How the M4 iMac compares to the older M3 iMac: Every difference that you wanted to know

The 2024 iMac has officially launched with Apple’s M4 silicon, and it brings some exciting upgrades. First, the new M4 chip offers enhanced power and efficiency within a sleek all-in-one design. The minimum RAM has increased to 16GB, up from 8GB in the previous model, ensuring better performance for users. Additionally, the port selection now features all Thunderbolt/USB 4 connections, replacing the older USB 3 standard. The best part? Despite these significant upgrades, the starting price remains the same at Rs 1,34,900, making this iMac a great deal for buyers.

We’ve already covered every new update the M4 iMac brings to the table, so be sure to check that out to know if it is worth adding to your tech collection. Here, we will compare the new iMac with the older M3-based version which was released at around the same time last year. Considering that it followed the 2021 M1 model which was a big overhaul compared to the Intel models that existed before it in every perceivable way, it was no surprise that it brought minimal changes at least on the outside. The M4 iMac feels sort of like déjà vu since, it, too, looks largely familiar.

Without further ado, here’s how the new M4 iMac compares to the older 2023 iMac:

1. Compute: The headlining feature of the new iMac obviously is the M4 chip that made its debut inside the iPad Pro earlier this year. This is the first time a Mac is getting it. It is built around the second-generation 3-nanometre process and features up to 10 CPU cores (4 performance and 6 efficiency) and 10 GPU cores. It has a neural engine with 16 cores and comes with 120GB/s of memory bandwidth. Apple’s performance gain figures are a bit odd considering that it compares the M4 to the M1 and not with the M3—the new iMac with M4 is said to be up to 1.7x faster for daily tasks and 2.1x faster for heavy-duty processes like photo editing and gaming. The M3 iMac was billed to be more than two times faster than the M1 model.
2. Memory: Compared to the M3 version, the new iMac 2024 refresh comes with 16GB of unified memory by default. The ceiling has been raised as well. While the 2023 model capped out at 24GB, the M4 iMac can go up to 32GB.
3. Storage: Storage remains unchanged. You can get the new iMac in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB configurations.
4. Display: The M4 iMac has the same 24-inch 4.5K Retina display as its predecessor, but you get a nano-texture glass option this time for glare reduction. The nano-texture glass option is only available with higher-end (10-core CPU/GPU) models for an extra Rs 20,000.
5. Size, weight: The size and weight are mostly the same with the exception that the new iMac is a little lighter than the older iMac (4.44kg vs 4.48kg).
6. Camera: Apple says the new iMac has a 12-megapixel webcam with support for Centre Stage and Desk View.
7. Audio: The M4 iMac comes with a 6‑speaker system with force‑cancelling woofers and Spatial Audio support. It has three “studio-quality” mics and a 3.5mm audio jack. The setup is similar to the one on the M3 iMac.
8. Connectivity: The M4 iMac comes with up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports for faster data transfers and seamless connections to external devices, including two 6K displays. USB 3 has been retired in this generation. Also, the bundled accessories be it Magic keyboard or mouse (or the optional Magic trackpad), now feature USB-C connectivity. Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 are available.