M6 iMac in 2026: Same Design, Faster AI, Two Models

Apple today announced a new 24-inch iMac with the M6 chip for faster performance, an N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 support, faster SSD speeds, and more, according to MacRumors. The new iMac has the same design as the previous model with the M4 chip, and the colour options remain the same: blue, green, pink, yellow, purple, orange, and silver, according to MacRumors. The all-in-one desktop computer still has a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display with up to 500 nits brightness, and a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera with Desk View support, according to MacRumors.

So the M6 iMac is not a redesign. Same 24-inch 4.5K display, same slim all-in-one design, same seven colours, same 500 nits, same 12MP camera. What's new is inside: M6 chip, dual Neural Engine, faster SSD, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and 2.5Gb Ethernet on the higher model. For most buyers, that's the right kind of upgrade — the iMac's design was already good, and the chip was the bottleneck, especially for AI.

This guide covers the two models, what the $200 step up actually buys, Apple's AI claims (and their limits), and which model to buy — or whether to buy a Mac mini instead.

Two models: $1,499 vs $1,699, and the $200 difference is bigger than cores

The two iMac with M6 models cost $1,499 and $1,699 and differ in more than the chip, according to MacObserver. The $200 step up buys you more than two extra cores, according to the same source. It also gets you four Thunderbolt 4 ports, Ethernet as standard, Touch ID on the keyboard, a second external display and the option of nano-texture glass, according to MacObserver.

The table, from MacObserver and TechBooky:

In the US, pricing starts at $1,499 for a lower-end configuration powered by the M6 chip with a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU, a dual 16-core Neural Engine, 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports, according to MacRumors. A higher-end configuration for $1,699 bumps the M6 chip up to a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU and has four Thunderbolt 4 ports instead of two, according to MacRumors. The maximum storage capacity available is 2TB, while RAM tops out at 32GB, according to MacRumors.

The extra $200 for the 12-core iMac gets you more ports, Ethernet and Touch ID, according to MacObserver's price breakdown. Ports: two Thunderbolt / USB 4 on 10-core, four Thunderbolt 4 on 12-core. 2.5Gb Ethernet: optional on 10-core, included on 12-core. Maximum memory: 24GB on 10-core, 32GB on 12-core. Maximum storage: 1TB on 10-core, 2TB on 12-core, according to MacObserver.

So the $200 step up is not just "two more cores". It's two more CPU cores, two more GPU cores, double the ports, Ethernet included, Touch ID keyboard, a second external display, nano-texture option, and higher memory/storage ceilings. For most buyers who will keep the iMac for five years, the 12-core model at $1,699 is the better value — $200 for double the ports, Ethernet, Touch ID, and a second display is cheap insurance against future needs. The 10-core model at $1,499 only makes sense if you truly need two ports, one display, 24GB max, and 1TB max, and you will never need more — which, for a desktop you keep for years, is a risky bet.

Chip: M6, dual Neural Engine, and Apple's AI claims

First introduced in the Mac mini in August, the M6 chip features the first-ever dual Neural Engine with two 16-core engines, up from one in previous chips, according to MacRumors. The M6 chip also has up to 170GB/s memory bandwidth, up from 120GB/s for the M4 chip, according to MacRumors. In its 27 October announcement, Apple says the M6 iMac offers up to a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU, two more cores in each than the previous generation's maximum, according to TechBooky. Neural Accelerators in the GPU and a dual 16-core Neural Engine are meant to speed up image processing, local language models and other AI workloads, according to TechBooky. The chip also brings memory bandwidth of up to 170GB/s, according to TechBooky.

Apple claims up to twice the graphics performance and up to five times the on-device AI performance of the M4 iMac in selected tests, according to TechBooky. Those are company benchmarks with specific applications and configurations, not a promise of the same improvement in every task, according to TechBooky. The iMac M6 starts at $1,499 in the United States, with preorders opening October 28 and deliveries beginning November 6, according to TechMyMoney. Apple announced the desktop with a specific AI claim: up to five times faster prompt processing in LM Studio than the M4 iMac, according to TechMyMoney. That distinction matters, according to TechMyMoney: prompt processing is one part of working with a local language model, so the figure should not become a promise that every AI app, or every generated answer, runs five times faster. These are Apple's results; TechMyMoney has not tested the new machine, according to the same source.

