When HP released its new Envy all-in-one (AIO) desktop, the company did not fail to impress the tech world with its thin factor and almost invisible bezels. Will the 2016 iMac be able to compete? Here's an early comparison.
2016 iMac vs HP Envy AIO PC: Specs
The 2016 iMac is, at this point, cannot be confirmed. Apple has not given any indication yet that they are going to refresh their AIO this year, but there are sources saying that an updated iMac should come our way soon. If true, then we'll be seeing it go head-to-head with the HP Envy AIO PC.
On to specs, we should see a powerful 2016 iMac with an Intel Kaby Lake soon. This is from the Best Buy leak more than a week ago, which listed the desktop as a brand new product in their website. On the other hand, the HP Envy AIO PC's thinner form puts it at a disadvantage, which only allows it to carry the Kaby Lake's predecessor, an Intel Skylake.
In terms of memory, the 2016 iMac wins by 100 percent. It may soon have a 32GB RAM, if the leaked listing is accurate, which is two times more than what the HP Envy AIO has: 16GB RAM. Apple's desktop is also said to have an AMD Radeon R9 M380 GPU with 2GB of VRAM while the other has an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M chip.
Even on storage, the 2016 iMac can't be beat with 2TB Fusion Drive with the HP Envy AIO sporting only 1TB HDD plus 128GB SSD. In terms of display, the latter only has 2,560 x 1,440 resolution while Apple's bet will have a Retina 5K display.
As of now, the only advantage of the HP's AIO desktop that I can see is that it is now out in the market while the refreshed iMac is still just a rumor. Who knows, maybe the Cupertino company may also remove the headphone jack in their upcoming desktop. In this case, HP will have that port going for them, which is nice.
2016 iMac vs HP AIO PC: Design
The difference between the two AIO desktops' façade is black and white... literally. Apple's will sport that same white, clean look. I honestly don't expect much of a difference in design. HP, on the other hand, has that 15mm monitor that seems to float atop the base. It is clad in black, which is definitely a breath of fresh air.
The camera is nice, too. It pops up when you need it and it hides itself when you don't. Ever felt awkward in front of the cam? It's easier to hide from it now in the HP Envy AIO. But, in the iMac's defense, it still hasn't been released yet so we may have yet to see some cool features as well.
My verdict? The HP Envy AIO is the more good-looking desktop out of the two (if my prediction is correct that there would be not much changes in the iMac's aesthetics). And if I only have about $1,500, I'm definitely going to get myself one of these.
HP's AIO PC only starts at $1,300, whereas the leaked 2016 iMac with the above configuration would go on sale for $3,199. Based on this price, I guess it's natural that the Apple desktop has better specs.
So when will we actually see the 2016 iMac so we can make comparisons with official specs? Rumors say that it is going to be announced before October ends. We're already at the middle, so it's not much of a wait. Hopefully, though, the rumors are true this time.
