iMac Retina 4K, 21.5-Inch, 2019

The iMac "Core i5" 3.0 21.5-Inch Aluminum (Retina 4K, 2019/Coffee Lake) is equipped with a 14-nm "Coffee Lake" 3.0 GHz Intel "Core i5" processor (I5-8500). It features six independent cores on one chip, a 9 MB shared level 3 cache, and 8 GB of 2666 MHz DDR4 SDRAM, which is reportedly "built-in" but can be upgraded later with difficulty. It comes with a 1 TB Fusion Drive (with a 256 GB SSD becoming the standard base option on August 4, 2020), and a Radeon Pro 560X graphics processor with 4 GB of dedicated GDDR5 video memory. Also included are a built-in "FaceTime HD" webcam and stereo speakers.

This model has a 21.5" 4096x2304 LED-backlit 16:9 widescreen IPS DCI-P3 "Retina 4K" display that operates "pixel doubled" to simulate a 2048x1152 resolution. The aluminum rear casing is thicker at its center and tapers to a slim 5 mm at the edges.

Connectivity includes four USB 3.0 ports, dual Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.2. This model does not have a T2 chip.

Compared to its predecessor, this iMac is physically and internally very similar, but it benefits from a more advanced processor, architecture, and graphics processor.

By default, the "2019" iMac models were bundled with a compact aluminum Apple Magic Keyboard and the multi-touch "Magic Mouse 2". For an extra US$30, the keyboard could be upgraded to the "Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad," and for an additional US$50, the Magic Mouse 2 could be swapped for a "Magic Trackpad 2," which offers multi-touch and pressure-sensitive "Force Touch" features.

Equipped with a 6-core Core i5 processor, this model offered a significant boost in multi-core performance, a benefit felt in many creative workflows. The Radeon Pro 560X graphics also provided ample power to comfortably drive the 4K display. While the standard Fusion Drive was faster than a traditional HDD, pro users recommended upgrading to a pure SSD to match the processor's speed. The long-standing issue of difficult RAM upgrades remained, but the improvements in processor and graphics performance established it as a very powerful machine for a 21.5-inch model.