We're talking about iMacs. In case it's not clear, that's a desktop system not a portable one.
Ah. I got mixed up. Thanks.
They only put the anachronistic drives in iMacs which are desktop computers. You could leave a fast Thunderbolt 3 SSD permanently attached, and it would perform like a 2019 computer.
Are you carrying around an iMac with you? If you are, the drive is the least of your issues.