With Apple launching its latest and finally redesigned Mac mini, it is time to look at how the new model compares to its predecessors with the old design and M2/M1 processors.
The new M4-powered Mac mini is the first redesign in 14 years (the original unibody Mac mini was announced in 2010). The latest model is now significantly more compact and lighter—according to the official spec sheet, it only takes 5 by 5 inches on your desk. It also has a redesigned thermal solution with vents in the bottom plate.
However, the new design has one odd quirk: the power button is now located at the bottom of the Mac mini, not its rear side (just like that infamously stupid charging port in the Apple Magic Mouse). On the upside, you now have two USB-C ports at the front—no more reaching to the back of your Mac mini just to connect something.
Moving from the M2 series to the M4 processor series allowed Apple to not only beef up the raw horsepower but also improve display support. The new Mac mini can drive up to three 6K displays at 60Hz. Performance-wise, Apple boasts up to two times faster motion graphics in Motion and 2.9 times faster renders in Blander than the M2 Pro-powered Mac mini.
Apple finally ditched the 8GB configuration, and now all Mac mini variants start with 16GB. The maximum supported RAM is now 64GB, which is 16GB more than in the previous generation (48GB). Storage, however, remains the same—256GB in the base model.
Here are key changes summed up in a list:
- Significantly smaller and lighter case.
- Newer Apple M4 and M4 Pro processors with more cores, hardware-accelerated raytracing, faster memory, and AV1 decode.
- The base model starts with 16GB of RAM.
- New 64GB RAM configuration.
- Up to three monitors support.
- More ports: three Thunderbolt 4 and three Thunderbolt 5 (M4 Pro).
- No more USB-A ports.
And here is a detailed spec-by-spec comparison:
| Mac mini M4 | Mac mini M2 | Mac mini M1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 5.0 x 12.7 x 12.7 cm, 0.67 kg (M4), 0.73 kg (M4 Pro) 2 x 5 x 5 in, 1.5 lbs (M4), 1.6 lbs (M4 Pro) | 3.58 x 19.7 x 19.7 cm, 1.18 kg (M2), 1.28 kg (M2 Pro) 1.41 x 7.75 x 7.75 in, 2.6 lbs (M2), 2.8 lbs (M2 Pro) | 3.6 x 19.7 x 19.7 cm, 1.2 kg 1.4 x 7.7 x 7.7 in, 2.6 lbs | ||
| CPU | Apple M4 | Apple M4 Pro Up to 14-core CPU Up to 20-core GPU Hardware-accelerated raytracing 16-core NPU 273GB/s memory bandwidth | Apple M2 8-core CPU 10-core GPU 16-core NPU 100GB/s memory bandwidth | Apple M2 Pro Up to 12-core CPU Up to 19-core GPU 16-core NPU 200GB/s memory bandwidth | Apple M1 8-core CPU 8-core GPU 16-core NPU |
| Media Engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW Video decode engine Video encode engine ProRes encode and decode engine AV1 decode | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW Video decode engine Video encode engine ProRes encode and decode engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264 and HEVC Video decode engine Video encode engine | ||
| Memory | 16 GB, 24GB, 32GB, 48GB, and 64GB | 8GB, 16GB, 24GB, 32GB | 8GB, 16GB | ||
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB | |||
| Display support | Up to three displays | Up to two displays (M2) or three displays (M2 Pro) | One display | ||
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 | |||
| Audio | 3.5 mm headphone jack with high-impedance support HDMI port with multichannel audio support Speaker | 3.5 mm headphone jack HDMI port with multichannel audio support Speaker | |||
| Ports | 3x Thunderbolt 4 (M4) 3x Thunderbolt 5 (M4 Pro) 2x USB-C 1x HDMI 1x Gigabit Ethernet (optional 10Gpbs) | 2x Thunderbolt 4 (M2) 4x Thunderbolt 4 (M2 Pro) 2x USB-A 1x HDMI 1x Gigabit Ethernet (optional 10Gpbs) | 2x Thunderbolt / USB 4 2x USB-A 1x HDMI 1x Gigabit Ethernet | ||
| Apple Intelligence | Yes | ||||
| Color | Silver | ||||
| Price | $599+ | $599+ | $699+ | ||
The new Mac mini is now available for preorder, and Apple plans to start shipping it on November 8, 2024.