Apple on October 27 unveiled a new 24-inch iMac powered by the M6 chip, keeping the same thin design and 4.5K Retina display as before but overhauling the internals.

Configurations offer up to a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU with Neural Accelerators in every GPU core, plus a Dual 16-core Neural Engine and memory bandwidth of up to 170GB/s, up from 120GB/s on the M4 model. The machine runs macOS 27 and supports Apple Intelligence and Siri AI.

Pricing starts at US$1,499 for the 10-core configuration, with the 12-core model at $1,699, and pre-orders open October 28 ahead of a November 6 launch.

The headline surprise is the size of the leap: Apple says the new iMac delivers up to 18 times faster performance than the most popular Intel-based iMac, and up to 5x faster on-device AI performance than the previous M4 model — a chip generation the iMac skipped entirely, going straight from M4 to M6.

MacRumors reports that the M6 chip features the first-ever dual Neural Engine with two 16-core engines, up from one in previous chips, and that Neural Accelerators in each GPU core are new to the iMac.

The chip is built on a 2-nanometer process, according to Tom's Guide, which notes it should outclass the 3-nanometer M4 particularly in AI processing.

Apple's own benchmarks against older machines include up to 2.5x faster performance in Microsoft Excel and up to 3.3x faster graphics in Affinity compared to the M1 iMac, and up to 12x faster on-device AI prompt processing in LM Studio versus M1.

Against the M4 model, Apple claims up to 2x faster graphics, up to 2x faster SSD read and write speeds thanks to PCIe 5.0 support, and up to 2x gaming performance with ray tracing.

MacRumors notes that Geekbench results for the M6 chip already surfaced in the Mac mini, suggesting the higher-end iMac should offer up to around 40% faster CPU performance than the M4 model — while Apple's press release separately cites up to 1.5x faster general performance versus M4.

Beyond the chip, the new iMac introduces Apple's N1 wireless chip, bringing Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, up from Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 on the previous model, according to MacRumors and 9to5Mac.

The higher-end configuration can be equipped with 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, which Apple says delivers up to 2.5x faster wired connectivity than the previous generation, and the base model can add it as a $30 upgrade on the power adapter.

The machine keeps its 12-megapixel Center Stage camera with Desk View, six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos, up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports on higher configurations, and support for up to two external 6K displays.

Tom's Guide notes the nano-texture display finish remains available on 12-core models.

Tom's Guide points out the sting: the new iMac starts at $1,499, a step up from the $1,299 entry price the M4 iMac launched with in 2024 — though Apple raised prices in June, so the launch price matches the current lineup.

The design and display are unchanged, and Tom's Guide laments that the iPad mini 8 got OLED treatment the same week while the iMac sticks with LED-backlit LCD.

Meanwhile, GadgetMatch reports education pricing starts at $1,449, with regional prices of PHP 109,990 in the Philippines and SGD 2,099 in Singapore. The publication argues the M6 jump alone may warrant an upgrade for users on older iMacs, especially for AI-related desktop work.

Pre-orders begin October 28 at 10:10 a.m. Pacific Time, shipping on November 6 — the same date as the new iPad mini 8 and the M6 14-inch MacBook Pro, which Apple also announced today at $1,999 with up to 30% faster graphics and 25% faster AI workloads versus the M5 model, per TechCrunch.

The iMac lands just ahead of Apple's 'Pro and Tell' event on October 28 and its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings on November 2, where HSBC expects 10.6% year-over-year revenue growth and believes Apple's expanding AI capabilities could drive a significant upgrade cycle, according to TradingView.

Siri AI arrives in beta in macOS 27.2, with language and regional restrictions applying to some Apple Intelligence features.