iMac (Late 2015)
A 4K Retina display comes to the 21.5-inch iMac, plus wide color.
Overview
The Late 2015 update gave the smaller iMac its first Retina screen. The 21.5-inch model offered 4096 x 2304 pixels, and the 27-inch 5K model gained a brighter wide-gamut P3 display, a first for Macs. A non-Retina 21.5-inch model remained at $1,099 as a budget choice.
The Retina 4K iMac started at $1,499 with a quad-core Broadwell Core i5, 8 GB of memory, a 1 TB Fusion Drive and Intel Iris Pro graphics, while the 5K iMac ran the Radeon R9 M380 with 2 GB. Ports were four USB 3.0 and two Thunderbolt 2.
The iMac now shipped with the new Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2, which charged through Lightning cables instead of using AA batteries.
Why it mattered
It brought Retina and wide color to the whole iMac range and introduced the rechargeable Magic accessories.
At a glance
- Announced
- October 13, 2015
- Released
- October 13, 2015
- Launch price
- $1,499
- Chip / processor
- Intel Core i5 quad-core
- Display
- 21.5" or 27"
- Storage
- 1 TB Fusion Drive
- Status
- Vintage
Highlights
- 21.5-inch Retina 4K display
- P3 wide color gamut
- Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2
- Lightning-charged wireless accessories
Tech specs
Specifications as published at launch. Some values (like battery life) are manufacturer estimates.
Display
- Size
- 21.5-inch Retina 4K or 27-inch Retina 5K
- Type
- IPS LCD with P3 wide color
- Resolution
- 4096 x 2304 (21.5-inch), 5120 x 2880 (27-inch)
Chip
- Chip
- Quad-core Intel Core i5, up to Core i7
- CPU cores
- 4
Memory
- RAM
- 8 GB, up to 16 GB (21.5-inch) or 32 GB (27-inch)
- Storage options
- 1 TB Fusion Drive; flash options
Graphics
- GPU
- Intel Iris Pro 6200 (21.5-inch); AMD Radeon R9 M380, 2 GB (27-inch)
Ports
- Ports
- 4 USB 3.0, 2 Thunderbolt 2, SDXC, Gigabit Ethernet
Camera
- Camera
- 720p FaceTime HD
Software
- Launch OS
- OS X 10.11 El Capitan
Availability
- Announced
- October 13, 2015
- Released
- October 13, 2015
- Launch price
- $1,499
Colors
- Finishes
- Aluminum
How it compares
More in the iMac family
iMac (Early 2006)
The first Intel Mac, in the familiar white iMac G5 body.
iMac (Mid 2007)
The all-aluminum, glass-front iMac arrives.
iMac (Late 2009)
The first 27-inch iMac and the first Magic Mouse.
iMac (Mid 2011)
Quad-core Sandy Bridge and Thunderbolt in the iMac.
iMac (Late 2012)
Five millimeters thin at the edge, with no optical drive.
iMac with Retina 5K Display (Late 2014)
Fourteen and a half million pixels in one 27-inch screen.
iMac (Mid 2017)
Kaby Lake, Thunderbolt 3 and brighter, wider displays.
iMac (2019)
Up to 8 cores and Vega graphics in the familiar iMac body.
iMac (27-inch, 2020)
The last Intel iMac, with a 1080p camera and a nano-texture option.
iMac 24-inch (M1)
Seven colors, 11.5 mm thin, and an M1 chip behind a 4.5K screen.
iMac 24-inch (M3)
Same colorful slab, now with the 3-nanometer M3 chip.
iMac 24-inch (M4)
M4, 16 GB of memory and a nano-texture glass option.