The iMac is one of my favourite products from Apple. It has a sense of nostalgia for me that other devices like the iPhone and iPad just don’t have. I still remember the iMac G3 my dad brought home with the coloured rear when I was 10 (which is now 25 years ago) and so I suppose you could say it carries a reminder of some great childhood memories, despite being a very different looking computer these days.

The iMac got a complete design overhaul in 2021 so it’s perhaps unsurprising that for the 2023 model, that design remains consistent. Inside, there’s been a pretty substantial performance boost with the M3 chip, making it one of the most powerful desktop computers around. The question is, should you buy it?

Consistent design

There is something quite wonderful about the iMac’s design. For me, it was the product that defined Apple back in the day. The product that put what is now one of the richest companies in the world on that road in the first place. Without Steve Jobs introducing the iMac G3 in 1998 with its coloured rear, I’m not convinced Apple would be the same company it is now.

Of course, there are now many products within Apple’s portfolio that are iconic – the iPhone that knocked BlackBerry off its throne, the iPad that made tablets a thing, and the Apple Watch that saw smartwatches become fashionable, and that’s without mentioning AirPods – but the iMac stands as one of the most iconic products offered by Apple, in my opinion.

It is a very different computer now than it was when it first arrived over 25 years ago, and as I mentioned, the 2023 model carries the same super slim and slender (11.5mm) design as the 2021 model, so there haven’t been any changes at all in the last two years. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, however. It’s a gorgeous design – more so from the rear than the front – and it looks fabulous in a living room, in an office, in a bedroom or in a kitchen. It’s designed to be proudly on display – this is not a computer you should want out of sight or in the corner.

I had the iMac on my dining room table and in my office, and it looked excellent in both scenarios as the gorgeous metallic purple rear with the glossy Apple logo was visible rather than backed up against a wall. The edges are lovely and flat, the aluminium frame – the material of choice for the iMac since 2007 – offers a very premium and solid build, while the colour-matched – though more pastel – glass front and colour-matched accessories ooze quality. The lighter purple L-stand is aluminium too, though it remains tilt-adjustable only rather than height adjustable, which is a shame.

On the rear, there are four ports on my review unit (there’s also a two-port option), along with a power port in the centre that has a colour-matched cable running from it into a power plug with Ethernet incorporated, while speakers are positioned at the bottom out of sight and microphones are at the top.

Everything has been considered – except for the Magic Mouse’s charging port anyway – which by the way is still Lightning rather than switching to USB-C. This applies to the Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard too. Elsewhere, the colour options for both the iMac itself and its accessories are refreshing, as they were in 2021, and I love that everything down to the braided charging cables matches the colour you choose.

I would have liked the bezels surrounding the 24-inch display – more on that in a second – to be black or colour-matched to the panel below the screen, and I would have liked to see them a little thinner this time around too. When you consider how thin the bezels are on the MacBooks now, and the iPad and iPhone, Apple definitely has some wiggle room on the iMac. I’d also have liked an Apple logo on the glass panel at the bottom of the screen (it’s been removed from the MacBooks too in recent years), just so the iMac stands out from the front as much as it does from the rear like it used to on the older design, but otherwise there is very little I would like to see change in terms of design.

Familiar, fabulous display

The iMac (M3, 2023) features the same size and resolution display as its predecessor, and like the design remaining similar, that’s not a criticism. The 24-inch display sits in between what was previously offered on iMac before it moved to Apple Silicon with a 21.5-inch model and a 27-inch model available on Intel.

I used to have the 27-inch Intel-based iMac – in fact I still have it in my office – and I work with the Studio Display currently as a secondary screen to my MacBook Air 15-inch when I am at home rather than on the go, so I am used to a larger screen. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the 24-inch size of the iMac (M3, 2023). There will no doubt be some that long for a 27-inch model or larger, and I can relate, but overall, the 24-inch size is likely to be perfect for those who the iMac is aimed at. As a day-to-day desktop offering or a family computer, it’s the exact size it needs to be. Bigger and it would take over a home environment, while any smaller, and it isn’t as useful for those who want a desktop to do more than just browse the internet or send the odd email. The perfect compromise you might say.

