Apple refreshed the 27-inch iMac lineup on August 4, 2020, introducing 10th-generation Intel processors, more RAM, more SSD storage, faster AMD GPUs, and True Tone support for the display.

The 27-inch iMac update was an update to the internals and the display only and there were no major design changes to the body of the machine. The 21.5-inch iMac received no refresh, though it does now ship with an SSD by default rather than a Fusion Drive. It otherwise continues to have the same hardware introduced in March 2019.





This hands-on video walks through the 27" 5K iMac:

Both the 21.5 and 27-inch 4K and 5K iMacs continue to use the same "ultra-thin" slim-bodied design first introduced in 2012, though a new model with an updated design and Apple Silicon chip is said to be coming in 2020 or 2021.

Apple updated the display of the 27-inch model, introducing support for True Tone functionality for the first time. True Tone adjusts the white balance of the display to the lighting of the room that you're in for a more natural viewing experience.

There's also a new nano-texture glass option that was first brought to the Pro Display XDR, and which is available for the iMac for an extra $500. Nano-texture glass offers better viewing under bright lighting conditions and it adds a matte finish.

Other than True Tone and nano-texture glass, the display of the 27-inch iMac is otherwise unchanged. Both iMac models feature 500 nits brightness, 1 billion colors, and support for P3 wide color.

Inside, the 27-inch iMac is equipped with Intel's 10th-generation chips with up to 10 cores at the high end. Turbo Boost speeds can reach up to 5.0GHz for 65 percent faster CPU performance.

Apple added Radeon Pro 5000 graphics to the new 27.5-inch iMac, which is up to 55 percent faster than the GPUs in prior-generation 27-inch iMac models. The high-end Radeon Pro 5000 option supports 16GB of video memory for the first time, double the memory capacity.

The 21.5-inch iMac is equipped with Intel's 8th-generation chips with up to 6 cores, for up to 60 percent faster performance compared to the previous-generation model, along with Radeon Pro Vega graphics at the high-end.

All iMacs, 21.5 and 27-inch, come standard with SSDs, and the SSDs in the 27-inch iMac offer fast performance up to 3.4GB/s. The 27-inch machine supports up to an 8TB SSD, with far more storage space than before, while the 21.5-inch iMac offers up to 1TB SSD storage.

For extra security, the 27-inch iMac includes an Apple T2 Chip, which is an Apple-designed chip that provides on-the-fly data encryption, checks software boot security, and more.

The 27-inch iMac offers up to 128GB of fast 2666MHz RAM, double the amount that was available in the prior-generation model. The 21.5-inch iMac supports up to 32GB of fast 2666MHz RAM.

Also new in the 27-inch iMac is an improved 1080p FaceTime HD camera, which offers better quality than the 720p camera in the prior model. The 21.5-inch iMac continues to feature a 720p camera.

Apple says the new 27-inch iMacs include speakers with variable EQ with better balance, higher fidelity, and improved bass along with a studio-quality microphone array. The 21.5-inch iMac has standard stereo speakers and a microphone.

The iMac models continue to be equipped with two USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports, four USB-A ports, a headphone jack, an SD card slot, and a Gigabit ethernet port.

Alongside the 2019 21.5-inch iMacs and the 2020 27-inch iMacs, Apple is selling a lower-end $1,099 iMac that hasn't been updated since 2018, offering a 2K display and an older 7th-generation processor. Apple also has an iMac Pro designed for professional users, with details available in our iMac Pro roundup.

The iMac ships with an Apple Magic Keyboard that can be upgraded to a Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad for $30 and a Magic Mouse 2 that can be upgraded to a Magic Trackpad 2 for $50. Pricing on the 2020 27-inch iMac starts at $1,799, while pricing on the 2019 21.5-inch iMac starts at $1,299.

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