Apple iMac M6 Reviews: Fast and Colorful, but the Price Splits Critics
Apple iMac M6 reviews agree the chip is much faster, but TechRadar and Engadget split on value and the small 24-inch screen. Here is who should buy.
The Apple iMac with the M6 chip gets a strong performance verdict from both TechRadar and Engadget, but they reach different conclusions about whether it is worth buying. TechRadar calls it the best all-in-one computer available and gives it 4.5 out of 5 overall. Engadget calls it a solid machine with an aging design and says most buyers would do better with a Mac mini and a separate monitor. Both list the starting price as $1,499.
What reviewers liked
Speed is the shared highlight. Engadget ran benchmarks and reported Geekbench 6 scores of 4,552 (single-core) and 20,363 (multi-core), roughly 20 percent above the M4 iMac. Its graphics score of 88,276 was more than double the previous model. Storage was also faster than before, at 12.4GB/s write and 6.76GB/s read. TechRadar gave performance a 5 out of 5. Its reviewer ran Safari and Chrome with more than a dozen tabs each alongside Messages, Mail, Photos, Pixelmator Pro and Slack, and saw no slowdowns on 16GB of RAM.
Both outlets praise the design and screen. The iMac still comes in seven colors with matching keyboard and mouse or trackpad. It has a 24-inch 4.5K display rated at up to 500 nits of brightness, a headphone jack and a magnetic power connector. Engadget also liked the six-speaker setup with Dolby Atmos support, calling the sound decent for an all-in-one.
The chip has a dual 16-core Neural Engine, the part that handles on-device AI tasks. TechRadar’s reviewer found Siri and Apple Intelligence features such as calendar events created from an invitation on screen, and Generative Fill in Pixelmator Pro, quick to respond. The new machine also adds Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread, a smart home standard. Engadget confirms the wireless upgrade over the M4 model’s Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.
What they criticised
Engadget’s biggest complaint is the screen. Its reviewer had called 24 inches “ample” in an earlier iMac review but now considers it too small, since the faster chip makes the machine more useful for creative and AI work. Engadget says Apple should offer at least a 27-inch display. It also notes the design is unchanged since the 2021 M1 model, and the stand tilts but does not adjust in height.
Memory is the second problem. Engadget points out that the iMac tops out at 16GB, 24GB or 32GB of RAM, the same ceiling as the MacBook Air. In DaVinci Resolve, its reviewer played back 4K drone footage and 6K Nikon RAW files without trouble, but saw interface lag and skipped playback once effects, extra tracks and more edits were added. Running a 9-billion-parameter model in LM Studio gave about 30 tokens per second (a token is a small chunk of text the model produces), which the reviewer called unimpressive at this price, and some answers were inaccurate. Gaming was weak too: Cyberpunk 2077 managed 50 fps at 1080p on default settings and 60 fps after lowering quality.
TechRadar’s complaints are shorter. It lists the lack of major design changes and the extra cost of nano-texture glass, a coating that cuts reflections. Its reviewer tested without it and missed it in bright natural light.
Where they disagree
Price is the sharpest split. TechRadar says Apple did not raise the starting price and treats that as a point in the iMac’s favor. Engadget says $1,499 is $200 more than before. The sources do not explain the gap, and TechRadar’s own text and spec table list inconsistent prices for some configurations, so check Apple’s current pricing before buying.
They also differ on value. TechRadar says there is no better value in Apple’s lineup for someone replacing an older Mac. Engadget argues that a configuration with a 12-core chip and 24GB of RAM reaches $1,899, while a Mac mini with the same M6 chip and 24GB costs $1,099. That leaves $800 for a larger display, and Engadget names LG’s 27-inch 5K UltraGear Mini-LED as one example.
On upgrades, TechRadar says owners of the M4 iMac have little reason to rush, and that M3 and M1 owners can also wait.
Who should buy it
- Buyers coming from an older iMac or aging Mac who want a complete desktop in one box. TechRadar recommends it for families, businesses and creators, and Engadget agrees if you value simple setup.
- People who want an all-in-one and do not want to manage extra cables. Engadget says the iMac is the best of its type and beats Windows models such as the Lenovo Yoga AIO 27 at a similar price in productivity and content creation.
- Buyers who want a bigger screen, heavy video editing or local AI work should look at the Mac mini with a separate display, according to Engadget. Those who choose the iMac should consider more than 16GB of RAM.
- Owners of an M4 iMac can skip this one, per TechRadar.
Both outlets list the base model at $1,499 with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. TechRadar also gives £1,499 and AU$2,399 for the UK and Australia, though its Australian figures conflict elsewhere in the review. The step-up model with 12 CPU and GPU cores and 512GB of storage is $1,699 in TechRadar’s review. Nano-texture glass adds $200, according to Engadget.
