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iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Two ports) vs iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021)

iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Two ports)1iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021)2

Quick look

Quick look: iMac M4 against iMac M1
FigureiMac M41iMac M12
Price£1,2993launch price£1,2494launch price
ChipM4chipM1chip
CPU8-coreCPU8-coreCPU
GPU8-coreGPU7-coreGPU
Memory16GBunified memory, base8GBunified memory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base256GBstorage, base
Display24-inchdisplay24-inchdisplay
Released8 November 20245ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 28 October 2024.May 20216Release date, month onlyOrderable online from 30 April 2021.
Security updatesNot available7Security updatesNot available7Security updates
Price
The iMac M4 is £1,299 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the iMac M1 is £1,249 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Two ports) · 547 × 461 mm frontiMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) · 547 × 461 mm front

Front faces, from Apple’s published dimensions, drawn to one scale and superposed. 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, Two ports) against Apple iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021)
SpecificationiMac M41iMac M12
Dimensions461 x 547 x 147 mm461 x 547 x 147 mm
Weight4.42 kg4.46 kg
ColoursBlue, Purple, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green, SilverBlue, Green, Pink, Silver8
PortsTwo Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, 3.5mm headphone jackTwo Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, 3.5mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports922
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
KeyboardMagic KeyboardMagic Keyboard
Touch IDNo Touch ID.10No Touch ID.11

Display

Display: Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Two ports) against Apple iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021)
SpecificationiMac M41iMac M12
Display size24 in24 in
Resolution4480 x 25204480 x 2520
Pixel density218 ppi218 ppi
Display type4.5K Retina display4.5K Retina display
Brightness500 nits500 nits
Wide colour (P3)YesYes
Nano-texture optionNo nano-texture display option.12No nano-texture display option.13

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Two ports) against Apple iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021)
SpecificationiMac M41iMac M12
ChipApple M4 chipApple M1 chip
Apple siliconYesYes
CPU cores88
Performance cores44
Efficiency cores44
GPU cores87
Neural Engine cores1616
Chip optionsM4 with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPUM1 with 8-core CPU and 7-core GPU or 8-core GPU
Memory (base)16GB8GB
Memory (maximum)24GB16GB
Memory options16GB or 24GB8GB or 16GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents14No, as Apple documents14
Memory bandwidth120 GB/sNot available15
Storage (base)256GB256GB
Storage (maximum)1TB2TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB or 1TB256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decodeNot available15

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Two ports) against Apple iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021)
SpecificationiMac M41iMac M12
Included power adapter143 W16143 W

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Two ports) against Apple iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021)
SpecificationiMac M41iMac M12
Wi-FiWi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax)802.11ax Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth5.35.0
EthernetGigabit Ethernet configurableGigabit Ethernet configurable17
External displays (base)11

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Two ports) against Apple iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021)
SpecificationiMac M41iMac M12
Camera12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View1080p FaceTime HD camera
Camera resolution12 MPNot available18
SpeakersHigh-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofersHigh-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamformingStudio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming

Platform

Platform: Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Two ports) against Apple iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021)
SpecificationiMac M41iMac M12
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate19macOS 27 Golden Gate19
Model identifierMac16,220iMac21,221
Model year20242021

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Two ports) against Apple iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021)
SpecificationiMac M41iMac M12
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)3,176222,16822
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)13,437228,36522

Sources

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

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) - Technical Specifications · Default for iMac M1 · Apple’s figure · read 15 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) — iMac features all-new design in vibrant colours, M1 chip, and 4.5K Retina display · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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

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  6. Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac features all-new design in vibrant colours, M1 chip, and 4.5K Retina display · Apple’s figure · read 3 Oct 2026

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

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  8. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  9. Different Thunderbolt generations. iMac M4: Thunderbolt 4. iMac M1: Thunderbolt 3.

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

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  11. iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021): No USB-A ports. No Touch ID. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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

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  13. iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No nano-texture display option. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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

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  15. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac features all-new design in vibrant colours, M1 chip, and 4.5K Retina display. Read 9 Oct 2026

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

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  17. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) - Technical Specifications · Apple’s figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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

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

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

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  21. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model · Apple’s figure · read 10 Oct 2026

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  22. Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) · third-party figure · read 11 Oct 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, Two 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.

iMac M1. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, storage upgradeable by user, maximum continuous power, the macOS it shipped with. Geekbench 7 Metal: the Mac chart row for this Mac does not state its GPU core count, so no Metal score is shown (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac features all-new design in vibrant colours, M1 chip, and 4.5K Retina display, 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, Two ports)? · Should I upgrade my iMac M1 (24-inch, 2021)?

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