The 27-inch iMac can support up to two external 4K monitors with 60Hz refresh rates, but you'll likely need to buy USB-C-to-DisplayPort or USB-C-to-HDMI adapters to connect them. Notably absent from the port selection is a dedicated video output. The iMac also includes a Kensington-style locking slot mounted behind the stand, and a power button on the lower left edge. The inclusion of USB Type-A ports is especially notable, since they're required to charge Apple mobile devices using their included power adapters, but absent from all but one of Apple's MacBook laptop models. These include four USB 3.0 Type-A ports, two oval-shaped USB Type-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 support, a Gigabit Ethernet jack, a full-size SD card slot, a headphone jack, and the port for the power adapter. The iMac, by contrast, is easy to swivel with one hand on your desk, which is a good thing because all of its ports are mounted at the rear, along the right edge.
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That all-in-one PC is roughly the same size (17 by 25 by 3 inches without stand), but its abundance of built-in speakers makes it an astonishing 38 pounds, far too unwieldy to rotate should you need to plug peripherals into the rear ports. In either case, the dimensions compare favorably with one of the iMac's chief Windows-based competitors, the Dell XPS 27 ($1,399.99 at Dell Technologies). In lieu of the stand, you can opt for an iMac with a VESA mounting bracket preinstalled, for mounting it to the wall or a third-party stand. Both the Dell XPS 27 and the Microsoft Surface Studio 2 ($3,499.00 at Microsoft Store) are far more flexible, with stands that even allow you to lay them flat on your desk. That makes it much less flexible than the stands on two of the iMac's chief competitors. The stand lets you tilt the iMac forward or back, but as ever, it doesn't feature height adjustment. Stand included, the system measures 20.3 by 25.6 by 8 inches (HWD) and weighs 20.8 pounds.
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I also think the Space Gray iMac Pro and MacBooks look even better, but the iMac remains available only in silver. Apple describes it as simple, stylish, and uncluttered, and I tend to agree.
The rest of the iMac mirrors that classy, minimalist look, clad in the same brushed-silver aluminum case that's been around since 2015. With its much larger screen, however, the 27-inch iMac takes these borders in stride, managing to make them look sleek and modern. On the 21-inch iMac, these borders seem oversize relative to the screen size and incongruous in a world of ever-slimming bezels on competing all-in-ones and large PC monitors. The large black borders-bezels-that surround the display are thick and prominent, matching the reflective black Apple logo mounted at the bottom center.
That's because its proportions seem the most appropriate. The iMac is available in 21-inch and 27-inch screen sizes, but I believe that the latter looks the best on your desk, assuming you've got enough room. For people who need lots of graphics muscle but don't care about the Xeon CPU or other elite accoutrements that make up the iMac Pro's lofty $5,000 starting price, the 27-inch iMac is now a more viable option. The Vega 48 is a significant upgrade, because it moves the 27-inch iMac just below the entry-level iMac Pro, with its Radeon Pro Vega 56. New graphics options include Radeon Pro 500-series GPUs with either 4GB or 8GB of video memory, or the Radeon Pro Vega 48 in our review unit.
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