M3 24-inch iMac review roundup: from raves to disappointment

The first reviews of Apple's new M3-based 24-inch iMac are beginning to appear, and so far it's earning everything from raves at the speed, to shrugs at everything else remaining the same.

Apple's first refresh of the 24-inch iMac since its launch in 2021 has seen no changes to the chassis — in particular the ports — or even the color options. What it has seen, though, is the addition of the new M3 processor.

The question for reviewers is whether this is sufficient to keep the 24-inch iMac a good buy for consumers.

M3 makes all the difference

PC Magazine gives the New iMac its Editors' Choice award, saying that "the field is more competitive than ever, but the M3 processor takes Apple's 2023 edition of the all-in-one 24-inch iMac desktop to new performance heights, even for gaming."

"Apple didn't stray from the sophisticated and colorful design of the 2021 iMac," summarizes CNET in its review, "but the 2023 iMac's M3 chip puts this all-in-one in a class by itself."

Then Pocket-Lint is equally unconcerned about how the M3 is the only update. "The iMac got a complete design overhaul in 2021," it says, "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," continues the publication, "making it one of the most powerful desktop computers around."

"If you have the iMac (M1, 2021), I would say there's no real need to upgrade to the 2023 iMac," says Pocket-Lint's reviewer, "but if you have an older Intel-based iMac, or you're looking to buy an iMac for the first time, this model is quite simply fantastic."

The new iMac is offered in the same seven colors as the old

Not everyone is a fan

Forbes is a little more sarcastic about the lack of any design change, but it, too is calling the new model "the ideal family desktop computer."

"You know the iMac that was in Apple stores last week, the design here is the same as that," it says. "No, really, I mean it looks identical."

"Put the iMac with M1 chip and the new one with the M3 processor side by side," it continues, "and the only way you'll tell them apart is the M1 model has probably accrued some dust in the two years since it was released."

TechCrunch likes how switching to an iMac meant "I suddenly have a lot of more space on my desk than I did an hour ago." Otherwise, though, says it's "not really" worth the upgrade.

"If, however, you're looking to replace an older machine or for something compact and zippy for a dorm room or cubicle," it continues, "or just an apartment with a space crunch, it's a nice little option that's far more accessible than the pro-focused Mac Studio."

Then there's Tom's Guide, which agrees that there is much to like for a "no-frills desktop running macOS." But then it says that "the system's limitations, lack of upgradeability, and pricey upgrades remain frustrating."

"Unfortunately, there are quite a few 'gotchas' here," it continues. "While the $1,299 starting price is enticing, you're saddled with just 8GB of unified memory and a 256GB SSD."

"That's hardly enough to futureproof the iMac," says the reviewer. "A simple upgrade to 16GB of memory costs a staggering $200, while storage upgrades are equally pricey."

"I must admit that the white bezels around the display looked odd to me at first," continued the reviewer. "I'm used to black bezels on almost all my computing devices, so Apple's peculiar design choice truly stands out."

DigitalTrends complains that "it's not the one everyone's been waiting for." But if it isn't a larger-screen iMac with M3 Pro, "But what we do have is an updated iMac that provides a significant uplift in performance over the M1 iMac, especially on the GPU front."

"This might not be the iMac you've been wanting, but it might be the one you need right now," it continues.

There are other changes

You can't see them, but there are other differences between the new 24-inch iMac and its predecessor, as Forbes notes.

"All the other changes to the new iMac are internal, including WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3," it says. "|If these are just numbers to you, you're not alone. Essentially, these updates are better... all of which are worth having, for sure."

Throughout all of the reviews currently published, no reviewer recommended against buying the 24-inch iMac. Many say that if users have the M1 version from 2021 then there is no compelling reason to update.

But significantly, despite PC Magazine saying that the all-in-one field is crowded, none of the reviews seemed able to find an alternative that they recommended more.