How good is the iMac M1 24" screen compared to the upcoming mini LED

[elmarjazz]

I’ve seen the iMac M1 24” at the APPLE Store and was impressed with the overall design (would have liked an SD card slot and at least one older USB port), the screen size is just right and looked great. That being said, this was only for a short look and with a mini LED screen coming (in a bigger size which I don't feel I need), don't want to make the wrong choice. Is the mini LED going to look that much better? Will it be worth waiting to actually see, and worth the higher cost? I'll be using it for personal use only; photography, video editing, and my main media player.

Side note: The one reason I had a difficult time deciding between the 11" and 12.9" iPad Pro M1 was because of this. I made the right choice with the 11" for size/use, and the LCD screen is still very good, but ideally, it would be nice to have the best possible viewing experience. And, I'd thought of going MBP 14" vs iMac 24" for every reason (cost difference once upgraded 16/512 is not that different) except the screen size.

thoughts, your impressions with look/use of the iMac 24" screen, is it 'good enough' or do you feel you want that 'higher quality?'

 

[glenthompson]

I went from a MBA with a 27" Thunderbolt Display to the M1 iMac. Much prefer the size of the 24" screen. I don't do a lot of multi-tasking and the screen size is perfect for my needs and fits better on my desk. After seeing mine, my wife decided to swap her 27" 5k iMac for a 24". Kept the MBA for my occasional travel however my iPad covers most of my portable needs.

When Apple releases a larger iMac, I'm sure the display is going to be impressive. I still prefer a mid sized screen.

 

[wilberforce]

I have a 2020 27" iMac (LCD screen) and a 14" MBP (MiniLED screen).
IMO, the main advantage of a miniLED screen is in watching movies (movies with dark scenes), does not matter if the movies are HDR or not. The miniLED screen provides deep blacks, whereas on the LCD screen blacks are crushed and a washed-out dark grey.

Little advantage for photography, IMO. I actually prefer my 2020 iMac screen to my 14" miniLED screen for editing photos.

So it really depends on how important watching movies/videos on the iMac are to you. I seldom watch movies on a computer.

 

[elmarjazz]

Thank you for the input. This is very helpful and I’m leaning towards the iMac 24”. It will just be easier to work with, and the quality of the display may not be as good as mini LED but still very good. I really need to just go look at the MacBook Pro 14” just to see it, but with my iPad 11” as my ‘portable’ I’m not so sure I need a laptop anymore.

 

[Isengardtom]

I ordered the 24” too. I have mini LED on my iPad Pro and it’s very nice when watching shows and such but I mostly work with office 365 and such on my Mac, so for me the added value of mini LED is limited there.

I think if you do a lot of video content consumption on your machine it’s a bonus, otherwise it’s nor really needed. Also I have a feeling we’ll see 2 larger sized iMacs. One with a more “consumer“ price with a 5K starting at around 2.000 USD and one Pro with the mini led starting much higher. I think the mini LED in such a large screen would drive up the price quite a bit

 

[Fishrrman]

"How good is the iMac M1 24" screen compared to the upcoming mini LED"

The "upcoming mini LED" display hasn't been released yet.
How can anyone (who doesn't work at Apple) seriously answer this question?

 

[blairh]

I have a 2020 27" iMac (LCD screen) and a 14" MBP (MiniLED screen).
IMO, the main advantage of a miniLED screen is in watching movies (movies with dark scenes), does not matter if the movies are HDR or not. The miniLED screen provides deep blacks, whereas on the LCD screen blacks are crushed and a washed-out dark grey.

Little advantage for photography, IMO. I actually prefer my 2020 iMac screen to my 14" miniLED screen for editing photos.

So it really depends on how important watching movies/videos on the iMac are to

I use the Dark Reader extension in Chrome so I'm always looking at a black background with white text in my browser. Do you think I would benefit from mini-LED in such a scenario?

 

[elmarjazz]

"How good is the iMac M1 24" screen compared to the upcoming mini LED"

The "upcoming mini LED" display hasn't been released yet.
How can anyone (who doesn't work at Apple) seriously answer this question?

Yes, it is speculation, but there are mini LED screens out there in different form factors so a comparison ‘idea‘ can be made for use. I’m obviously not asking for a side by side comparison, screens size between the PRO and standard iMac (or even a MacBook Pro), higher cost consideration, and needs in actual use, can be something to think about, and some of the responses so far have been good if just to help in the thinking process. Even your reply - which has the ring of truth - has me thinking, just wait to see for myself and make the right choice.