Apple’s new iMac looks exactly like the old one. That is the point, and also the trap. Announced on October 27, the 24-inch iMac with the M6 chip keeps the same thin colorful design, the same 24-inch 4.5K Retina display, and the same seven colors as the M4 model it replaces. Everything that matters changed inside, and the price did not move at all in the United States.
Pre-orders opened on October 28, and the new iMac reaches stores and customers on November 6. It arrives in the same week as Apple’s touchscreen MacBook Pro, which we covered in this morning’s batch, and it completes a quiet refresh of Apple’s entry level Mac lineup around a single chip. If you were waiting for a reason to replace an aging Intel iMac or an M1 model, this is the strongest one yet. If you bought the M4 iMac, you can safely sit this one out.
M6 versus M4: what the new chip actually changes
The M6 is Apple’s first chip built on a 2nm process, according to Gadgets 360’s launch coverage, and it is the same chip that debuted in the Mac mini in August. Apple skipped the M5 generation for the iMac entirely, jumping straight from M4 to M6, which is why the performance gains look larger than a typical one-generation step.
The headline numbers, all from Apple and therefore best read as best case figures rather than independent test results, are striking. Apple claims up to 40 percent faster CPU performance than the M4 iMac, up to twice as fast graphics, up to twice as fast SSD speeds, and up to five times faster on-device AI performance. Against the original M1 iMac, Apple claims up to 12 times faster overall performance, and up to 18 times faster than the final Intel based iMac.
| Specification | M6 iMac | M4 iMac |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Up to 12 cores | Up to 10 cores |
| GPU | Up to 12 cores, Neural Accelerator in every core | Up to 10 cores |
| Neural Engine | Dual 16-core | Single 16-core |
| Memory bandwidth | Up to 170GB/s | 120GB/s |
| Graphics claim | Up to 2x faster | Baseline |
| On-device AI claim | Up to 5x faster | Baseline |
| Starting memory and storage | 16GB, 256GB | 16GB, 256GB |
Two details in that table deserve more attention than the marketing claims. The first is the dual Neural Engine, two 16-core engines instead of one, which is what drives the AI gains. Apple says AI prompt processing in the LM Studio app runs five times faster than on the M4 iMac, which matters if you run large language models locally rather than in the cloud. The second is memory bandwidth, up from 120GB/s to 170GB/s, which helps everything from photo editing to video work, not just AI tasks.
Early Geekbench results for the M6 in the Mac mini, reported by MacRumors, point to roughly 40 percent faster CPU performance than the M4, which lines up with Apple’s claim. Independent iMac reviews are not out yet, so treat the graphics and AI multiples as Apple’s numbers until testers get their hands on the machine.
What it costs in the US and India
There are two configurations, and the $200 gap between them buys more than two extra cores. The base model pairs a 10-core CPU with a 10-core GPU, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a Magic Keyboard without Touch ID. The higher model gets the full 12-core chip, four Thunderbolt 4 ports, 2.5 gigabit Ethernet as standard, and a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID. Both start with 16GB of unified memory and 256GB of storage.
| Model | US price | India price | Education price (India) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M6, 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU | $1,499 | Rs 1,74,900 | Rs 1,68,900 |
| M6, 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU | $1,699 | Rs 1,99,900 | Rs 1,87,900 |
India pricing comes from Smartprix and Gadgets 360, which both list the same launch prices, and pre-orders in India opened October 28 with availability from November 6, matching the US timeline. Note that the US starting price is unchanged from the M4 model after its June price increase, from $1,299 to $1,499, so this is not a price cut. It is the same money for a much faster machine.
The upgrade ladder is worth checking before you order. The 10-core model tops out at 24GB of memory and 1TB of storage, while the 12-core model goes to 32GB and 2TB. Ethernet costs $30 extra on the base model, and the nano-texture glass display option is only offered on the 12-core model. If you were going to add Ethernet and Touch ID to the base model anyway, the $200 step up is the better buy, as The Mac Observer’s pricing breakdown points out.
What did not change, and why that is fine
The design, the display, the camera, and the colors are all carried over unchanged. You still get a 24-inch 4.5K display at up to 500 nits with P3 wide color, a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera with Desk View, six speakers, three microphones, and the same seven colors: blue, green, pink, yellow, purple, orange, and silver. Connectivity improves under the hood, with Apple’s N1 wireless chip bringing Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, up from Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, plus optional 2.5 gigabit Ethernet.
For an all-in-one aimed at homes, classrooms, and small offices, keeping the design is a reasonable call. The iMac’s appeal was never raw expandability. It is a complete computer, screen included, that looks good on a desk and needs one cable. The M6 update keeps that deal intact and fixes the one thing that was aging, the chip inside it. It also ships with macOS 27, so the new Siri AI features covered in our iOS 27.2 and Siri AI coverage arrive on the desktop too.
Who should buy it, and who should wait
Buy it if you are still on an Intel iMac or an M1 iMac. The jump in speed, AI capability, and wireless connectivity is large, and you get a modern display and camera in the bargain. Buy it if your current machine struggles with photo libraries, 4K video, or local AI tools, and you want a single-box desktop rather than a separate Mac mini and monitor.
Wait if you own the M4 iMac. AppleInsider reaches the same conclusion: the outside is identical, and while the chip is faster, the M4 remains a capable machine for everyday work. Your money is better spent on more storage or memory when you eventually upgrade, or on the 12-core model rather than a like-for-like replacement.
One caution applies to every buyer. The base 256GB of storage fills fast once you count photos, videos, and AI models, and it cannot be upgraded later. If your budget stretches to it, the 512GB upgrade is the single most future-proof option on the configurator. Apple pairs this iMac with the same M6 chip as the new 14-inch MacBook Pro, covered in our touchscreen MacBook Pro launch story, so the desktop and laptop lines are now on the same silicon generation for the first time in this cycle.
The M6 iMac is not exciting in the way a redesign would be. It is something more useful: the familiar iMac, with a chip that should keep it feeling fast for years, at the same price as before. For the buyers it is aimed at, that is exactly the right upgrade.
