M4 iMac Is Apple’s First Ever Model To Support External Monitors With An 8K Resolution, And At A Refresh Rate Of Up To 120Hz

Apple has yet to launch a standalone 8K monitor, with the highest resolution that it has gone up to with one of its own displays is 6K, which is the pricey Pro Display XDR, and it has a maximum refresh rate of 60Hz. However, that has not stopped the company from allowing future M4 iMac owners to hook up an 8K 120Hz external monitor to its latest ‘All In One,’ making it the first Mac in history to offer this feature. This feat is likely achieved thanks to the M4’s capabilities, which we will discuss at length below.

Additional Thunderbolt controllers belonging to the M4 likely make it possible for the new iMac to support an 8K external monitor up to 120Hz

If you scroll down the ‘Tech Specs’ section of the M4 iMac, you will notice that the base model that features an 8-core CPU and an 8-core GPU is limited to supporting one external 6K monitor at 60Hz. Fortunately, those that get the higher-tier M4 variant that ships with a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU will not just support two external 6K monitors at 60Hz, but a single 8K display with a refresh rate that goes up to 120Hz. Previously, we reported that the M4 MacBook Pro was shown to be used with two external monitors while its lid was opened.

If you recall, the M3 MacBook range could also support a maximum of two external monitors, but the lid had to remain closed, bringing some form of limitation to the table. As for how the M4 iMac can support a high refresh rate 8K external monitor, it likely has to do with the number of increased Thunderbolt controllers on the chipset. Compared to the…