Apple's New 27-Inch iMac is All About Power and Pixels

Apple has equipped its lineup of all-in-one desktop computers with cutting-edge hardware and the best displays in the business.

Announced alongside the updated iPad Pro during this year's Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, the new iMac all-in-one desktops deliver thoroughly refreshed hardware options. The latter are headlined by a 21.5-inch 4K display option, or a 27-inch 5K screen like the one we tested.

Phenomenal Display

At a quick glance, the new 27-inch iMac looks just like the model it replaces. It has a sleek, exceptionally well-crafted metal body with 5-millimeter edges, and a highly adjustable stand with a nicely compact footprint. However, you're probably not going to care about it much, because your attention will be entirely focused on the all-new, stunning 5K Retina display that the new iMac packs.

At 5,120 by 2,880 pixels, the 27-inch 5K Retina display of the new iMac is the sharpest in its class. The panel also supports the P3 color space, which results in incredibly accurate color reproduction that's great for graphic design work. To top things off, the panel delivers up to a whopping 500 nits of brightness, ensuring you can enjoy all of its amazing qualities even in spaces with bright lighting.

To sum things up, the 5K Retina display of the iMac is an absolute visual treat, which makes even the most mundane computing task look and feel like a special occasion. Whether you're looking to use the iMac for work or at home, that screen alone makes the all-in-one desktop worth buying.

The Hardware Bits

Apple offers the 27-inch iMac with an array of quad-core, 7th generation Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors. The user-upgradeable RAM options are also abundant — they range from a standard 8 GB, through 16 GB and 32 GB, and all the way to a power user-friendly 64 GB. Upgrading to the last one, however, will cost you a cool $1,260 alone.

The graphics chip options on the 27-inch iMac are all made by AMD. They include a Radeon Pro 570 and Radeon Pro 575 with 4GB of memory, and a more powerful Radeon Pro 580 with 8 GB of memory. The last one is capable of gaming and powering a high-end VR headset, plus handling heavy-duty image and video processing.
As far as storage options go, you can choose between a Fusion Drive (it combines a conventional hard drive with a small solid-state drive) or an ultra-fast SSD. By default, the iMac comes equipped with a 1 TB Fusion Drive.

Located on the back, the wired connectivity options of the new 27-inch iMac include a quartet of USB 3.0 ports, two USB-C ports with ultra-fast Thunderbolt 3 support, an SD card slot, and an Ethernet cable connector. The Thunderbolt 3 ports allow you to seamlessly connect two 4K monitors to the desktop, or an addition 5K display. A standard audio jack is also located there.

The wireless connectivity features include speedy Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.2. A FaceTime HD camera, a microphone, and stereo speakers are also on board.

Every iMac comes bundled with Apple's excellent Magic Keyboard, as well as a wireless Magic Mouse 2. There's the option to upgrade to the Magic Trackpad 2 for an extra $50, and we highly recommend that you do so, as it's much better suited for working with macOS.

Excellent Performance

We tested an entry-level iMac with Intel Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and Radeon Pro 570 graphics chip. Even in its base configuration, we found the 27-inch all-in-one desktop to be an excellent performer on most occasions.

The iMac is capable of editing large photos and running multiple browser tabs, as well as productivity software, all while streaming your favorite tunes. Combined with the quad-core Core i5 processor, the Radeon graphics chip ensured that everything ran smoothly on the millions of pixels of the Retina display.

Overall, even in basic guise, the 27-inch iMac will deliver all the processing power most home users out there will ever need. More demanding professionals can spec up the desktop and make it a productivity monster, for a price.

Totally Worth It

The 27-inch iMac is the best all-in-one desktop computer in its class. Its stunning 5K Retina display alone make it worth its price tag. The excellent performance and the abundance of quality hardware options make the desktop's case even stronger.

We wish that the screen bezels of the desktop were smaller, though you really won't care about them much because of the gorgeous display in front of you. We also wish that Apple offered the desktop with 16 GB of RAM out of the box, but at least you have the opportunity to upgrade it yourself if you wish.

The entry-level 27-inch iMac with Intel Core i5 and 8GB of RAM is priced at $1,699, which is a fair price for a high-end all-in-one desktop. We'd highly recommend that you upgrade your RAM to 16 GB, as well as potentially opt for an Intel Core i7 for $2,079 — still a fair price for the product segment. A fully loaded productivity monster with Intel Core i7, 64 GB of RAM, and a 2 TB SSD will cost you just shy of $5,000.