Apple iMac M6 Gains Speed at $1,499 as 24-Inch Design Looks Increasingly Dated

Q: Does Apple's new proprietary networking chip secretly bottleneck the lightning-fast Wi-Fi 7 speeds promised in the 2026 iMac M6?

Probably not in a “secret bottleneck” sense, but yes, Apple’s N1 chip appears to limit how much of Wi‑Fi 7’s headline speed advantage the iMac M6 will deliver in typical real-world use. Apple’s own specifications say the iMac M6 supports Wi‑Fi 7 on 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz with 2x2 MIMO and a maximum PHY rate of 2400 Mbps. That already sets a ceiling well below the splashy multi-gigabit numbers often associated with Wi‑Fi 7 marketing. It means the iMac is a competent Wi‑Fi 7 client, not an extreme one. The bigger issue is Multi-Link Operation. Independent testing of other Apple devices using the same N1 wireless platform found behavior closer to MLSR or enhanced MLSR than full simultaneous multi-link operation in common 5GHz-plus-6GHz setups. In one test, the client advertised “Max Simultaneous Links = 0,” and the 5GHz and 6GHz links behaved as a non-simultaneous pair. That suggests Apple’s implementation may prioritize stability and power efficiency over the full-blown STR-style throughput gains Wi‑Fi 7 can theoretically offer. So the N1 does not appear to cripple Wi‑Fi 7, but it likely prevents buyers from seeing the most aggressive version of Wi‑Fi 7 performance, especially on common enterprise and home 5GHz/6GHz networks. In practice, users should still expect strong wireless performance, lower latency, and modern 6GHz support, but not a dramatic leap to the fastest Wi‑Fi 7 speeds promised on paper.

3 articles · Updated · Engadget · Nov 5

$1,499 buys a faster iMac M6, but the review says Apple’s all-in-one now offers weaker value as the unchanged 24-inch design and limited RAM undercut the upgrade.
M6 performance was a clear step up: Apple cites up to 50% faster productivity and 5x faster on-device AI versus the M4, while tests showed roughly 20% CPU gains and more than doubled GPU scores.
That speed held up best in office work, video calls and basic 4K editing, but 16GB memory caused lag in heavier DaVinci Resolve projects, local AI ran at about 30 tokens per second, and gaming often needed 1080p compromises.
A 12-core, 24GB configuration pushes the iMac to $1,899, versus $1,099 for a Mac mini with the same M6 chip and RAM, leaving room for a larger external display.
The review concludes the iMac remains the best Mac all-in-one for buyers who want simplicity, but most people would be better served by a Mac mini plus a bigger monitor.