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MacIQ

iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019) vs Mac mini (2018)

iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)1Mac mini (2018)2

Quick look

Quick look: iMac against Mac mini
FigureiMac1Mac mini2
Price£1,2493launch price£7994launch price
ChipCore i33.6GHz quad-core IntelCore i33.6GHz quad-core Intel
CPU4-coreCPU4-coreCPU
Memory8GBmemory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base128GBstorage, base
Display21.5-inchdisplayNot available5No built-in display
Released19 March 20196Available online; Apple gave no in-store day7 November 20184ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 30 October 2018.
Security updatesNot available7Security updatesNot available7Security updates
Price
The iMac is £1,249 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the Mac mini is £799 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
Kind of Mac
The iMac is an all-in-one; the Mac mini is a desktop. The iMac has a built-in 21.5-inch display and a camera, whereas the Mac mini has neither.

True to scale

iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019) · 528 × 450 mm frontMac mini (2018) · 197 × 36 mm front

An all-in-one and a desktop are different shapes, so they stand side by side rather than superposed: the front face of one and the front face 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 (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationiMac1Mac mini2
Dimensions450 x 528 x 175 mm36 x 197 x 197 mm
Weight5.48 kg1.3 kg
ColoursNot available8Space Grey4
PortsTwo Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, four USB-A ports, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45), 3.5 mm headphone jackFour Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, two USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s), HDMI 2.0 port, Gigabit Ethernet port (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet), 3.5 mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports24
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 3
USB-A ports42
HDMINo HDMI port.9HDMI 2.0 port
SD card slotYesNo SD card slot.10
Headphone jackYesYes
KeyboardMagic KeyboardNot available11
Touch IDNo Touch ID.9Not available12

Display

Display: Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationiMac1Mac mini2
Display size21.5 inNot available5
Resolution4096 x 2304Not available5
Display typeRetina 4K displayNot available5
Brightness500 nitsNot available5
Wide colour (P3)YesNot available5

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationiMac1Mac mini2
Chip3.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i33.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.13Intel processor, not Apple silicon.10
CPU cores44
GraphicsRadeon Pro 555X with 2GB of GDDR5 memoryIntel UHD Graphics 630
Chip options3.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3, 3.0GHz 6-core Intel Core i5, or 3.2GHz 6-core Intel Core i73.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3, 3.0GHz 6-core Intel Core i5, or 3.2GHz 6-core Intel Core i7
Memory (base)8GB8GB
Memory (maximum)32GB64GB
Memory options8GB, 16GB or 32GB8GB, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents14No, as Apple documents15
Storage (base)256GB128GB
Storage (maximum)1TB2TB
Storage options256GB SSD or 1TB Fusion Drive128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB SSD

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationiMac1Mac mini2
Maximum continuous powerNot available8150 W

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationiMac1Mac mini2
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth4.25.0
Ethernet10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45)10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45); configurable to 10Gb Ethernet (Nbase-T: 1Gb, 2.5Gb, 5Gb and 10Gb)
External displays (base)23

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationiMac1Mac mini2
CameraFaceTime HD cameraNot available16
SpeakersStereo speakersBuilt-in speaker17
MicrophonesMicrophoneNot available18

Platform

Platform: Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationiMac1Mac mini2
Shipped withmacOS Mojave19macOS Mojave20
Newest macOSmacOS Sequoia21macOS Sequoia22
Model identifieriMac19,221Macmini8,122
Model year20192018

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationiMac1Mac mini2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)1,169231,17623
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)3,336233,33923

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications · Default for iMac · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2018) - Technical Specifications · Default for Mac mini · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac gets a 2x performance boost · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — New Mac mini packs a huge punch · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  5. Doesn’t apply: no built-in display

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  6. Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac gets a 2x performance boost · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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

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  8. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac gets a 2x performance boost. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  9. iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019): No HDMI port. No Touch ID. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  10. Mac mini (2018): No SD card slot. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2018) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  11. Doesn’t apply: no built-in keyboard

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  12. Doesn’t apply: no built-in keyboard, and Touch ID is a keyboard feature

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  13. iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019): Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 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. Apple Support (UK) — Upgrade or install memory in your Mac mini · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  16. Doesn’t apply: no built-in camera

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  17. Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2018) - Technical Specifications · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  18. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2018) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  19. Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac gets a 2x performance boost · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  20. Apple Newsroom (UK) — New Mac mini packs a huge punch · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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

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

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  23. Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) · third-party figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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Not published by Apple

iMac. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: pixel density, refresh rate, nano-texture option, GPU cores, storage upgradeable by user. Geekbench 7 Metal: the Mac chart has no Metal score for this Mac (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac gets a 2x performance boost, read 9 Oct 2026.

Mac mini. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: GPU cores, storage upgradeable by user. Geekbench 7 Metal: the Mac chart has no Metal score for this Mac (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2018) - Technical Specifications, 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 (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)? · Should I upgrade my Mac mini (2018)?

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