The $1,499 M6 iMac Has Two Ports—Pay $200 More for Four

Apple's new 24-inch iMac moves to the M6 chip and starts at $1,499 in the United States. Preorders open Wednesday, October 28, and the all-in-one reaches customers and stores on Friday, November 6. Before choosing a color or adding storage, buyers should look behind the screen: the entry model has only two Thunderbolt 4 ports, while the $1,699 configuration has four.

That difference makes the higher tier more than a faster processor option. It changes how many accessories and external displays the iMac can handle, how far its memory and storage can be configured, and which extras Apple includes. For a desktop expected to stay on a desk for five or six years, the $200 decision deserves more attention than the M6 performance claims.

The two M6 configurations are not equivalent

The $1,499 iMac combines a 10-core CPU with a 10-core GPU. It starts with 16GB of unified memory and a 256GB SSD, and it can be configured with 24GB of memory and up to 1TB of storage. On the rear are two Thunderbolt 4 ports, each capable of 40Gbps transfers.

The $1,699 version steps up to a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU. More important for long-term ownership, it offers four Thunderbolt 4 ports, memory options up to 32GB, storage up to 2TB, and support for two external displays. It also includes a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID rather than making biometric login an added keyboard choice.

Apple limits nano-texture display glass to the 12-core model. That option reduces glare for rooms with difficult lighting, although the standard glossy panel usually delivers stronger perceived contrast. It is useful for a studio, storefront, or office facing large windows, not a requirement for every desk.

The practical case for the $1,699 version is expansion, not benchmark bragging. A base iMac connected to an external SSD, a monitor, and a USB-C hub has already committed both built-in ports. The four-port model leaves room for a camera, audio interface, card reader, or another drive without turning one hub into a single point of failure.

M6 is a major jump from M1, not an urgent M4 replacement

Apple says the new chip can deliver up to 1.5 times the productivity performance and twice the graphics performance of the M4 iMac in selected tests. Compared with the M1 model, Apple claims up to 2.5 times the productivity performance and 3.3 times the graphics performance. These are Apple's laboratory results and depend on the application and configuration; independent testing will show how often the gains appear in everyday work.

The broad buying advice is still clear. An M1 iMac owner who regularly edits video, works with large photo libraries, compiles code, or runs several demanding apps at once will see a meaningful four-generation upgrade. An Intel iMac user gets Apple silicon, a modern camera, faster wireless networking, and current macOS support in the same move.

An M4 iMac owner has much less reason to spend. The M6 design keeps the same 24-inch 4.5K Retina display, 500-nit brightness, 12MP Center Stage camera, speaker system, and familiar thin enclosure. Faster graphics and local model processing are real improvements, but ordinary browsing, documents, video calls, and streaming were already comfortable on M4.

The unchanged display is still part of the price

The built-in screen measures 23.5 inches diagonally despite the 24-inch marketing name. Its 4480-by-2520 resolution works out to 218 pixels per inch, with P3 wide color, True Tone, and support for one billion colors. The panel is not OLED, does not add touch input, and remains capped at 500 nits.

Those limits matter if you want deep OLED blacks, HDR brightness, or a larger canvas. They matter less for buyers who want a tidy computer with a sharp, color-consistent display, camera, microphones, and speakers already assembled. A separate 4K or 5K monitor, Mac mini, keyboard, webcam, and speakers can offer more flexibility, but the total price and cable clutter can grow quickly.

Wireless connectivity moves to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 through Apple's N1 chip. The iMac also supports Thread accessories. Those upgrades are most useful in a busy home or office with a compatible Wi-Fi 7 router; they do not make an older internet plan faster by themselves.

Choose for the desk you will have later

The base model is sensible for a family computer, reception desk, classroom, or home office that will use the built-in display and a small number of peripherals. Sixteen gigabytes of unified memory is a reasonable starting point, but the 256GB SSD is easy to fill with photos, games, and creative projects. External storage solves capacity more cheaply than Apple's upgrades, while consuming one of the two ports.

The $1,699 configuration is the safer purchase for creators and small businesses. Four ports, support for two external monitors, the option for 32GB of memory, and a higher storage ceiling leave more room for a changing workflow. The extra CPU and GPU cores are useful, but they are not the best reason to spend the additional $200.

Buy the M6 iMac if the all-in-one format is the feature you want: a sharp display, good camera and audio, and a complete Mac in one compact package. If you already own the M4 version, keep it unless your work has outgrown its performance. If you are moving from M1 or Intel, decide how many ports, displays, and gigabytes your future desk will need before checkout. That choice will shape daily use long after the launch-day speed numbers stop feeling new.