The Best All-in-One Computers

Apple continues to show off what 16 years of developing the iMac has gotten us—a refined, near-perfect all-in-one that looks as good as it performs (which, thanks to the new M4 CPU, is pretty darn good). You can easily be forgiven for assuming the new iMac M4 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is no different from the iMac M3 from 2023 because, in many ways, that’s the case. Changes for 2024 are nuanced and often invisible, regardless of which of the seven chassis colors you decide on.

But look closely and you’ll see how things have evolved for the better. A 12-megapixel webcam with Center Stage tracking is a radical upgrade over 2023. The nano-texture display makes for a viewing experience that is arguably unparalleled in this market. All peripherals are now fully upgraded to the USB-C standard—and the ports on the iMac itself are all on Thunderbolt 4, regardless of configuration.

The 23.5-inch system lacks a touchscreen, and Apple’s Magic Mouse remains a sore thumb in an otherwise beautiful configuration, but it’s the price that’s likely going to be the thing that holds most people back from choosing this machine. The $1,299 base configuration, now with double the RAM at 16 GB, is fine, but add a few extra USB-C ports, the screen upgrade, and a few other bells and whistles and you can quickly approach $3,000.

With its 23.8-inch touchscreen, HP’s Envy Move is on the smaller side of all-in-one computers, but for basic needs—a computer in the kitchen, perhaps—it’s just about perfect. The stylish design is immediately head-turning, all white with a sophisticated fabric panel covering the front-mounted speaker grille. Smart little touches abound: a handle that hides behind the top of the screen, allowing for easy mobility; legs that swivel in and out automatically when you pick the system up, making for perhaps the most portable all-in-one on the market. And if space is a premium, you may especially appreciate the keyboard that comes with an integrated touchpad instead of a mouse. (You can always add a mouse separately if you need it.)

Despite the low cost—the unit starts at $680—it’s a fairly capable performer, courtesy of a 1.3-GHz 13th-generation Intel Core i5-1335U CPU, 16 GB of RAM, and a 512-GB SSD (you'll pay a little more for these specs, but it's what I recommend). Alas, only three expansion ports are available: USB-C, USB-A, and an HDMI out. You won’t be gaming or rendering your next amination project on this system, but for casual web browsing and productivity work, maintaining the grocery shopping list, or even basic corporate tasks, it’ll get the job done.

You’ll first notice the striking design of the Lenovo Yoga AIO 9i, featuring an impossibly slim 31.5-inch screen perched atop a curving chrome bar, which in turn appears to be balanced on a circular graphite base. The secret sauce is that all the electronics for the computer are found in this thin disc, including a 2.6-GHz 13th-generation Intel Core i9-13900H CPU, 16 GB of RAM, and a 512-GB solid state drive. You’ll find all of the computer’s ports on the back of the base as well: two USB-C ports (one offering USB4), two USB-A ports, and an HDMI output.

The machine is best-in-breed across the all-in-one universe (at least the Windows-based version of it), with top-tier marks on benchmarks across the board, despite the lack of a discrete graphics processor. It’s hardly a gaming rig, but it’s about as close as you’ll get to one in today’s all-in-one ecosystem. If there’s another miss aside from graphics juice, it’s the lack of a touch-sensitive display. That said, you won’t find a brighter LCD on the market, which, when combined with its 3,840 x 2,160-pixel resolution, provides a breathtaking view. It might sound pricey, but you’ll pay more for many of Lenovo’s laptops.

The Envy 34 is an all-in-one unlike any other, featuring a 34-inch non-touch display with a jaw-dropping 5,120 x 2,160-pixel resolution screen, providing an (approximately) 21:9 aspect ratio that lets you easily put two full screens side by side. Performance is off the charts, despite the inclusion of an ancient (over two and a half years old!) 12th-generation Intel Core i7-12700 CPU running at 2.1 GHz. Fortunately, the inclusion of a fat 32 GB of RAM, a 1-TB SSD, and discrete graphics from an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 help overcome the machine’s outdated CPU—especially at graphics-related tasks, where the Envy 34 wholly rips up all of its competition.

The look of the machine is unique, its megascreen is mounted on a central pole, easily sliding up and down to adjust to your height needs. An included webcam mounts magnetically wherever you need it, and there’s even a wireless charging station for your phone in the center of the base. Merely counting the number of expansion ports is difficult, with a total of three USB-C ports, six USB-A ports, HDMI output, Ethernet, and an SD memory card slot split between the rear and the sides of the machine. When it comes to flexibility, nothing else on the market even comes close.

Naturally, this is all going to cost you: a hefty $2,469 as configured, though I tested a special order you can’t readily find. The high-end rack configuration (with 16 GB of RAM) is $2,150. Still worth it.