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Apple iMac 21.5-inch 4K (2017)

Apple iMac 21.5-inch 4K (2017)

535 reviews

Apr, 2024

Positive
usability (9)
price (6)
design (5)
size (4)

Negative

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 535 reviews of Apple iMac 21.5-inch 4K (2017). The average rating for this product is 4.5/5, compared to an average rating of 4.1/5 for other Desktops for all reviews. Reviewers really like the size and design. The price and usability are also mentioned favorably.

usability, price, design, size

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Desktops the Apple iMac 21.5-inch 4K (2017) is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 92/100 = Excellent quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 535 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

(69% of reviews)
Show all 5 star reviews (22% of reviews)
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Showing 444 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews

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Showing 1 - 10 of 444 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (91)

Expert review by : Joel Santo Domingo (pcmag.com)

Apple iMac 21.5-Inch With 4K Retina Display (2017)

Design unchanged, the latest 21.5-inch Apple iMac with 4K Retina display packs an updated CPU, Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, VR-ready graphics, and a brighter display. Despite these minor updates, it's the midrange all-in-one to beat.

Bright DCI-P3 4K screen. Can drive 4K or 5K external displays. Discrete graphics. Hybrid SSD/HDD Fusion Drive. USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports. Wireless keyboard and mouse included.

Shallow keyboard. Ports and SD card slot are on back panel. Lacks HDMI-in and DisplayPort-in connectors.

While the 27-inch iMac is more vulnerable to competition from Windows AIOs, the Apple iMac 21.5-inch with 4K Retina display is in a safer zone, at least for now. Windows systems like the $4,199 Surface Studio and $2,799 Dell XPS 27 are admittedly...

Jun, 2017

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Expert review by (cnet.com)

Apple iMac 21.5-inch, 1TB, Core i5 2.9 GHz

The massive 27-inch version of the iMac starts at a hefty $1,799 (£1,449 or AU$2,199), but the smaller 21.5-inch version was, until recently, a serious-but-reasonable $1,299 (£1,049 or AU$1,599). Rather than cutting the price of its base model, as...

The new entry level 21.5-inch Apple iMac is now only $100 more than the (already discounted) 13-inch Macbook Air. The display, design, and build quality remain top-notch, and it includes high-end features such as Thunderbolt, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and...

This lower-cost model has a small hard drive and laptop-like CPU and graphics performance compared to the more-expensive iMac configurations. It lacks even basic user upgradability.

While it includes some performance and graphics concessions on the lowest priced model, the 21.5-inch iMac brings Apple's iconic design and top-notch bundled accessories and software to a wider audience.

Jun, 2014

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Expert review by : Mark Peters (letsgodigital.org)

Apple iMac with 4K and 5K Retina Displays

New iMac comes with stunning Retina Display : Apple updated the entire iMac family, bringing a breathtaking new Retina 4K display to the 21.5-inch iMac for the first time and the Retina 5K display to every 27-inch iMac. The new Retina displays make...

The all-new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad 2 are more comfortable, capable and environmentally friendly. Designed around a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery, all three accessories eliminate the need for disposable batteries...

Oct, 2015

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Expert review by : Daniel Eran Dilger (appleinsider.com)

Review: Apple's 21.5" iMac with Retina 4K display gets solid 2017 architectural refresh

Apple has radically overhauled its iMac lineup for 2017, giving its 21.5 inch Retina 4K models dedicated graphics driven by AMD Radeon Pro 555/560 GPUs; a brighter display with enhanced P3 color; more powerful Intel Kaby Lake CPUs; upgradable RAM...

The latest Kaby Lake iMacs deliver strong refinements to Apple's most popular desktop Mac line. Later this year, Apple will introduce at even higher end iMac Pro that goes even further, albeit at a premium price, starting at $5000.

Jun, 2017

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Expert review by : Mikey Campbell (appleinsider.com)

Review: Apple's 21.5-inch iMac with 4K Retina display is great, but skip the slow HDD model

Apple's marketing team didn't need to dig deep to dream up a campaign for the new 21.5‑inch iMac with Retina 4K display -- its best feature is in the name. The stellar ultra high-resolution screen mates well with Apple's chosen internals, but it...

4K Retina display with P3 color gamut ; Powerful internals ; Small footprint

5,400 rpm HDD is a snail ; Price borders on 27-inch 5K iMac ; Slight backlight bleed at screen periphery ; Apple prices the new iMac with Retina 4K display at $1,499 for a baseline model and scales the line up to $2,399. Fortunately, a big part of what...

The 4K iMac's main draw is its gorgeous Retina display. For desktop users interested in having the best display around, the 21.5-inch 4k iMac is an easy recommendation with one caveat: it needs the HDD upgrade. An SSD would be preferable, obviously,...

Nov, 2015

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Expert review by : Jeph Preece (toptenreviews.com)

Apple iMac 21.5-inch Review

Apple's iMac is a great business computer for creative tasks like simple graphic design, video editing and audio recording because of the intuitive operating system. However, the quad-core processor isn't as powerful as the processors in other business...

It features a high-definition 21.5-inch display.

The Intel Core i5-4570R processor has a low PassMark score.

The Apple iMac is an excellent computer for graphic designers and video editors because of the intuitive operating system and quad-core processor, but it lacks expansion features to grow with your business.

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Expert review by : Michael Passingham (trustedreviews.com)

iMac 21.5-inch 4K (2017)

iMac 21.5-inch 4K review 2017: A superb power desktop for professionals, home users and even gamers.

Stunning screen ; Powerful processor ; Near-silent running ; Good graphics performance ; Excellent peripherals

Needs an SSD ; Measly 8GB of RAM

The 21.5-inch iMac is available with two different processor choices. The Full HD model gets dual-core Intel Kaby Lake processors that are more typically found in laptops, while the 4K model ships with full-fat, quad-core desktop chips, also from the...

Aug, 2017

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Expert review by : Joe Osborne (techradar.com)

Apple iMac (2017) review

A fine update to an aging all-in-one iMac design

Gorgeous 4K, P3 color display ; Excellent value ; Powerful even at entry level

Poor audio performance ; Baffling mouse charging method

The 2017 iMac is a fine follow up to Apple’s desktop computing platform, but suffers from a few pesky design quirks, as well as its own place amid fast-evolving desktop design trends. Still, for Mac fans in need of an upgrade, the 21.5-inch model...

Jun, 2019

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Expert review by : Matthew Bolton (t3.com)