Apple has announced the iMac M6, a new 24-inch iMac built around the M6 chip, on October 27, 2026. The design and seven colors are unchanged from the M4 model.
The change is inside: a faster chip, a new wireless chip, faster storage, and stronger on-device AI. Pre-orders open October 28 at 10:10 a.m. Pacific Time, which is 11:10 p.m. in Dhaka. The iMac M6 launches Friday, November 6, with US prices from $1,499.
This is a chip-first refresh, not a redesign. The gain is speed at the same starting price, with one catch in how the two configurations split.
This article follows up PetaTech24’s preview, which treated an M6 iMac as expected. Apple has now confirmed it, with firm prices and dates. Nothing here claims a touchscreen MacBook Pro was announced.
Key Takeaways
- Apple announced the iMac M6 on October 27, 2026. The M5 generation was skipped.
- The 24-inch 4.5K Retina display, thin design, and seven colors carry over unchanged.
- Apple claims up to 2x faster graphics and up to 5x faster on-device AI than the M4 iMac. Both are manufacturer claims.
- No iMac M6 benchmark has been published. The only early pointer is a Mac mini result, not an iMac measurement.
- US prices start at $1,499 (10-core) and $1,699 (12-core). UK prices are reported at £1,499 and £1,699. No single EUR price could be verified.
- Pre-orders open October 28; launch day is Friday, November 6.
Preview vs Reality: What Was Expected and What Apple Confirmed
PetaTech24’s preview expected an M6 chip in the current design, with no announced price and a reported November 6 sale date. Apple has now confirmed the chip, the unchanged design, the date, and firm US prices. Other October 28 products remain reporting until Apple shows them.
The preview warned that a chip-only update only makes sense if the price holds. It did, at $1,499 in the US.
What changed is what $1,499 buys: two Thunderbolt 4 ports instead of four, with Touch ID and nano-texture moving to the $1,699 model. The price held. The bundle did not.
iMac M6 vs M4 iMac: What Actually Changed
Apple last updated the iMac in 2024 with M4. The iMac M6 jumps straight to M6, with up to two more CPU and GPU cores, memory bandwidth up to 170GB/s (from 120GB/s), and a dual 16-core Neural Engine. Storage speeds rise with PCIe 5.0, and wireless moves to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.
Everything visible stays put. The table below puts the generations side by side.
The catch is the tier shift. The M4 iMac launched at $1,299 in the US, then rose to $1,499 in June 2026. At $1,499, the old 10-core model had four ports, Gigabit Ethernet, a Touch ID keyboard, and a nano-texture option.
The new $1,499 model has two ports, and Touch ID and nano-texture sit with the $1,699 model. Matching the old $1,499 bundle now costs $1,699, per Fstoppers and AppleInsider.
Inside the iMac M6: Chip, AI and Storage
The M6 chip, core by core
The M6 chip first appeared in the Mac mini in August 2026. The 10-core iMac M6 pairs two super cores with three performance cores and five efficiency cores, per AppleInsider.
The 12-core version uses two super cores, four performance cores, and six efficiency cores. Each GPU core includes a Neural Accelerator, and memory bandwidth reaches up to 170GB/s.
AI is the headline act
Apple leads with AI, and every speed figure here is its own claim. The company says the iMac M6 delivers up to 5x faster on-device AI in LM Studio than the M4 model. No independent lab has published iMac results yet.
The machine ships with macOS 27 (Golden Gate), Apple Intelligence, and Siri AI, with local processing framed as a privacy advantage.
Storage and memory
Apple says SSD speeds are up to twice as fast as the M4 iMac, via PCIe 5.0. That is an Apple claim, unmeasured on the iMac so far.
Memory starts at 16GB. The 10-core model tops out at 24GB and 1TB; the 12-core model reaches 32GB and 2TB.
MacRumors reported that Geekbench results for the M6 chip surfaced for the Mac mini, not the iMac. No iMac benchmark has been published. The Mac mini pointer is orientation, not an iMac measurement.
Design, Display and Everyday Hardware
The iMac M6 looks like the old one because it uses the same design: thin body, slim bezels, chin below the screen, and color-matched stand. Colors are blue, green, pink, yellow, purple, orange, and silver, unchanged.
The 24-inch 4.5K Retina display carries over. There is no OLED display and no larger size.
The 12-megapixel Center Stage camera, Desk View, six-speaker system, three-microphone array, and 3.5mm headphone jack all carry over. The box includes a Magic Mouse, a color-matched Magic Keyboard, and a 143W adapter.
