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iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports) vs MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024)

iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports)1MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024)2

Quick look

Quick look: iMac M4 against MacBook Air M3
FigureiMac M41MacBook Air M32
Price£1,4993launch price£1,2994launch price
ChipM4chipM3chip
CPU10-coreCPU8-coreCPU
GPU10-coreGPU10-coreGPU
Memory16GBunified memory, base8GB5unified memory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base256GBstorage, base
Battery life Not available6No batteryUp to18 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released8 November 20247ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 28 October 2024.8 March 20244ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 4 March 2024.
Security updatesNot available8Security updatesNot available8Security updates
Price
The iMac M4 is £1,499 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Air M3 is £1,299 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
Kind of Mac
The iMac M4 is an all-in-one; the MacBook Air M3 is a laptop. The MacBook Air M3 has a battery, whereas the iMac M4 has none.

True to scale

iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports) · 547 × 461 mm frontMacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024) · 340.4 × 237.6 mm footprint

An all-in-one and a laptop are different shapes, so they stand side by side rather than superposed: the front face of one and the footprint of the other, from Apple’s published dimensions, at one scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.

Specifications

Each figure is from the source marked by its Mac’s name unless it carries its own small number, which links to where that figure was read.

Body

Body: Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports) against Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024)
SpecificationiMac M41MacBook Air M32
Dimensions461 x 547 x 147 mm11.5 x 340.4 x 237.6 mm
Weight4.44 kg1.51 kg
ColoursBlue, Purple, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green, SilverSilver, Starlight, Space Grey, Midnight
PortsFour Thunderbolt 4 ports, 3.5mm headphone jack, Gigabit EthernetTwo Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, MagSafe 3 port, 3.5mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports942
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 4Thunderbolt 3
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.10No USB-A ports.11
HDMINo HDMI port.12No HDMI port.13
SD card slotNo SD card slot.12No SD card slot.13
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeNot available14Yes
KeyboardMagic Keyboard with Touch IDBacklit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
Touch IDYesYes

Display

Display: Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports) against Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024)
SpecificationiMac M41MacBook Air M32
Display size24 in15.3 in
Resolution4480 x 25202880 x 1864
Pixel density218 ppi224 ppi
Display type4.5K Retina displayLiquid Retina display
Brightness500 nits500 nits
Wide colour (P3)YesYes
Nano-texture optionYesNo nano-texture display option.13

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports) against Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024)
SpecificationiMac M41MacBook Air M32
ChipApple M4 chipApple M3 chip
Apple siliconYesYes
CPU cores108
Performance cores44
Efficiency cores64
GPU cores1010
Neural Engine cores1616
Chip optionsM4 with 10-core CPU and 10-core GPUM3 with 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU
Memory (base)16GB8GB5
Memory (maximum)32GB24GB5
Memory options16GB, 24GB or 32GB8GB, 16GB or 24GB5
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents15No, as Apple documents16
Memory bandwidth120 GB/s100 GB/s
Storage (base)256GB256GB
Storage (maximum)2TB2TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decodeHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decode engine

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports) against Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024)
SpecificationiMac M41MacBook Air M32
Battery capacityNot available666.5 Wh
Rated charge cyclesNot available61,000 cycles17
Video playback (claimed)Not available618 h
Wireless web (claimed)Not available615 h
Included power adapter143 W1835 W
Fast chargingNot available6Yes

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports) against Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024)
SpecificationiMac M41MacBook Air M32
Wi-FiWi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax)Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth5.35.3
EthernetGigabit EthernetNo Ethernet port.13
External displays (base)2119

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports) against Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024)
SpecificationiMac M41MacBook Air M32
Camera12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View1080p FaceTime HD camera
Camera resolution12 MPNot available20
SpeakersHigh-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofersSix-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamformingThree-mic array with directional beamforming

Platform

Platform: Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports) against Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024)
SpecificationiMac M41MacBook Air M32
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate21macOS 27 Golden Gate21
Model identifierMac16,322Mac15,1323
Model year20242024

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2024, Four ports) - Tech specs · Default for iMac M4 · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024) - Tech Specs · Default for MacBook Air M3 · Apple’s figure · read 14 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces new iMac supercharged by M4 and Apple Intelligence · Apple’s figure · read 27 Oct 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils the new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air with the powerful M3 chip · Apple’s figure · read 14 Sep 2026

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  5. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  6. Doesn’t apply: no battery

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  7. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces new iMac supercharged by M4 and Apple Intelligence · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  8. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

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  9. Different Thunderbolt generations. iMac M4: Thunderbolt 4. MacBook Air M3: Thunderbolt 3.

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  10. iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports): No USB-A ports. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2024, Four ports) - Tech specs. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  11. MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024): No USB-A ports. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024) - Tech Specs. Read 14 Sep 2026

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  12. iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2024, Four ports) - Tech specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  13. MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No nano-texture display option. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024) - Tech Specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  14. Doesn’t apply: MagSafe is a notebook charging port

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  15. Apple Support (UK) — Install memory in an iMac · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  16. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  17. Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops · Apple’s figure · read 15 Oct 2026

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  18. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2024, Four ports) - Tech specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  19. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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  20. Not published by Apple (Apple states resolution: 1080p FaceTime HD camera)

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  21. Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  22. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  23. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model · Apple’s figure · read 14 Sep 2026

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Not published by Apple

iMac M4. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, storage upgradeable by user, maximum continuous power, the macOS it shipped with. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2024, Four ports) - Tech specs; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces new iMac supercharged by M4 and Apple Intelligence, read 9 Oct 2026.

MacBook Air M3. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. Geekbench 7: the Mac chart has no entry for this Mac, so no figures are shown (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024) - Tech Specs; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils the new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air with the powerful M3 chip; Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers, read 9 Oct 2026.

If you own one of them

Whether to move is a different question from which is better. Each Mac has a page on it: what its successor changes (the newest Mac in its line where Apple sells one, otherwise the Mac this site treats as its replacement, which can be in another line), what it fetches and whether it still gets updates. Should I upgrade my iMac M4 (24-inch, 2024, Four ports)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Air M3 (15-inch, 2024)?

The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.