iMac 24 (2021) vs iMac 27 (2020): Differences and Technical Specifications

Technical Specifications Table

A good way to see first what these iMac offer us is to see their specifications table and compare. Of course, it must be said that some points are configurable and do not come standard in all versions, such as the ports or the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID in the case of the 24-inch iMac.

In design there are considerable differences

We are not going to judge whether one or the other design is better for visual effects, since in the end this is a tremendously subjective factor that will ultimately depend on the opinion of each one. At all levels we can find differences that, whether we like them more or less, are what they are. The first of these is color , since the 27-inch iMac offers a single version in silver while the 24-inch is offered in up to 7 different color versions, including that silver.

On the front we find that the 24-inch iMac optimizes its body much more, with reduced bezels and in white compared to the pronounced edges of the 27-inch in black. Both have a chin that in the case of the 27-inch iMac is the same that Apple has styled in this range for years, with its logo included on the front. In the 24-inch model, this chin has a size proportionally equal to the large one, only that aesthetically it gives another feeling for going in the color chosen for the equipment and not having the Apple icon in the central part.

Despite the changes mentioned, if we see them from the front, the differences may not be as great as if we look at them from behind or from a profile. As far as the body is concerned, the 2021 iMac has eliminated the hump or hump that the 2020 model does, in favor of a unique thickness that it has been able to adopt thanks to bringing the power supply outside. Also the base has changed between the two, although they are still just as practical to tilt the screen more or less.

At the screen level, do they change a lot?

Although both share screen size, there are certain differences between them. The first of these is that the 27-inch iMac achieves a higher resolution for obvious reasons of its size, but also in terms of the playback format, since it reaches 5K while the 24-inch does not exceed 4.5K . Is this a difference that is noticeable on a day-to-day basis? Well obviously the most meticulous will notice these differences depending on what situations, but the truth is that both screens are of high quality and should not cause problems in any light circumstance or in any type of image reproduction.

Where perhaps if we would see the definitive point in favor of the 27-inch iMac is in the possibility of acquiring it with the nanotextured glass. This is the same treatment as Apple’s own XDR Display screen, and although it carries a surcharge if chosen, it also offers improvements in terms of visual quality in adverse lighting conditions. It also eliminates reflections, although in the end all this also entails a more specific care when it comes to cleaning.

RAM is unmatched

Seeing that the 24-inch iMac offers 16GB of RAM at its peak and that the 27-inch iMac offers 128GB can be misleading. Obviously, that maximum point of the large model will provide a higher performance than the 16 GB of the other, but they are not really extrapolated memories. At the performance level, the chip interferes to a large extent, especially in the M1, which is where this RAM is integrated, making the equipment much more efficient and more if it is combined with software that has also been designed by Apple itself. . In the Intel model the RAM comes separately and the performance of this in conjunction with the processor is different.

At the bottom we could say in a way that the 8 GB of RAM of the M1 is equivalent to the 16 GB of the Intel, although technically it would not be true because, as we already said, they are not comparable. In the next section we will see in which cases the change in performance from one computer to another is noticed, combining both the RAM memory and the processor that both have integrated.

Something that you should know is that it is possible to change the RAM of the 27 iMac on your own , since it incorporates a slot for it and is in fact designed for this purpose without losing the warranty. In addition, this option is usually cheaper than that of configuring this computer loaded with pre-installed RAM as standard.

The big processor change: from Intel to M1

Beyond the benchmarks, in which the M1 surpasses a good part of the Intel of this iMac of 27, the truth is that there is a really notable difference from one processor to another. As we explained before, the fact that Apple is the one who designs both the hardware and the software of the 24-inch iMac means that it can have important advantages in terms of being much more energy efficient, but also faster in a lot of everyday tasks. At high demand levels, although the M1 supports them, it is true that some chips such as the Intel i9 manage to exceed it. We refer, for example, to 4K video export with applications such as Final Cut.

It must be said that when comparing the most basic chip from Apple (and only one so far) with some of the most powerful from Intel, the comparison is not entirely fair. At a general level we can say that the performance of the M1 is superior in practically everything except those highly demanding tasks. However, it also has its drawbacks as a result of having an ARM architecture and that is that not all applications and games will work on the M1 at the moment .

Apple stated in 2020 that the transition period for developers would be around 2 years, although it must be said that many of the most popular applications are already optimized. Many of those that are not yet can work using Rosetta 2, a code translator that allows an application made for Intel architecture to work well on the M1.

Which of the two has a better ventilation system?

An important point in this type of computers, especially if they are focused on professional use, we can find it in the ventilation system. One of the problems that Intel chips carry is that the temperature management of the computer is not always the most appropriate, so the 27-inch iMac mounts a complete fan inside to be able to dissipate all the heat correctly. It does it very well, but it must be taken into account that depending on which demanding processes you will be listening to this fan.

In the 24-inch iMac, the device plate has been compressed to the maximum, being entirely behind the lower chin of the computer. The M1 is highly efficient and although it has two fans at each end, these are smaller than the 27-inch iMac and come into operation less frequently. And no, this is not a bad thing, but it is a sign that the ventilation is carried out more efficiently than in the large model.

What prices are these iMac at Apple?

As you can see below, the price difference between both versions is very prominent, more depending on the different configurations that are chosen for the sections in which customization is offered. Therefore this point is a key factor when deciding whether to buy one or the other.