Apple pairs Neural Accelerators in the GPU cores with a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, according to TechMyMoney. Its technical specifications list up to 170GB/s of memory bandwidth, according to TechMyMoney. The company also claims up to twice the graphics performance of M4 in photo-editing workloads such as Affinity, alongside up to 1.5 times the performance in productivity apps such as Excel, according to TechMyMoney. However, the comparison depends on the workload, according to TechMyMoney: Apple's release identifies an M4 comparison system with a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 32GB of memory and a 2TB SSD. The launch figures give buyers a reason to watch for application-level testing, rather than treating one multiplier as a verdict on the entire computer, according to TechMyMoney.

Compared to M4, users should expect up to 40% faster CPU performance, according to 9to5Mac, plus up to twice the graphics in some workloads, up to five times the AI prompt processing in LM Studio, and up to 1.5x in productivity apps — but all of those are Apple's selected tests, not independent benchmarks. Treat them as "faster, especially for AI", not as "5x faster at everything". Wait for independent reviews with your specific apps — Affinity, Excel, LM Studio, video editing — before trusting a multiplier.

Apple also says SSD read and write speeds can be up to twice those of the M4 model, according to TechBooky, and Apple says SSD read and write speeds are up to 2x faster, according to MacObserver. Faster SSD matters for large files, photo libraries, and video editing — but again, "up to 2x" is a peak figure, not a guarantee for every file operation. Still, combined with 170GB/s bandwidth (up from 120GB/s on M4), the M6 iMac should feel snappier for large files and AI workloads than the M4 iMac, even if it's not literally twice as fast at everything.

What hasn't changed: display, design, camera, colours

The design, the 24-inch 4.5K display, the 500-nit brightness, the 12MP camera and the seven colours carry over, according to MacObserver. The new iMac weighs under 10 pounds and comes in seven colours, according to MacObserver: width 21.5 inches, height 18.1 inches, weight 9.7 pounds (10-core) / 9.8 pounds (12-core), colours blue, purple, pink, orange, yellow, green, silver, power 143W adapter with 2m cord, according to MacObserver.

The display remains a 24-inch-class 4.5K Retina panel with 500 nits of brightness, according to TechBooky. Apple has kept the slim all-in-one design and seven colour choices: blue, green, pink, yellow, purple, orange and silver, according to TechBooky. A 12MP Center Stage camera supports Desk View for showing a work surface during calls, alongside three microphones and built-in speakers with Spatial Audio, according to TechBooky.

Wireless connectivity moves to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, according to TechBooky. Apple also says SSD read and write speeds can be up to twice those of the M4 model, according to TechBooky. Depending on configuration, the desktop offers up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports, support for two 6K external displays and 2.5Gb Ethernet, according to TechBooky. The Ethernet option and all four Thunderbolt 4 ports are tied to the 12-core model, so the cheaper starting price should not be read as including every connection listed in the announcement, according to TechBooky.

With the Apple-designed N1 chip, the iMac now supports faster Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, up from Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 for the previous model, according to MacRumors. A power adapter with a faster 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port is a $30 upgrade option for the base model and comes standard on the higher-end model, according to MacRumors.

The iMac ships with macOS 27, including Apple's newer Siri AI and other Apple Intelligence tools, according to TechBooky. Apple shows Siri AI in Spotlight, writing assistance, and Safari tools that group tabs or watch pages for changes, according to TechMyMoney. Still, the announcement's fine print places Siri AI in beta in macOS 27.2, according to TechMyMoney. Apple's Apple Intelligence usage terms also warn that features can have usage limits and vary by language or region, according to TechMyMoney. So Siri AI is a rolling beta feature, not a day-one complete feature — treat it as a bonus, not a reason to buy.

Verdict: buy the 12-core, or buy a Mac mini?

For most buyers, the 12-core M6 iMac at $1,699 is the right choice: double ports, Ethernet, Touch ID, second display, 32GB/2TB ceilings, for $200 more. The 10-core only makes sense if you truly need the minimum and will never need more — a risky bet for a desktop kept for years. Also consider Mac mini: same M6 chip, lower price, better value if you already have monitor, keyboard, and mouse. The iMac's value is the all-in-one: 4.5K display, camera, speakers, keyboard, mouse, in seven colours. For M4 owners, M6 is a chip/AI upgrade, not display/design — upgrade for AI, SSD, Wi-Fi 7, or ports, not for a new screen.