Apple has updated the 24-inch iMac with its new M6 chip, bringing a sizable performance and AI upgrade alongside Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, faster storage, improved external-display support, and the same colorful all-in-one design.
The new model was announced on October 27 as part of Apple’s week of Mac launches and sits above the previous M4 iMac without changing the basic 24-inch form factor. The Apple Post covered the launch here.
Here is everything you need to know about the new M6 iMac, including performance, AI capabilities, display support, connectivity, colors, pricing, and release date.
M6 brings a major performance upgrade
The biggest change is inside. The new iMac can be configured with up to a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU, giving it two more CPU and GPU cores than the previous generation.
Apple says the M6 iMac can deliver up to 2.5x faster performance in Microsoft Excel than the M1 iMac and up to 1.5x faster performance than M4. Graphics performance can be up to 3.3x faster than M1 and up to 2x faster than M4 in tasks such as photo editing.
Image: Apple
For users still running an Intel-based iMac, Apple is pitching this as a particularly large jump. The company claims performance can be up to 18x faster than the most popular Intel iMac.
A much bigger focus on AI
M6 adds Neural Accelerators to every GPU core and pairs them with a Dual 16-core Neural Engine. Apple says the result is up to 5x faster on-device AI performance than the M4 iMac for some workloads.
That matters for both Apple Intelligence and third-party tools that run models locally. Apple specifically points to workloads such as local large language models, image generation, AI upscaling, and intelligent photo editing. We have a closer look at the M6 iMac’s AI performance here.
Memory bandwidth rises to as much as 170GB/s, giving the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine more room to move large amounts of data quickly during demanding creative and AI work.
The 24-inch 4.5K Retina display remains
Apple has kept the familiar 24-inch 4.5K Retina display rather than redesigning the iMac around a new panel. It reaches 500 nits of brightness, supports P3 wide color, and can display more than one billion colors.
The more significant display change is what the iMac can drive externally. M6 models can support up to two 6K external displays, creating a combined workspace of more than 50 million pixels when both are connected. Here is how the new dual-6K display support works.
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and faster Ethernet
Connectivity is one of the clearest upgrades over the M4 model. The new iMac supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, while the higher-end 12-core configuration can be ordered with 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet.
Apple says the wired option can be up to 2.5x faster than the previous generation. SSD read and write performance is also up to 2x faster, reducing load times for large libraries, projects, and apps.
The iMac can be configured with up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports, although all four USB-C ports support Thunderbolt 4 only on the 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU model. The Apple Post has more on the connectivity changes here.
Camera, speakers, and microphones
The new iMac keeps Apple’s 12MP Center Stage camera, which can automatically keep users framed during video calls. Desk View can simultaneously show a top-down view of the workspace in front of the Mac.
The audio system combines two pairs of force-cancelling woofers with two tweeters and supports Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos. Apple also retains its studio-quality three-microphone array for calls and recordings.
Seven colors and color-matched accessories
The M6 iMac comes in blue, green, pink, yellow, purple, orange, and silver. Apple continues to match the keyboard and mouse or trackpad to the selected iMac color.
Image: Apple
Magic Keyboard with Touch ID remains available, allowing users to unlock the Mac, switch accounts, authorize Apple Pay purchases, and approve App Store downloads securely. We have the full color lineup here.
macOS 27 and Siri AI
The M6 iMac ships with macOS 27 Golden Gate and supports Apple Intelligence and Siri AI on compatible configurations and in supported languages and regions.
Siri AI can draw on personal context, understand what is onscreen, answer broader questions, and perform actions across apps. macOS 27 also adds new Apple Intelligence features across Safari, Shortcuts, Photos, and other system apps.
M6 iMac price and release date
The 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU M6 iMac starts at $1,499 in the United States and £1,499 in the United Kingdom. The 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU model starts at $1,699 in the US and £1,699 in the UK.
Preorders opened on October 28, with the new iMac arriving to customers, Apple Stores, and Apple Authorized Resellers from Friday, November 6. Full pricing and preorder details are available here.
Who is the M6 iMac for?
The M6 iMac is still aimed at users who want a complete desktop in a single package rather than a modular Mac and separate display. The biggest gains are likely to be felt by Intel and M1 iMac owners, particularly those who want faster creative performance, stronger local AI capability, newer wireless standards, and support for more external display space.
For M4 iMac owners, the improvements are more incremental. M6 is faster, particularly for graphics and AI, but the display, camera, core design, and much of the everyday experience remain familiar.
