Skip to content
MacIQ

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) vs MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)1MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)2

Quick look

Quick look: iMac against MacBook Pro
FigureiMac1MacBook Pro2
Price£1,7993launch price£2,3994launch price
ChipCore i53.1GHz 6-core 10th-generation IntelCore i72.6GHz 6-core Intel
CPU6-coreCPU6-coreCPU
Memory8GBmemory, base16GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base512GBstorage, base
Battery life Not available5No batteryUp to11 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released4 August 20206Available online; Apple gave no in-store day13 November 20197Available online; Apple gave no in-store day
Security updatesNot available8Security updatesNot available8Security updates
Price
The iMac is £1,799 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Pro is £2,399 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
Kind of Mac
The iMac is an all-in-one; the MacBook Pro is a laptop. The MacBook Pro has a battery, whereas the iMac has none.

True to scale

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) · 650 × 516 mm frontMacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) · 357.9 × 245.9 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 (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Dimensions516 x 650 x 203 mm16.2 x 357.9 x 245.9 mm
Weight8.92 kg2 kg
ColoursNot available9Silver, Space Gray
PortsTwo Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, four USB-A ports, SDXC card slot (UHS-II), Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45), 3.5 mm headphone jackFour Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports24
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 3
USB-A ports4No USB-A ports.10
HDMINo HDMI port.11No HDMI port.12
SD card slotYesNo SD card slot.12
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeNot available13No MagSafe port.10
KeyboardMagic KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard with Touch Bar and Touch ID
Touch IDNo Touch ID.11Yes
Touch BarNot available14Yes

Display

Display: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Display size27 in16 in
Resolution5120 x 28803072 x 1920
Pixel densityNot available9226 ppi
Display type5K Retina displayRetina display
Brightness500 nits500 nits
Refresh rateNot available960 Hz
Wide colour (P3)YesYes
Nano-texture optionYesNot available15

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Chip3.1GHz 6-core 10th-generation Intel Core i52.6GHz 6-core Intel Core i7
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.16Intel processor, not Apple silicon.10
CPU cores66
GraphicsAMD Radeon Pro 5300 with 4GB of GDDR6 memoryAMD Radeon Pro 5300M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory
Chip options3.1GHz 6-core Intel Core i5, 3.3GHz 6-core Intel Core i5, 3.8GHz 8-core Intel Core i7, or 3.6GHz 10-core Intel Core i92.6GHz 6-core Intel Core i7, 2.3GHz 8-core Intel Core i9 or 2.4GHz 8-core Intel Core i9
Memory (base)8GB16GB
Memory (maximum)128GB64GB
Memory options8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB or 128GB16GB, 32GB or 64GB
Memory upgradeable by userYes, as Apple documents17No, as Apple documents18
Storage (base)256GB512GB
Storage (maximum)8TB8TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB SSD512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Battery capacityNot available5100 Wh
Rated charge cyclesNot available51,000 cycles19
Video playback (claimed)Not available511 h
Wireless web (claimed)Not available511 h
Included power adapterNot available2096 W
Fast chargingNot available5No fast charging.12

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth5.05.0
Ethernet10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45); configurable to 10Gb EthernetNo Ethernet port.12
External displays (base)24

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Camera1080p FaceTime HD camera720p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersStereo speakersHigh-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 (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Shipped withNot available9macOS Catalina21
Newest macOSmacOS Tahoe 2622macOS Tahoe 2622
Model identifieriMac20,1 or iMac20,223MacBookPro16,1, MacBookPro16,424
Model year20202019

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Pro2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)1,455251,27525
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)6,319255,38225

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) - Technical Specifications · Default for iMac · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  2. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Pro · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — 27-inch iMac gets a major update · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces 16-inch MacBook Pro, the world’s best pro notebook · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  5. Doesn’t apply: no battery

    ↩

  6. Apple Newsroom (UK) — 27-inch iMac gets a major update · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

    ↩

  7. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces 16-inch MacBook Pro, the world’s best pro notebook · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

    ↩

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

    ↩

  9. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — 27-inch iMac gets a major update. Read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

  10. MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019): No USB-A ports. No MagSafe port. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  11. iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020): No HDMI port. No Touch ID. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

  12. MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No fast charging. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

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

    ↩

  14. Doesn’t apply: the Touch Bar was only fitted to MacBook Pro

    ↩

  15. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces 16-inch MacBook Pro, the world’s best pro notebook; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model. Read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

  16. iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020): Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  20. Doesn’t apply: internal power supply, no power adapter in the box

    ↩

  21. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces 16-inch MacBook Pro, the world’s best pro notebook · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

  22. Apple Support (UK) — macOS Tahoe 26 is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

    ↩

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

    ↩

  24. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

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

    ↩

Not published by Apple

iMac. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: GPU cores, storage upgradeable by user, maximum continuous power. 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 5K, 27-inch, 2020) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — 27-inch iMac gets a major update, read 9 Oct 2026.

MacBook Pro. 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) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces 16-inch MacBook Pro, the world’s best pro notebook; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model, 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 5K, 27-inch, 2020)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)?

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