The Touch ID keyboard is standard on the higher-end model and optional on the base model, per AppleInsider and Fstoppers. MacRumors describes Touch ID inclusion more generally, without the tier split.
This article follows the tier-specific reporting.
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Ports and Faster Ethernet
The iMac M6 uses Apple’s N1 wireless chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, up from Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. Wi-Fi 7 needs a Wi-Fi 7 router to show its full benefit, so buyers on older routers will see a smaller gain on day one.
The power adapter can carry 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, standard on the $1,699 model and a $30 upgrade on the $1,499 model in the US, up from 1 Gigabit. Ports: two Thunderbolt 4 ports on the base model, four on the higher-end model.
Display support follows: one 6K display on the 10-core model, two 6K displays or one 8K display on the 12-core model, per AppleInsider. Count displays and drives before choosing.
iMac M6 Prices and Configurations: Which Config to Buy
Apple’s press release confirms both US iMac M6 configurations: $1,499 for the 10-core model and $1,699 for the 12-core model. The $200 gap pays for ports and options as much as for cores.
UK pricing is reported consistently at £1,499 and £1,699. EUR pricing does not agree: one report put Germany at €1,799, another put Ireland at €1,829. No single EUR figure could be verified, so this article states none.
Pick the $1,499 model for a simple desk and one external display. Pick the $1,699 model for four ports, a second 6K display, 32GB or 2TB, nano-texture glass, or a Touch ID keyboard in the box. The extra $200 buys headroom that cannot be added later.
The Bigger Picture
The iMac M6 shows Apple’s current rhythm: M6 reached the Mac mini in August, then the iMac and entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro in late October, with redesigned Pro machines still to come. The investment goes into silicon, AI hardware, wireless, and storage, while design, display, and colors stay.
What is still unknown matters: no independent benchmark, no hands-on test, and no configure-to-order upgrade prices were in the sources checked.
FAQ
When can I buy the iMac M6?
Pre-orders open Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 10:10 a.m. Pacific Time in 35 countries and regions, including the US. Launch day is Friday, November 6.
How much does the iMac M6 cost?
US prices are $1,499 (10-core) and $1,699 (12-core). UK prices are reported at £1,499 and £1,699. No single EUR price could be verified.
Is the iMac M6 faster than the M4 iMac?
Apple claims up to 2x graphics and up to 5x on-device AI versus M4. MacRumors points to Mac mini results suggesting up to around 40% faster CPU performance. No iMac benchmark has been published yet.
Does the new iMac have a touchscreen or an OLED display?
No. The display is the same 24-inch 4.5K Retina panel, with no touch and no OLED.
Should I upgrade from an M1, Intel, or M4 iMac?
Intel and M1 owners gain the most. M4 owners gain AI hardware, storage speed, and ports, but the same screen and design. If an M4 iMac does the job, wait.
Final Word
The iMac M6 is the machine reporting expected: confirmed, firmly priced, design unchanged, with a faster chip, stronger AI hardware, Wi-Fi 7, and faster storage.
The ports and options split is the catch. Buy the $1,499 model for a simple desk, the $1,699 model for headroom, and wait for independent testing before treating Apple’s claims as settled.
Sources
- Apple, “Apple unveils new iMac with M6, delivering a major boost in performance and AI capabilities,” press release, October 27, 2026: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/10/apple-unveils-new-imac-with-m6/
- MacRumors, Joe Rossignol, “Apple Announces New iMac With M6 Chip and More,” October 27, 2026: https://www.macrumors.com/2026/10/27/apple-announces-new-imac-with-m6-chip-and-more/
- AppleInsider, “M6 24-inch iMac vs M4 24-inch iMac: Compared,” October 27, 2026: https://appleinsider.com/inside/24-inch-imac/vs/m6-24-inch-imac-vs-m4-24-inch-imac-apples-all-in-ones-compared
- 9to5Mac, “Apple launches new iMac with M6 chip, N1 wireless, faster Ethernet,” October 27, 2026: https://9to5mac.com/2026/10/27/apple-launches-new-imac-with-powerful-m6-chip/
- Fstoppers, “Apple Releases New $1,499 M6 iMac,” October 27, 2026: https://fstoppers.com/gear/apple-releases-new-1499-m6-imac-905212
Score methodology note: figures marked as Apple claims (MF) come from Apple marketing and press materials and have not been independently verified on the iMac. The Geekbench pointer comes from Mac mini results reported by MacRumors and is not an iMac measurement. No Geekbench version was stated in the sources checked, so no raw Geekbench scores are used in this article.
