMac 2021: News, Price, Release Date, and Specs

Apple’s 2021 iMac upgrades the all-in-one's camera, mic, and speaker. It's a 24-inch model with a 4.5K Retina display, improved performance, multiple color options, and Touch ID.

2021 iMac Release Date

Apple announced the 24-inch iMac on April 20, 2021. View the latest iMac at Apple.com.

iMac 2021 Price

There are three versions that all feature an 8-core CPU, 8 GB of unified memory, two Thunderbolt ports, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Mouse. Prices range from $1,299 to $1,699.

• 7-core GPU: $1,299; available in green, pink, blue, and silver.
• 8-core GPU: $1,499; available in green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver. This one also has two additional USB 3 ports, Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, and Ethernet.
• 8-core GPU: $1,699; identical to the other 8-core GPU version but has 512 GB of storage instead of 256 GB.

iMac 2021 Features

Here are the highlights:

• Apple Silicon: Apple is moving its products over from Intel chips to custom-designed chips that they're calling Apple Silicon. This translates to a much more powerful machine.
• Touch ID: This is a first for iMac. Complete purchases, log in, and more with biometrics built-in.
• Modern display: Apple has done away with the humpback design in favor of something more flat. In fact, the total volume of the computer has been reduced by 50 percent. This iMac has a 4.5K Retina display with 11.3 million pixels.
• New power connector: iMac now comes with a magnetic power connector and a 2-meter-long cable.
• Seven colors: Green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver...find a match for any room design.

A touchscreen iMac would be an exciting addition, but Apple didn't include it this time around. It's questionable whether it’d be used or enjoyed by everyone, and adding Face ID to the mix would make it seem like a large iPad (is that a bad thing?). You’ll be displeased, however, to hear that Apple has owned a patent for a touchscreen panel for years and hasn’t put it to use.

iMac 2021 Specs and Hardware

The rumors were right: this iMac has a 24-inch display with narrower borders. The stories before launch speculated that we'd see a 5K display (like the 27-inch iMac), but it's instead a 4.5K Retina display. There were also rumors of a bigger, 32-inch 6K model, but that didn't materialize.

There are up to four Thunderbolt ports for data transfers and the ability to connect up to 6K displays. Wi-Fi 6 is built-in for faster wireless, and the 8-core GPU version has two additional USB-C ports and a power adapter with an Ethernet port built-in to reduce desktop clutter.

24" iMac Specs
Display	24"; LED-backlit; 4.5K Retina; 500 nits brightness
SoC	Apple M1 chip; 8-core CPU; 4 performance, 4 efficiency cores
Memory	8-16 GB memory
Storage	256-1000 GB SSD; 256-2000 GB SSD*
Keyboard	Magic Keyboard with Lock Key; Touch ID inclusion*
GPU	7-core GPU; 8-core GPU*
Size	18.1" H X 21.5" W
Camera	1080p FaceTime HD camera with M1 image signal processor
Audio	High-fidelity six-speaker system; wide stereo sound; spatial audio; three-mic system; 3.5mm headphone jack
Wireless	802.11ax Wi-Fi 6; Bluetooth 5.0
Ports	Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports; two USB 3 ports*

_{*Only available on the model with four ports.}

The Latest News About the 2021 iMac 

You can get more updated computer-related news from Lifewire. Below are stories and early rumors about this iMac.