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Should I upgrade my iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)?

7 years old · Not on the current macOS; last is macOS Sequoia

Quick look

Price
£1,2492launch price
Chip
Core i33.6GHz quad-core Intel
CPU
4-coreCPU
GPU
Not available3GPU
Memory
8GBmemory, base
Storage
256GBstorage, base
Display
21.5-inchdisplay
Released
19 March 20194Available online; Apple gave no in-store day
Security updates
Not available5Security updates

Each figure is from the source marked1 unless it carries its own number.

Software support

Security updates
Not available5
macOS
macOS Sequoia, not the current macOSThe iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019) is not on the current macOS (macOS 27 Golden Gate); the newest it runs is macOS Sequoia. Apple has historically shipped security updates to the two releases before the newest, which would put the end of its updates around autumn 2027; that is Apple’s past pattern, not a commitment.

No newer Mac with a store price we hold

We hold no Apple UK store price for any Mac in the iMac 21.5-inch line, so this page names no newer Mac to set the iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019) against. That is a gap in what we hold, not a statement about what Apple sells.

Specifications

Body

Dimensions
450 x 528 x 175 mm
Weight
5.48 kg
Ports
Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, four USB-A ports, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45), 3.5 mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports
2
Thunderbolt version
Thunderbolt 3
USB-A ports
4
HDMI
No HDMI port.6
SD card slot
Yes
Headphone jack
Yes
Keyboard
Magic Keyboard
Touch ID
No Touch ID.6

Display

Display size
21.5 in
Resolution
4096 x 2304
Display type
Retina 4K display
Brightness
500 nits
Wide colour (P3)
Yes

Chip and memory

Chip
3.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3
Apple silicon
Intel processor, not Apple silicon.7
CPU cores
4
Graphics
Radeon Pro 555X with 2GB of GDDR5 memory
Chip options
3.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3, 3.0GHz 6-core Intel Core i5, or 3.2GHz 6-core Intel Core i7
Memory (base)
8GB
Memory (maximum)
32GB
Memory options
8GB, 16GB or 32GB
Memory upgradeable by user
No, as Apple documents8
Storage (base)
256GB
Storage (maximum)
1TB
Storage options
256GB SSD or 1TB Fusion Drive

Connectivity

Wi-Fi
802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
4.2
Ethernet
10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45)
External displays (base)
2

Camera and audio

Camera
FaceTime HD camera
Speakers
Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphone

Platform

Shipped with
macOS Mojave9
Newest macOS
macOS Sequoia10
Model identifier
iMac19,210
Part numbers
MRT3xx/A, MRT4xx/A, MHK23xx/A11
Model year
2019

Benchmarks

Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)
1,16912
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)
3,33612

An iMac has no battery, so battery rows do not apply.

Software support

Feature updates until
Not available5
Security updates until
Not available5
Basis
our inference from history13

Trade-in and used prices

No used or trade-in figures for the iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019): we have not matched it to a CeX listing we can confirm is this exact Mac, and we would rather show nothing than a near miss.

More

Sources

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

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

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

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  5. Apple publishes no date for the end of updates, and this site does not guess one. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

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  6. 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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  7. 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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  8. Apple Support (UK) — Install memory in an iMac · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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

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

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  11. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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

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  13. The newest macOS Apple lists this Mac for is macOS Sequoia; Apple’s macOS 27 Golden Gate list does not name it. endoflife.date shows Sequoia still receiving security updates on 22 September 2026. Apple’s habit of patching the two releases before the newest points to those updates ending around autumn 2027; that is an inference, not a commitment. Source: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

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Not published by Apple

iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019). Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: colours, pixel density, refresh rate, nano-texture option, 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 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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