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MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) vs iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)

MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020)1iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Pro M1 against iMac
FigureMacBook Pro M11iMac2
Price£1,2993launch price£1,7994launch price
ChipM1chipCore i53.1GHz 6-core 10th-generation Intel
CPU8-coreCPU6-coreCPU
GPU8-coreGPUNot available5GPU
Memory8GBunified memory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base256GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to20 hrsvideo playback, claimed Not available6No battery
Released10 November 20207Available online; Apple gave no in-store day4 August 20208Available online; Apple gave no in-store day
Security updatesNot available9Security updatesNot available9Security updates
Price
The MacBook Pro M1 is £1,299 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the iMac is £1,799 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
Kind of Mac
The MacBook Pro M1 is a laptop; the iMac is an all-in-one. The MacBook Pro M1 has a battery, whereas the iMac has none.

True to scale

MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) · 304.1 × 212.4 mm footprintiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) · 650 × 516 mm front

A laptop and an all-in-one are different shapes, so they stand side by side rather than superposed: the footprint 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 MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M11iMac2
Dimensions15.6 x 304.1 x 212.4 mm516 x 650 x 203 mm
Weight1.4 kg8.92 kg
ColoursSilver, Space GrayNot available5
PortsTwo Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, 3.5 mm headphone jackTwo Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, four USB-A ports, SDXC card slot (UHS-II), Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45), 3.5 mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports22
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 3
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.104
HDMINo HDMI port.11No HDMI port.12
SD card slotNo SD card slot.11Yes
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeNo MagSafe port.10Not available13
KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard with Touch Bar and Touch IDMagic Keyboard
Touch IDYesNo Touch ID.12
Touch BarYesNot available14

Display

Display: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M11iMac2
Display size13.3 in27 in
Resolution2560 x 16005120 x 2880
Pixel density227 ppiNot available5
Display typeRetina display5K Retina display
Brightness500 nits500 nits
Wide colour (P3)YesYes
Nano-texture optionNo nano-texture display option.11Yes

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M11iMac2
ChipApple M1 chip3.1GHz 6-core 10th-generation Intel Core i5
Apple siliconYesIntel processor, not Apple silicon.15
CPU cores86
Performance cores4Not available16
Efficiency cores4Not available16
GPU cores8Not available5
Graphics8-core GPU17AMD Radeon Pro 5300 with 4GB of GDDR6 memory
Neural Engine cores16Not available18
Chip optionsM1 with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU173.1GHz 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 i9
Memory (base)8GB8GB
Memory (maximum)16GB128GB
Memory options8GB or 16GB8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB or 128GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents19Yes, as Apple documents20
Storage (base)256GB256GB
Storage (maximum)2TB8TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB SSD

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M11iMac2
Battery capacity58.2 WhNot available6
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles21Not available6
Video playback (claimed)20 hNot available6
Wireless web (claimed)17 hNot available6
Included power adapter61 WNot available22
Fast chargingNo fast charging.23Not available6

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M11iMac2
Wi-Fi802.11ax Wi-Fi 6802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth5.05.0
EthernetNo Ethernet port.1110/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45); configurable to 10Gb Ethernet
External displays (base)12

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M11iMac2
Camera720p FaceTime HD camera1080p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersStereo speakers with high dynamic rangeStereo speakers
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 MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M11iMac2
Shipped withmacOS Big Sur24Not available5
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate25macOS Tahoe 2626
Model identifierMacBookPro17,127iMac20,1 or iMac20,228
Model year20202020

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) against Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M11iMac2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)2,166291,45529
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)8,309296,31929

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) - Tech Specs · Default for MacBook Pro M1 · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Introducing the next generation of Mac · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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

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  5. 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

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  6. Doesn’t apply: no battery

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  7. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Introducing the next generation of Mac · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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

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

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  10. MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020): No USB-A ports. No MagSafe port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) - Tech Specs. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  11. MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No nano-texture display option. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) - Tech Specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  12. 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

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

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

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  15. 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

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  16. Doesn’t apply: this is an Intel processor, and Apple lists a total core count only

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  17. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  18. Doesn’t apply: Apple silicon feature; this Mac has an Intel processor

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

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

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

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

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  23. MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020): No fast charging. Checked: Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  24. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Introducing the next generation of Mac · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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Not published by Apple

MacBook Pro M1. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, memory bandwidth, storage upgradeable by user, media engine. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Introducing the next generation of Mac; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model, read 9 Oct 2026.

iMac. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, 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.

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 MacBook Pro M1 (13-inch, 2020)? · Should I upgrade my iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)?

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