Apple brings M6 chip to iMac with faster AI and Wi-Fi 7

Apple announced a new iMac with the M6 chip on October 27, 2026. Apple says the all-in-one has a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display, and The Verge reports it keeps the same seven color options as the M4 model. Prices start at $1,499 for a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU configuration, the same entry price as the M4 iMac, while a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU model starts at $1,699. Education pricing lowers those prices to $1,449 and $1,599. Preorders begin October 28 at 10:10 a.m. PT (1:10 p.m. ET), and the iMac will be available starting Friday, November 6.

Apple said the M6 delivers up to 5x faster on-device AI performance than the M4, thanks to a Dual 16-core Neural Engine. The chip includes up to a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU, two more cores than before. 9to5Mac reports the new iMac should provide up to 40 percent faster CPU performance, 2x faster graphics, and 2x faster storage compared with the M4. Apple also claims up to 18x faster performance than the most popular Intel-based iMac for upgraders. Memory bandwidth rises to up to 170GB/s, up from 120GB/s.

Connectivity improves with Apple's N1 wireless chip, which brings Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. Ethernet can be configured at 2.5Gb, which 9to5Mac says is up to 2.5x faster wired connectivity than the previous generation. However, The Verge notes that 2.5Gb Ethernet is a $30 premium over a Wi-Fi-only configuration. The base 10-core model has only two Thunderbolt ports, while the 12-core version has four, according to The Verge. Apple's press release says the iMac offers up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports.

The iMac's design remains the same ultra-thin all-in-one with a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display that offers 500 nits of brightness and P3 wide color, according to Apple. It includes a 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View, a six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio, and a studio-quality three-microphone array. The color-matched Magic Keyboard and mouse or trackpad use USB-C ports.

The Verge also reports several configuration changes. Swapping the Magic Mouse for a Magic Trackpad now costs an extra $50, and Apple no longer offers a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID but without a numeric keypad, even though an image on the announcement page shows that combination.

On the software side, the iMac runs macOS 27 and includes Apple Intelligence features such as Siri AI and Visual Intelligence. Apple says Siri AI can answer questions, find items across messages, emails, and photos, and take actions in apps, while Visual Intelligence lets users ask about anything on screen. The M6 is Apple's first 2nm chip, according to The Verge, which notes the iMac skips the M5 series entirely; the chip previously appeared in the Mac Mini in August. Apple offers the iMac through Apple Upgrade leasing starting at $28.99 per month for 36 months.