iMac M4 vs iMac M3 – Biggest Updates Explained

Kicking off a week of major M4 Mac announcements, Apple has just unveiled the M4 iMac with some nice design and performance upgrades. It may look identical (except for the new colors), but if you look closely at the updated one, you’ll see a lot more. best all-in-one computer.

And that’s why I’m here – to break down all the differences here and help you figure out if the M4 iMac is right for you. As you’ll see (spoiler alert), the performance upgrades are sort of a marginal improvement in specs, which is why Apple has been careful to compare it to the M1 and Intel iMac by that shocking amount.

But there will still be some reasons why such a quick update may be useful for some power users. Let me explain and show you how the iMac M4 and iMac M3 fit together.

iMac M4 vs iMac M3: Specifications

Swipe the screen to scroll horizontally

Header Cell – Column 0	iMac M4	iMac M3
Price	$1,299 to start	$1,299 to start
Display	24″ Retina display, 4480 x 2520, 218 ppi (can be customized with nano-texture glass)	24″ Retina display, 4480 x 2520, 218 pixels per inch.
CPU	Apple M4 (up to 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU)	Apple M3 (8-core CPU with 8-core GPU)
Memory	16-32 GB	8-24 GB
Storage	SSD 256 GB/512 GB/1 TB/2 TB	SSD 256 GB/512 GB/1 TB/2 TB
Ports	Up to 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports, headphone jack, configurable with Gigabit Ethernet	2 Thunderbolt 4, headphone jack, configurable Gigabit Ethernet ($1,299 model); 2 additional USB-C ports (other models)
Webcam	12 MP webcam	Webcam with Full HD 1080p resolution
Dimensions	21.5 x 18.1 x 5.8 inches	21.5 x 18.1 x 5.8 inches
Weight	£9.74 – £9.79	9.83 – 9.88 lbs

iMac M4 vs iMac M3: Price and Availability

Prices remain the same – you can pre-order. iMac M4 for $1,299 prices rise to $2,899 if you go all-max spec. The big launch date is set for November 8th.

However, this base configuration has one major upgrade over the M3. Instead of 8GB of RAM as the base variant, you now get 16GB. This will be critical for Apple Intelligence and multitasking.

iMac M4 vs iMac M3: Design

Rear ports and camera on the back of the iMac M4

(Image credit: Apple)

The more things change, the more they stay the same. The versatile design of the 24-inch iMac remains the same, with a flat, rectangular design that’s an impressively thin 0.45-inch thin.

On top of that, the stand’s hinge continues to provide an approximately 40-degree tilt angle with a hole in the back for cable management. Thunderbolt 4 ports remain in the bottom right corner of the system, and the Ethernet option can be found on the power supply you plug your iMac into.

One new thing (make it seven) are the bright new colors you can choose from: green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue and silver. The power cord and accessories are color-matched to the system, providing a stylish all-in-one combination.

Oh, and the webcam has also been significantly improved, from a 1080p camera to a full 12MP Center Stage camera. This is sure to guarantee significantly improved image quality in FaceTime.

iMac M4 vs iMac M3: display

Apple iMac M3 review unit on the table

(Image credit: Future)

This is one of the biggest differences and upgrades, depending on how you feel about display technology. You see, you still get the same gorgeous 24-inch 4.5K Retina display. But now you can choose an optional nano-texture glass option for $200.

With this alternative glass display coating, reflections and glare should be significantly reduced. So if you have this next to a window that gets sunlight, you shouldn’t have any problems.

Additionally, display support has now also improved significantly, with up to two 6K 60Hz external displays or one 8K 120Hz panel now possible.

iMac M4 vs iMac M3: Performance

Apple iMac M3 review unit on the table

(Image credit: Future)

Now onto the internals: Apple has finally taken the M4 from the iPad Pro and put it in the iMac. In terms of speed improvements, this means photo and video editing performance is 2.1 times faster than the M1 and up to 6 times faster overall performance than the best-selling Intel-based iMac.

You’ll notice that Apple has carefully compared the M4 iMac to older models. However, we can take the M4 iPad Pro’s numbers and compare them to the M3 iMac to get a general idea of what we can get.

Swipe the screen to scroll horizontally

Device	Geekbench 6 single core	Geekbench 6 multi-core
M4 iPad Pro	3700	14,523
iMac M3	2235	10,745

As you can see, the performance difference here is much smaller. But you should still see noticeable improvements in gaming performance (especially with faster hardware-accelerated ray tracing) and Apple Intelligence capabilities with the much larger Neural Engine.

iMac M4 vs iMac M3: Keyboard and Mouse

Apple iMac M3 review unit on the table

(Image credit: Future)

USB-C. That’s all. This is an update. In some ways, this makes me very happy – these were the last accessories to connect to the Lightning port, and it’s great to see Apple killing the connector once and for all.

The included Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse are easy to use, with deep keys and a smooth, multi-touch mouse surface. For an extra $80 you can also get a keyboard with numeric keypad, and for an extra $50 you get the Magic Trackpad.

But the Cupertino team had one goal: move that port away from the Magic Mouse so you don’t have to just stop using it. Unfortunately, Apple didn’t, and one of the most annoying design decisions we’ve seen continues for another year.

iMac M4 vs iMac M3: Is it worth upgrading?

iMac M4

(Image credit: Apple)

Just like last year, the M4 iMac is an upgraded variant with the same aesthetics. So there are several answers to the question of whether you should upgrade:

For those with an Intel or M1 iMac: This is a definite yes. The performance boost is similar to what users experienced when they first saw the M1 chips in late 2020!
For iMac M3 owners: I’d wait until our review to see how significant these changes are in the iMac space.

There are certain situations where I expect the M4’s performance to be appreciated over the M3, such as faster video editing and high-quality gaming. But stay tuned to our full review for a better understanding of what the new iMac offers in terms of performance and value.

iMac M4 vs iMac M3 – Biggest Updates Explained

Archives

Categories