M4 Mac mini is smaller, mightier, and can connect three displays

Apple on Tuesday announced a major update to the Mac mini, the company’s smallest desktop Mac. The new computer is even smaller than before, features the M4 or M4 Pro chip, and starts with 16GB of unified memory. It still starts at $599 but Apple has doubled the RAM.

These are four standard configurations of the Mac mini Apple is offering:

• $599/£599: M4 with a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB Unified Memory, and 256GB SSD
• $799/£799: M4 with a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB Unified Memory, and 512GB SSD
• $999/£999: M4 with a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 24GB Unified Memory, and 256GB SSD
• $1,399/£1,399: M4 Pro with a 12-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 24GB Unified Memory, and 256GB SSD

M4 Mac mini: New design and ports

Apple has reduced the size of the Mac mini; it now measures 5 by 5 by 2 inches (12.7 by 12.7 by 5 centimeters), down from the previous 7.75 by 7.75 by 1.41 inches (19.7 by 19.7 by 3.6 centimeters), but not as small as the Apple TV, which measures 3.6 inches. The Mac mini is available only in silver, which looks like a smaller version of the Mac Studio, is only available in silver.

The Mac mini sports two USB-C ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the front. On the back are three Thunderbolt ports–the M4 Mac mini uses Thunderbolt 4, while the M4 Pro Mac mini has Thunderbolt 5, the first Mac to support the technology. The back of all Mac mini also has an HDMI port and a gigabit ethernet port that is upgradeable to 10Gb ethernet for $100/£100. No USB-A ports are available, which means that you’ll need USB-C adapters for your older devices.

Apple

M4 and M4 Pro

Compared to the Intel Core i7 Mac mini (released in 2018), Apple claims that the M4 offers 13.3 times faster gaming performance in World of Warcraft: The War Within, 33 times faster image upscaling performance in Photomator, and “applies up to 2.8x more audio effect plugins in a Logic Pro project.” Compared to the M1 Mac mini (released in 2020), Apple states that the M4 is 4.9 times faster when merging panoramic images in Adobe Lightroom Classic, 1.7 times faster with spreadsheet calculations in Microsoft Excel, and 2 times faster when transcibing with on-device AI speech-to-text in MacWhisper.

The M4 Pro makes its debut with the Mac mini; the standard configuration has a 12-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, but it can be upgraded to a 14-core CPU and a 20-core GPU for $200/£200. Compared to the M2 Pro Mac mini (released in 2023) it replaces, Apple states that the M4 Pro “completes 3D renders up to 2.9x faster in Blender.”

External display support

The Mac mini can support up to three displays, but the types of displays you can use differ between the two chips:

• M4:
  • Three displays: Two displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 5K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt or 4K resolution at 60Hz over HDMI
  • Two displays: One display with up to 5K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or 4K resolution at 240Hz over Thunderbolt or HDMI
• M4 Pro:
  • Three displays: Three displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt or HDMI
  • Two displays: One display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or 4K resolution at 240Hz over Thunderbolt or HDMI

The Mac mini is available for pre-order with shipments starting on November 8. On Monday, Apple has also announced the new M4 iMac.