The 4.5K Retina display is glorious too. It delivers a resolution of 4480 x 2520 pixels and there are Apple’s usual technologies on board including True Tone and a P3 wide colour gamut. At 500 nits, the brightness could have been bumped up a little, but it is perfectly sufficient for day-to-day use and what most will need it for, plus it does a great job in bright conditions when the sun is beaming through the window. The anti-reflective coating helps with this too, so you can position your iMac where you want it – even a window behind if you so wish – and it will deliver the goods.

Details are lovely and crisp, colours are punchy and vibrant, whites are nice and bright and blacks are rich and deep, so the overall viewing experience from the screen is really lovely. Would I love it to have support touch? Absolutely, but that remains something of a pipe dream for Mac.

At the top of the display, you’ll find a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, which is the same as the 2021 iMac. It stands out more than it does on the Studio Display and the MacBook models because of the white bezels on the iMac, but it delivers solid performance. I used it for a range of video calls during my review period and I have no complaints. Strangely, Center Stage still isn’t offered on iMac – the feature that sees the camera follow you around the room to make sure you remain in the centre of the frame even if you move – though it’s not my favourite feature, so I’ll survive without it.

There’s a triple mic array on top of the iMac, while a six-speaker system is present at the bottom with force-cancelling woofers and the sound produced is great, whether on a call or watching a film. I often wear headphones for calls, but when you don’t, the speakers on the iMac offer crisp and clear calls, while there’s a decent amount of bass when watching movies. You’ll also find support for Spatial Audio when playing compatible music or video, and although watching a movie with Dolby Atmos isn’t something I would choose to do on a desktop computer when there is a TV in the living room waiting to deliver that, you still get a decent experience overall.

A 3.5mm headphone jack is present on the left edge of the iMac should you wish to plug headphones in – this is much better placement than at the rear as it was previously, though I would recommend getting yourself a pair of wireless headphones. Connection is quick and if you’re using AirPods, they will automatically switch between your iPhone or iPad for example, and your iMac without you having to do anything for a very seamless experience.

An upgrade in specs

So far, nothing we have talked about has been any different on the iMac (M3, 2023) compared to the iMac (M1, 2021) but that’s all about to change because inside, there are a number of differences. If you have the iMac (M1, 2021), it’s unlikely you will need to upgrade to this M3 model, especially as no one would know on the surface, so you have zero bragging rights either.

If you have an older Intel-based iMac however, and you’re considering an upgrade, overnight a huge performance boost was offered for the same price with the launch of the M3 iMac when it replaced the M1 iMac.

The base model of the iMac (M3, 2023) features the M3 chip with an 8-core CPU, an 8-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine, along with 8GB of unified memory – or RAM as it is more commonly referred to – and 256GB of SSD storage. This base model also has two Thunderbolt (USB 4) ports, and it comes with a Magic Keyboard as standard, as well as the Magic Mouse, but not the Magic Trackpad or the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID. You can configure the iMac (M3, 2023) as you would expect, with the option of upgrading to an M3 chip with an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU, up to 24GB of unified memory and up to 2TB of storage, though the price naturally increases quite drastically for each upgrade you add.

The jump to the iMac with the M3 chip offering a 10-core GPU automatically gives you the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, which is really handy for unlocking your iMac, autofilling passwords and paying with Apple Pay, so I would recommend it as an upgrade if you opt for the base model. You also get Gigabit Ethernet within the power plug and two extra USB 3 ports on top of the two Thunderbolt ports, though no USB A or SD card reader. For the Thunderbolt ports, you can of course use adapters to connect to HDMI, VGA, DVI or DisplayPort monitors. A single external display is supported on the M3 chip (yeah I know, one extra would have been nice), but it can run up to a 6K display at 60Hz.

All models get a 3.5mm headphone jack and Magic Mouse as standard, though it is possible to switch the Magic Mouse for the Magic Trackpad for $50/£50. I like the Magic Mouse over the Magic Trackpad, apart from its questionably placed charging port, but this will very much be personal preference.

All M3 iMac models also benefit from hardware-accelerated ray tracing, designed to make games look more realistic on your desktop, and all models also have 100GBps memory bandwidth, support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. For reference, the iMac (M1, 2021) had support for Wi-Fi 6, and it doesn’t offer ray tracing or that memory bandwidth.

