The new iMac vs. the competition: Beneath the pretty colors

It hasn’t even been a year since Apple released the last model of its iconic all-in-one desktop, the iMac. But things have changed a lot since then — companies are contemplating a return to the office, while others have decided to make their home office permanent. So it’s actually a good time to release a new desktop for those looking for an easy upgrade. But exactly how much of a step forward is this colorful iMac and its M1 chip over rival all-in-one machines like the Surface Studio 2 and Dell’s latest OptiPlex? Check out the table below for the details on relevant specs, and keep an eye out for our full review of the new-hued iMac later this spring.

	Apple iMac (2021)	Surface Studio 2	Dell OptiPlex 7780
Price	Starts at $1,299	Starts at $3,500	Starts at $1,839
Dimensions	547 x 461 x 147 mm (21.5 x 18.1 x 5.8 inches)	637.35 x 438.90 x 12.50 mm (25.1 x 17.3 x 0.5 inches)	614 x 389 x 58 mm (24.17 x 15.31 x 2.28 inches)
Weight	4.46 kg (9.83 pounds) / 4.48 kg (9.88 pounds)	9.56 kg (21 pounds)	8.66 / 9.1 kg (19.09 / 20.06 pounds)
OS	macOS Big Sur	Windows 10	Windows 10
Display	24-inch 4.5K Retina	28-inch PixelSense	27-inch OptiPlex LCD
Resolution	4,480 x 2,520 (218 ppi)	4,500 x 3,000 (192 ppi)	1,920 x 1,080 (81 ppi)
Processor	Apple M1	Intel Core i7-7820HQ	Intel Core i5-10500 / i7-10700 / i9-10900
Memory	8 GB*	16 / 32 GB	16 / 64 GB
Graphics	M1 integrated graphics	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 / GTX 1070	Intel Integrated Graphics / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
Storage	256 / 512 GB*	1 / 2 TB	256 / 512 GB
Ports	USB 4 (x2) / USB 3 (x2), USB 4 (x2)	USB 3.0 (x4), USB-C, SDXC	USB 3.2 (x5), USB-C, HDMI (x2), SD
Wireless	802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.0	802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1	802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.1

 

* Specs listed are base specs and will not include all options available at checkout.