Apple’s latest iMac skips the M5 chip and moves directly to the M6, bringing faster performance, improved connectivity, and faster storage. So how much has changed since the M4 model arrived in 2024, and is it worth upgrading? The M6 iMac starts at $1,499 in the United States, with the four-port configuration starting at $1,699. While the entry price is $200 higher than the M4 model’s original $1,299 launch price, the outgoing model had already risen to $1,499 earlier in 2026. With much of the ‌iMac‌ experience unchanged, existing M4 owners may be weighing up whether the performance improvements justify replacing their machine, while new buyers may be considering a discounted older model. Here are the key differences between the M4 and M6 ‌iMac‌:

‌iMac‌ (M4, 2024)

‌iMac‌ (M6, 2026)

M4 chip made using TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process (N3E)

M6 chip made using TSMC’s first-generation 2nm process (N2)

FinFET transistors

Gate-all-around nanosheet transistors

Two-port model : 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores

Four-port model : 10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores

Two-port model : 10-core CPU with 2 super cores, 3 performance cores, and 5 efficiency cores

Four-port model : 12-core CPU with 2 super cores, 4 performance cores, and 6 efficiency cores

Two CPU core types: performance and efficiency

Three CPU core types: super, performance, and efficiency

Two-port model : 8-core GPU

Four-port model : 10-core GPU

Two-port model : 10-core GPU

Four-port model : 12-core GPU

Integrated Neural Accelerator in every GPU core

GPU shader cores without dedicated Neural Accelerators

GPU shader cores with a dedicated Neural Accelerator in every core

First-generation Dynamic Caching

Updated Dynamic Caching

Second-generation hardware-accelerated ray tracing

Hardware-accelerated ray tracing with up to 2x higher gaming performance compared with M4, according to Apple

One 16-core Neural Engine

Two 16-core Neural Engines, totaling 32 cores, which system frameworks can use simultaneously

120GB/s unified memory bandwidth

Up to 170GB/s unified memory bandwidth

SSD storage

SSD storage with PCIe 5. 0 support and up to 2x faster read and write performance

Broadcom wireless networking chip

Apple N1 wireless networking chip

Wi-Fi 6E (802. 11ax)

Wi-Fi 7 (802. 11be)

Bluetooth 5. 3

Bluetooth 6

Thread networking technology

Two-port model : Optional Gigabit Ethernet

Four-port model : Gigabit Ethernet as standard

Two-port model : Optional 2. 5Gb Ethernet

Four-port model : 2…