24-inch iMac

This computer supports different configurations that are causing the price to increase, so we find that the most basic version would cost 1,449 euros, while the most complete would amount to 3,513.98 euros. These are, depending on its components, the different price divisions that we find:

• From 1,449 euros :
  • M1 with 8-core CPU and 7-core GPU
  • RAM
    • 8 GB
    • 16 GB: +230 euros
  • SSD storage
    • 256 GB
    • 512 GB: +230 euros
    • 1 TB: +460 euros
  • Gigabit Ethernet: +26 euros
  • Magic Keyboard
  • Mouse:
    • Magic mouse
    • Magic Trackpad: +50 euros
    • Magic Mouse + Magic Trackpad: +135 euros
  • Pre-installed software:
    • Logic Pro: +229.99 euros
    • Final Cut Pro: +329.99 euros
• From 1,669 euros :
  • M1 with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU
  • RAM
    • 8 GB
    • 16 GB: +230 euros
  • SSD storage
    • 256 GB
    • 512 GB: +230 euros
    • 1 TB: +460 euros
    • 2 TB: +920 euros
  • Gigabit Ethernet
  • Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
  • Mouse:
    • Magic mouse
    • Magic Trackpad: +50 euros
    • Magic Mouse + Magic Trackpad: +135 euros
  • Pre-installed software:
    • Logic Pro: +229.99 euros
    • Final Cut Pro: +329.99 euros
• From 1,889 euros :
  • M1 with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU
  • RAM
    • 8 GB
    • 16 GB: +230 euros
  • SSD storage
    • 512 GB
    • 1 TB: +230 euros
    • 2 TB: +690 euros
  • Gigabit Ethernet
  • Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
  • Mouse:
    • Magic mouse
    • Magic Trackpad: +50 euros
    • Magic Mouse + Magic Trackpad: +135 euros
  • Pre-installed software:
    • Logic Pro: +229.99 euros
    • Final Cut Pro: +329.99 euros

27-inch iMac

The case of the 27-inch iMac is not different from the previous one, since it is also divided into three price divisions from 1,999 euros in the most basic configurations and amounts to a maximum of 10,538.98 euros in the version in which it is include the most top-of-the-range components. These are its divisions and prices of its extras:

• From 1,999 euros
  • Screen glass:
    • Standard glass
    • Nanotextured glass: +345 euros
  • 3.1 GHz 6-core Intel Core i5 processor (10th generation)
  • RAM:
    • 8 GB
    • 16 GB: +230 euros
    • 32 GB: +690 euros
    • 64 GB: +1,150 euros
    • 128 GB: +2,999 euros
  • 256GB SSD storage:
  • Ethernet:
    • Gigabit Ethernet
    • 10 Gb Ethernet: +115 euros
  • Magic Keyboard 2
  • Mouse:
    • Magic Mouse 2
    • Magic Trackpad 2: +50 euros
    • Magic Mouse 2 + Magic Trackpad 2: +135 euros
  • Pre-installed software:
    • Logic Pro: +329.99 euros
    • Final Cut Pro: +329.99 euros
• From 2,249 euros
  • Screen glass:
    • Standard glass
    • Nanotextured glass: +345 euros
  • Processor:
    • 3.1GHz 6-core Intel Core i5 (10th Gen)
    • Intel Core i9 10-core 3.6 GHz (10th generation): +575 euros
  • RAM:
    • 8 GB
    • 16 GB: +230 euros
    • 32 GB: +690 euros
    • 64 GB: +1,150 euros
    • 128 GB: +2,999 euros
  • SSD storage:
    • 512 GB
    • 1 TB: +230 euros
    • 2 TB: +690 euros
  • Ethernet:
    • Gigabit Ethernet
    • 10 Gb Ethernet: +115 euros
  • Magic Keyboard 2
  • Mouse:
    • Magic Mouse 2
    • Magic Trackpad 2: +50 euros
    • Magic Mouse 2 + Magic Trackpad 2: +135 euros
  • Pre-installed software:
    • Logic Pro: +329.99 euros
    • Final Cut Pro: +329.99 euros
• From 2,599 euros
  • Screen glass:
    • Standard glass
    • Nanotextured glass: +345 euros
  • Processor:
    • 3.8GHz 8-core Intel Core i7 (10th Gen)
    • Intel Core i9 10-core 3.6 GHz (10th generation): +460 euros
  • RAM:
    • 8 GB
    • 16 GB: +230 euros
    • 32 GB: +690 euros
    • 64 GB: +1,150 euros
    • 128 GB: +2,999 euros
  • SSD storage:
    • 512 GB
    • 1 TB: +230 euros
    • 2 TB: +690 euros
    • 4 TB: +1,388 euros
    • 8 TB: +2,760 euros
  • Ethernet:
    • Gigabit Ethernet
    • 10 Gb Ethernet: +115 euros
  • Magic Keyboard 2
  • Mouse:
    • Magic Mouse 2
    • Magic Trackpad 2: +50 euros
    • Magic Mouse 2 + Magic Trackpad 2: +135 euros
  • Pre-installed software:
    • Logic Pro: +329.99 euros
    • Final Cut Pro: +329.99 euros

So which one should you stick with?

If you have doubts between buying one and the other and discard the idea of waiting for the large iMac to also renew its processor for an Apple Silicon , you should focus on the points that you consider most important. If you are going to make professional use of the computer, depending on your level of demand, one or the other can be useful. If you are going to be very demanding, probably the 27 iMac with more advanced RAM configurations could be the ideal one. It is true that the M1 is a highly evolved chip that offers many advantages over Intel, but at the power level it would not be comparable with such powerful versions of Intel processors.

If your level of demand is not excessively high, the M1 is an ideal chip for its excellent temperature management, resource optimization and more. If, in addition, the design of the 24-inch iMac is to your liking and you are also interested in new possibilities such as the Touch ID of the new Magic Keyboard, possibly this is your ideal computer to acquire. Also the size of the screen, which is smaller than the other, can be vital in the decision. Therefore, be that as it may, weigh all the points that you consider important before making a decision lightly.