A boost in performance

I have the iMac (M3, 2023) with an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB of unified memory and 512GB of storage in for review, so I would say this is the middle of the road model. It’s not the top spec you can buy, but it’s not the lowest spec either. I also have a Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Magic Trackpad, all of which have colour-matched purple detailing as I mentioned, and they are a delight both visually and to use.

The iMac itself is also excellent. Apple claims the M3 chip – which is built on a 3nm process – packs in 25 billion transistors and offers more performance using less power. The less power part isn’t as critical in a desktop computer as a laptop as it is always plugged in, but the M3 chip is still claimed to be 30 per cent faster in terms of performance compared to the M1 chip and 50 per cent faster in terms of efficiency compared to the M1, so there are still some great advancements here.

Everything I ran through the iMac (M3, 2023) was super slick and speedy. From browsing the web to editing large files on Photoshop, it was a smooth and consistent experience with no lag. Compared to my 27-inch Intel iMac, this model absolutely wiped the floor with it, but that model is very old now so that was by no means surprising.

We’re now in the third year of Apple Silicon and in that time, many of the most commonly used apps are now optimised and native to Apple’s chips, delivering a superb performance across the board, whether you’re using an M2 MacBook or this M3 iMac. I didn’t notice a huge difference in performance between my MacBook Air 15-inch (M2, 2023) and the iMac (M3, 2023) for day-to-day tasks, but the M3 iMac was slightly faster overall. For example, it took 8 minutes 37 seconds for the MacBook Air (M2, 2023) to export a 3GB 8-minute video at 4K resolution, and 1 minute 30 seconds to export the same video at ProRes, which delivers a 29GB file. The iMac (M3, 2023) did the same video at 4K resolution in 8 minutes 18 seconds, and the ProRes version at 1 minute 24 seconds, so ever so slightly faster. Compared to my old iMac with 3.2GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 1TB storage and 8GB RAM however, it was significantly quicker. My old iMac exported the 4K video in 18 minutes and 38 seconds, and the ProRes version in 10 minutes 9 seconds. It’s worth mentioning I also ran the same test on the MacBook Pro with M3 Max chip and this exported the 4K file in 4 minutes 40 seconds and the ProRes file in 32 seconds. So, there doesn’t seem to be a huge performance difference between M3 and the M2 introduced in June 2022.

Typing on the Magic Keyboard is a lovely experience. I wrote this entire 3000 word review on it and every letter was a pleasure to type. I mentioned that I prefer the Magic Mouse over the Magic Trackpad as I don’t find the standalone Trackpad as responsive as the built-in Trackpad on my MacBook on the whole, but this is definitely personal preference.

Overall, there is nothing to complain about in terms of the iMac’s (M3, 2023) performance in my experience. It runs macOS Sonoma like a dream, and all the features that come with that software, from video conferencing improvements and game mode, to improvements to Safari and the ability to add widgets to desktop. There’s a separate feature on macOS Sonoma you can read through if you want the low down of everything new that arrived on Macs this year – not just this iMac – and there is also a Mac tips and tricks feature that I highly recommend skimming though to help you get the most out of your Mac.

Verdict

The iMac (M3, 2023) is a fabulous desktop computer, there is no denying that. Apple could have refined the design a little compared to the 2021 model – slimmer bezels for one, and USB-C on the accessories would have been welcomed – but its overall design remains one that’s hard to criticise. It looks glorious on display in the home, with a pop of colour that brings a level of nostalgia you just don’t get from other Apple products.

The performance delivered by the iMac (M3, 2023) is also superb. Nothing is too much effort with a smooth and speedy experience across a multitude of apps from more heavy-duty tasks like photo editing multiple large files in Photoshop, to browsing the web and running video calls.

If you have the iMac (M1, 2021), I would say there’s no real need to upgrade to this model, especially with the design and the display remaining the same and both running the same software. If you have an older Intel-based iMac however, or you’re looking to buy an iMac for the first time, this model is quite simply fantastic. It won’t let you down, and it will not only look fabulous in your home for many, many years to come, but it will offer the performance to match too.