The 2020 iMac also has more built-in ports, so you don't have to buy a dongle to plug in a USB-A or SD card. So, for now, the 2020 iMac could still be the better option for professionals accustomed to working with multiple monitors and large storage/RAM capacities.
On that note, the iMac 2020 also allows you two use two additional monitors alongside the main 27-inch monitor, while the 2021 iMac only allows for one additional screen. This lack of flexibility can make the 2020 iMac look more attractive to buyers who work with heavy programs or giant file sizes. The 2021 iMac, on the other hand, only has options up to 16GB of RAM and 2TB of storage - a lot less than the available options on the 2020 iMac. The 2020 iMac could still be the better option for professionals accustomed to working with multiple monitors and huge storage/RAM capacities.
But because of the flexible upgrade options, you can pay for a better processor or to increase RAM and storage to a whopping 128GB and 8TB, respectively. In doing this, however, it does lose some of the more powerful options that were available in previous models.Īs demonstrated in the technical specs above, the 2020 iMac started with a 6-core processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage, which doesn't sound all that great. That's one reason why it's so slim, lightweight, and affordable. To make its latest model more streamlined, Apple has reduced the upgrade options on the 2021 iMac.
Mac Vs Mac Side View (Image credit: Apple) iMac (2020): Slim affordability versus all the upgrades So if you need lightning-fast speeds, the M1-equipped iMac is probably your best bet, but the iMac 2020 is certainly no slouch, especially when it's been upgraded to the highest-tier processor option. M1-equipped laptops still outperformed Intel's latest and greatest processors in benchmark tests, but not by much. The baseline model of the iMac 2020 comes with a 6-core Intel Core i5 processor, but you do have the option here to upgrade to a 10-core Intel Core i9, which could give the 8-core M1 processor a run for its money. Speaking of videos, if you like to watch movies using spatial audio, the iMac 2021 supports that with six speakers that include two subwoofers. While both the monitors have virtually the same display, the M1 chip will lend extra power to GPU performance, supposedly improving by as much as 200%! That means high-definition video and gameplay should perform better on the 2021 iMac. The new M1 chip in the 2021 iMac is crazy fast Apple claims it will increase CPU speeds by 85% over the previously used Intel Core i5 processor. This will be even more pronounced when it comes to motion graphics.
Now, this is where the newer iMac could blow its predecessor out of the water. Mac Vs Mac Keyboards (Image credit: Apple) iMac (2020): Really, really fast versus blinding speed It could be argued that the newer version could provide better video playback and gameplay due to the faster processor, but we'll leave that for the next section. When it comes to picture clarity, color display, and brightness, the two units are the same.
This means that there just isn't enough pixel space for an actual 5K display, so the 2021 iMac clocks in at 4.5K while the previous model has a full 5K display at 5120 by 2880 pixels. The 2021 iMac is obviously much smaller at only 24 inches versus the 27-inch 2020 model. The 2021 iMac comes in six heartbreakingly beautiful colorways that make it extremely difficult to choose just one, while the 2020 iMac has a full 5K display. All of these changes make for a more streamlined design that is less expensive for Apple to produce. This is made possible by the sleek M1 processor that runs cooler with fewer fans. It weighs much less than half of the previous year's model. This is not exactly the case yes, you can get up to 128 GB of RAM on the iMac 2020 because of its upgradable format, but it doesn't come like that in its base model.īesides the rainbow of colorways, the 2021 design is also shockingly slim and lightweight at only half an inch thick and 50% of the volume. When you look at RAM between the two models, it would appear at first glance that the iMac 2020 has eight times the RAM capacity as the iMac 2021. It deserves mention that this chart may be a bit misleading. Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, Four USB-A ports, Gigabit Ethernet, SDXC card slot
Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports and Gigabit Ethernet High-fidelity six-speaker system with force-canceling woofers and spatial audio
1080p FaceTime HD camera with M1 image signal processor