The Mac Mini is Apple's least-expensive computer, but it doesn't get updated too often. Thankfully, Apple has updated it with the newer M2 and M2 Pro, and a lower price tag.
The last time Apple released a new Mac Mini was in 2020, when it became one of the company's first Mac computers with the M1 chip, alongside the M1 MacBook Air. The new model retains the same rounded aluminum box design as every Mac Mini from the past decade, but the base model now uses the same M2 chip as the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and iPad Pro.
Apple said in a press release, "with up to 24GB of unified memory and 100GB/s of bandwidth, activities like image editing in Adobe Photoshop are up to 50 percent faster than the previous generation. M2 also adds ProRes acceleration to Mac mini, so tasks like video editing in Final Cut Pro are more than twice as fast."
The new Mac Mini is also available to purchase with an M2 Pro chip, plugging a gap in Apple's desktop lineup -- before now, if the M1 Mini wasn't enough for you, the next step up was the $2,000 Mac Studio with M1 Max. The M2 Pro model has up to 12 CPU cores, up to a 19-core GPU, and up to 32 GB of unified memory. It should be a great option for anyone who needs a bit more power than the base M2 can provide, in workloads like high-resolution video editing, software development, or AI generation.
Apple also packed a decent amount of ports into the new Mac Mini. You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI, two USB Type-A connectors, Gigabit Ethernet (with a 10 GB/s option), and "an upgraded headphone jack to support high-impedance headphones." Just like with the previous model, the power supply is contained in the machine, so there's no giant power brick to deal with. The new Mac Mini also has Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. Apple says the M2 Pro model is the first Mac Mini that can support an 8K display -- but just one.
The new Mac Mini with M2 starts at $599, which is $100 cheaper than the price for the previous M1 model. However, the M2 Pro model is more than twice as expensive, starting at $1,299. The base model still only has 8 GB of memory, but that's not the end of the world. You can buy one right now, and deliveries/pick-ups start on Tuesday, January 24.
Apple M2 Mac mini
The M2 Mac mini starts at just $599, a lower price than its predecessor. It features improved performance, Thunderbolt 4 support, and an optional M2 Pro upgrade.
Now that the M2 model is available, Apple has discontinued the original M1 model, as well as the older Intel-based model that as sold with a Core i5 CPU. That leaves the expensive Mac Pro as Apple's last computer with an Intel chip.