24-inch iMac (2021) Full Review

When it introduced its M1 processor in the 2020 MacBook and Mac mini laptops, Apple achieved peak performance. Now it’s the iMac’s turn. With its slim display, eye-catching (and in some controversial) color options, the new iMac gets a lot of emotion.

Is it a disappointment or a triumph on all four sides? The first impression we get when unboxing the new iMac is that there must be something wrong. It might not be an iMac, but rather a giant iPad that someone sent us to play a prank on us.

Jokes aside, it’s an 11.5mm thick screen in which Apple is somehow able to integrate the motherboard, chips, processors and memories that allow us to have a configuration of desktop computer in our hands.

Our second reaction is linked to colors and shades. We receive blue as one of the 7 color variants that you can buy it in, be it pink, green, orange, yellow or silver.

The iMac’s color scheme is certainly eye-catching, although for some it will be a sign of admiration and for others of dismay. When our colleagues at igamesnews Germany launched a survey of their readers, the most popular choices were silver, blue, and space gray.

Some people think that a computer should only be available in grayscale. It always has been. However, we were probably wrong, because with the vivid color options we are back in the era of the very first popular Macs.

Without a doubt, Apple has made sure that there is a color for every situation or need. Around the screen there is a white frame. Another point of criticism was the switch from dark glasses to white glasses. Why isn’t he black or the same color as the rest of the team?

We’re wondering if that’s because most people who use it at home will have a white background wall, so the iMac will fade into the background, allowing the image to better focus on the screen.

It also has a retro feel, reminiscent of early iMac models that had a white frame. Either way, this is a common aspect to all models, unlike the iPhone generation where the front bezels were black or white.

The so-called “chin” always remains under the screen. This block of color was an irritating aspect to many owners of the previous model which was disguised with the company’s Apple logo.

This is probably an unfair review – Apple could certainly move the components behind the iMac, but in doing so, it would lower the display base to make it even less ergonomic than it currently is, or would have. summer.

People just like to have something to complain about. We’d say the only thing the “ chin ” does is make it instantly recognizable as an iMac. That being said, we missed the Apple logo that was here. The empty space seems strange.

Another criticism that some people have is that the screen is not touch sensitive. Steve Jobs gave up on the idea of ​​a touchscreen iMac many years ago, suggesting it would give our arms a hard time using it.

He was probably right, but a generation that goes from minute zero with touch screens around them will sooner or later demand to touch this type of equipment. It may be something that is moving forward.

Models and accessories

In the Apple Store, it looks like there are three iMac models to choose from, which isn’t really true. Since the latter two differ only in the amount of storage, which you can change during the purchasing process, they are actually the same model.

Here’s how current 24-inch iMac models are configured:

You might be drawn to the cheaper model, which costs $ 200 less than the next model at $ 1,669. However, you end up without an Ethernet connection option (which costs an additional $ 30), and there is no fingerprint reader built into the keyboard.

The third item you should be prepared to do without with the base model is that it only has two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports on the back (whereas the more expensive models offer up to four) and that it is not possible to upgrade to 2TB SSD at the time of purchase, as you can in others.

To a lesser extent, it’s also worth mentioning that the base version has one less core in graphics. All these additional features are undoubtedly worth 200 $ more. You can see what these teams are offering MacBook with M1 chip vs. Intel.

All new iMacs come with a Magic Keyboard and a wireless Magic Mouse in the same color as the computer. The mouse and its odd charging port haven’t changed since, so we don’t need to talk about that part.

El teclado para el iMac, por vez primera, integra un lector de huellas dactilares en la parte superior derecha, pero solo en los dos modelos de iMac más caros, ya que el de nivel de entrada ofrece solo una tecla de bloqueo, pero no hace nothing more.

Touch ID is a very useful add-on that makes signing in to your Mac quick and easy, so you can use it for various services or when paying with Apple Pay from your computer. Fingerprint recognition is fast and works great, but Face ID wouldn’t have been a bad thing.

It is always possible to upgrade to a larger Magic Trackpad keyboard for 50 $ as can be seen in the configuration options before the final purchase.

Screen and sound

While the new iMac isn’t much larger than the older 21.5-inch iMac, Apple managed to squeeze a 24-inch display inside (well, a 23.5-inch display actually, but Apple decided to round it off this time around).

If that screen isn’t big enough for you, the 27in iMac is still on sale, but we recommend that you wait before you buy, as we anticipate a 30-32in iMac might be on standby. of its launch in its edition of the Apple Silicon chip.

For many, although the 4.5K resolution screen will offer more pixels than enough pixels for its size, a high resolution screen is really superfluous for the home environment, which seems to be the usual destination of this device.

This screen will certainly be suitable for displaying Apple TV + content; the only probable criticism is that it is much smaller than the screen of a typical television or Smart TV that we have in our living rooms today.

However, if you plan to use the iMac for color-critical work, you need to calibrate it as we’ve found the colors to be a little warm from the first moment of use.

It supports P3 color space, and according to our Xrite measuring instrument, the color deviation is very small and different parts of the screen do not have significant variations in brightness.

At the top of the screen is an updated webcam – it’s about time! Not only does it offer twice the resolution of the previous one, but it also benefits from image processing on the M1 chip for a more natural appearance.

We tested it for video conferencing and found the quality to be more like an external camera than a built-in camera, which is a great result. Here Apple manages to take a big step forward, because without a doubt, we all make video calls.

The iMac also has three microphones that can capture your voice without background noise. They work better than the built-in microphones on many other computers, but we believe many will still choose to use their AirPods for calls or external microphones for recording podcasts.

In our sister magazine we have a special ranking on the best microphones for podcats and Diffusion.

It’s an impressive feat to fit these speakers into such a slim body. The ambient sound is more realistic than expected. The quality is really good for listening to music, but heavy bass shouldn’t be expected and the highs will be clear at high volume.

Performance and general impression

Unsurprisingly, the 24-inch iMac’s M1 processor offers a real performance improvement over the previous model with Intel. According to Geekbench, it’s 54% faster than a 21.5-inch iMac with an Intel processor if you’re using a processor core. And 26% faster with all cores connected.

Integrated graphics are 50-100% faster than previous MacBooks. Of course, the performance is not comparable to that of desktops equipped with real graphics cards. But it is not a machine for this market.

Verdict

The general impression is that this new iMac is fast. All parties are working in unison to deliver a truly good experience that is both measurable and emotional.

The biggest problem with the new 24-inch iMac is the fact that you can get a lot more for your money if you look at the Mac mini, which, while lacking a 4.5K display, offers almost half of the same features.

Take a look at what Mac mini con M1 chip.

Original article published in igamesnews Sweden. We will bring you our full review soon!

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