Apple announced the iMac with M6 on October 27, 2026. It starts at $1,499 for the 10-core model and $1,699 for the 12-core model, with pre-orders from October 28 and deliveries from November 6. This page collects every spec Apple lists on its iMac spec page, groups them in plain English, and tells you what each group means when you sit down at the machine. We keep it updated as Apple changes its listings.
The two iMac with M6 models cost $1,499 and $1,699 and differ in more than the chip
| Spec | 10-core model | 12-core model |
|---|---|---|
| US price | $1,499 | $1,699 |
| Education price | $1,449 | $1,599 |
| Apple Upgrade (US only, via Klarna) | From $28.99 a month for 36 months | Apple doesn’t list this yet |
| Pre-orders | October 28, 2026 | October 28, 2026 |
| In stores and delivered | November 6, 2026 | November 6, 2026 |
What this means for you: the $200 step up buys you more than two extra cores. 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.
The M6 chip adds two CPU cores and two GPU cores to the top iMac
| Spec | 10-core model | 12-core model |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 10 cores (2 super, 3 performance, 5 efficiency) | 12 cores (2 super, 4 performance, 6 efficiency) |
| GPU | 10 cores with Neural Accelerators | 12 cores with Neural Accelerators |
| Ray tracing | Hardware accelerated | Hardware accelerated |
| Neural Engine | Dual 16-core | Dual 16-core |
| Memory bandwidth | Up to 170GB/s | Up to 170GB/s |
| Media engine | H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW, plus AV1 decode | H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW, plus AV1 decode |
What this means for you: both models share the same two super cores, so everyday snappiness should feel close. The 12-core model pulls ahead when you export video, render in Blender or run local AI models that keep every core busy.
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Memory tops out at 24GB on the 10-core iMac and 32GB on the 12-core iMac
| Spec | 10-core model | 12-core model |
|---|---|---|
| Unified memory | 16GB, configurable to 24GB | 16GB, configurable to 24GB or 32GB |
| SSD storage | 256GB, configurable to 512GB or 1TB | 256GB, configurable to 512GB, 1TB or 2TB |
What this means for you: memory can’t be added later, so buy the amount you’ll need in four or five years. Apple notes that formatted storage capacity is smaller than the labelled figure. Apple doesn’t list upgrade prices on its spec page, so check the store before you build a configuration.
The 24-inch 4.5K Retina display stays at 500 nits with optional nano-texture glass
| Spec | 10-core model | 12-core model |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 24-inch (23.5-inch actual diagonal) | 24-inch (23.5-inch actual diagonal) |
| Resolution | 4480 by 2520 at 218 pixels per inch | 4480 by 2520 at 218 pixels per inch |
| Brightness | 500 nits | 500 nits |
| Colour | 1 billion colours, P3 wide colour, True Tone | 1 billion colours, P3 wide colour, True Tone |
| Nano-texture glass | Not offered | Optional |
What this means for you: if your desk faces a window, the nano-texture option cuts glare, but you’ll have to buy the 12-core model to get it.
The camera, speakers and microphones are the same on both iMac models
| Spec | Both models |
|---|---|
| Camera | 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View, 1080p HD video |
| Speakers | Six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers, wide stereo, Spatial Audio for Dolby Atmos |
| Microphones | Three-mic array with directional beamforming, “Hey Siri” support |
Ports and wireless are where the 10-core and 12-core iMac split the most
| Spec | 10-core model | 12-core model |
|---|---|---|
| Thunderbolt | Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports | Four Thunderbolt 4 ports |
| Ethernet | Optional 2.5Gb Ethernet | 2.5Gb Ethernet included |
| Headphone jack | 3.5mm | 3.5mm |
| External displays | One, up to 6K at 60Hz or 4K at 165Hz | Up to two |
| Wireless | Apple N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread | Apple N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread |
What this means for you: if you plan to plug in a second monitor, a dock and fast external drives, the 10-core model will run out of ports quickly.
The iMac with M6 weighs under 10 pounds and comes in seven colours
| Spec | 10-core model | 12-core model |
|---|---|---|
| Width and height | 21.5 inches wide, 18.1 inches tall | 21.5 inches wide, 18.1 inches tall |
| Weight | 9.7 pounds | 9.8 pounds |
| Colours | Blue, purple, pink, orange, yellow, green, silver | Blue, purple, pink, orange, yellow, green, silver |
| Power | 143W adapter with 2m cord, 100 to 240V AC | 143W adapter with 2m cord, 100 to 240V AC |
| Operating range | 50 to 95°F, 5 to 90% humidity, tested to 5,000m altitude | 50 to 95°F, 5 to 90% humidity, tested to 5,000m altitude |
| Certification | ENERGY STAR | ENERGY STAR |
The 10-core iMac ships without Touch ID while the 12-core iMac includes it
| Spec | 10-core model | 12-core model |
|---|---|---|
| Keyboard | Magic Keyboard (Touch ID optional) | Magic Keyboard with Touch ID |
| Mouse | Magic Mouse | Magic Mouse |
| Also in the box | 143W adapter, power cord, USB-C charge cable | 143W adapter, power cord, USB-C charge cable, polishing cloth with nano-texture |
| Options | Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad, Magic Trackpad, VESA mount adapter | Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad, Magic Trackpad, VESA mount adapter |
What changed from the M4 iMac, using only Apple’s own figures
Apple compares the new iMac with the M4 iMac in its press release. Its baseline is an M4 iMac with a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 32GB of memory and a 2TB SSD. All figures are “up to” claims from Apple’s own testing.
- Two more CPU cores and two more GPU cores at the top of the range, now with Neural Accelerators in every GPU core
- Up to 5x faster on-device AI than M4
- Up to 2x faster Neural Engine AI compute than the previous generation
- Up to 1.5x faster in Microsoft Excel than M4
- Up to 2x faster photo editing in Affinity than M4
- Up to 2x higher ray-tracing performance than M4
- Up to 2x faster SSD read and write speeds
- Up to 2.5x faster wired networking thanks to 2.5Gb Ethernet, on 12-core models only
- Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 through the Apple N1 chip
- Support for up to two 6K external displays on the 12-core model
The design, the 24-inch 4.5K display, the 500-nit brightness, the 12MP camera and the seven colours carry over. If you own an Intel iMac, Apple says the M6 model is up to 18x faster than the most popular Intel-based iMac.
Pick the 12-core iMac with 24GB of memory unless you only browse and write
The 10-core model at $1,499 is fine if you use your iMac for email, the web, school work and photo libraries. You’ll live with two ports and one external display, though.
For most people we’d spend the extra $200 on the 12-core model. Four Thunderbolt 4 ports, built-in Ethernet and Touch ID fix the 10-core model’s weak spots. Then put any remaining budget into memory before storage. 24GB gives local AI tools and heavy browser sessions room to breathe, and you can always add an external SSD later. Choose 32GB only if you run large AI models or edit 4K video daily. If your M4 iMac already does what you need, you can skip this generation.
Specs Apple hasn’t published for the iMac with M6 yet
- Upgrade prices for memory, storage and nano-texture glass are not on the spec or newsroom pages we checked
- Apple Upgrade monthly pricing for the 12-core model
- Stand depth figures, which were not legible on the spec page when we checked
Specs checked October 28, 2026.
Pre-order the M6 iMac on Amazon for $1,499, shipping November 6
Amazon is taking pre-orders for the 2026 iMac with M6 at $1,499 in silver. Amazon says it releases on November 6, the same day as Apple. Check the color and configuration before you order, since Amazon lists variants separately.
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