Now that November 8 (the release date for all the new Macs) has finally passed, the reviews are starting to come in! Here's them all, rounded up! The sources are: Six Colors, CNET, Forbes, and Macworld.
First, onto the camera. Everyone loves the new 12MP camera with the long-awaited Center Stage (Six Colors said that it was "frustrating" to not have it on the M1 iMac and that the better camera that goes along with it is "new and improved---so improved that I could tell the difference the second I turned it on", even to the Studio Display which also has Center Stage, Forbes said that it is now "pristine, clear and highly watchable", and Macworld said that "it's fantastic" and that people who video conference a lot should get the new iMac because it will "make your experience a lot better"). CNET and Forbes disagree on whether Desk View (a feature that the new camera enables) is "awkward" or working "very well", with CNET providing the reason that you have to put something at least 10 inches away from the iMac to have it show on the frame. and the source also doesn't like the absence of better video resolution with the new camera.
Next, the chip. The M4 chip, while no one would upgrade from an M3 iMac, "outperforms nicely" the M3 chip, according to Six Colors (CNET puts it more precisely at 24% faster for multi-core CPU, with Macworld arguing 21%, while disagreeing with Macworld on how good is the gaming performance and the 60Hz refresh rate), and that's just the beginning for the actual upgrader base, people with Intel iMacs (even "high-end" Intel iMacs will be outperformed), for which the performance will be 6x faster. Forbes agrees, saying that for the faster 10-core CPU and GPU upgrade, the iMac handles "everything you throw at it", and that Apple Intelligence "runs like a dream". All sources also mention the support for two external displays, too. Also, the ports have simplified from 2 Thunderbolt, 2 USB-C into 4 Thunderbolt for the four-port version, an upgrade which Six Colors and Macworld like. However, CNET and Macworld don't like the absence of Wi-Fi 7.
After that, the screen. Six Colors loves the new nano-texture (reflection-reducing) display, saying that it's much better than 15 years ago and that it's a "no-brainer" for bright lighting conditions, and CNET agrees, saying that it's "very effective". Forbes also loves it, saying that "it looks beautiful, with far fewer reflections or glare". However, even though Macworld says (among everyone else) that people who "are concerned with glare" should spend the extra $200, it says that "it does dampen the vividness of the display a bit". Also, Six Colors laments the lack of Target Display mode, thinking that it's "wasteful", CNET thinks that the bezels can be smaller (part of the source's longing for a 27" display size!), and Macworld wants a way to adjust the height of the iMac.
Everyone except Six Colors mention that the base RAM is now 16GB instead of 8GB (and the max 32GB, adds CNET), a nice upgrade bringing up the iMac to a reasonable RAM amount (though CNET mentions that the storage is still an "undersized" 256GB). And the price wasn't raised because of that, either! Onto colors, everyone loves how every color can be bought without having to pay an extra $200. Also, CNET thinks that the green on the back of the iMac is "truer" and "more vibrant" for the M4 than the M3 (the M3 had a "green" back that was more blue with a touch of green), and Forbes thinks the yellow is also improved on the front ("more lemon and less egg-yolk") and back ("slightly more pale yellow and less golden"), as well as all other colors. On the subject of colors, Six Colors doesn't like that, even though the accessories are USB-C (an upgrade that everyone likes and Forbes says is a "very welcome upgrade"), that they still have to be the exact same color than the iMac itself.
In summary, even though everyone except Forbes laments the lack of a 27" size, all sources love the new iMac, its design and for Six Colors and Macworld the iMac in general anyway, and CNET adds that "it's hard to ding Apple for failing to update its look for a third consecutive refresh cycle". Forbes has even said it's never missed the extra 3" of screen size. CNET thinks that it's a "no-brainer" if you're upgrading from an Intel iMac (but not if you're doing so from the M3 iMac, though).
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