Apple Mac Mini is shrinking to half its size and gets more powerful M4 Pro chip right after launching the 2024 iMac with M4 chip.
Apple has continued the Mac week announcements with the highly revamped M4 Mac Mini. It comes as a direct successor to last year’s M2 Mac mini and as the name suggests, it comes with the brand-new Apple M4 Pro chip skipping the M3 processor entirely.
The new Mac mini introduces a redesigned “ultracompact” form factor with a significantly smaller footprint, measuring just 12.7 cm (5 inches) per side. While slightly taller than the previous M2 model at 5 cm, it remains lightweight, with the M4 version at 670 grams and the M4 Pro at 730 grams.
For the first time in a Mac mini, Apple has added front-facing, easy-to-reach ports. The M4 Mini now features two USB-C ports and a headphone jack on the front, with USB-C ports supporting USB 3 speeds of up to 10Gbps.
On the back, the Mac mini includes three USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports (up to 40Gbps), along with Ethernet and HDMI ports. The M4 Pro version further enhances connectivity with Thunderbolt 5, allowing transfer speeds up to 120Gbps and support for up to three displays. Additionally, both models support Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.
The Mac mini will come with Apple’s latest M4 chip as well as a more powerful M4 Pro. The M4 Pro is available in two configurations: a base model with a 12-core CPU and 16-core GPU, and a higher-end version with a 14-core CPU and 20-core GPU for an extra $200. The standard M4 chip features 10 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores.
To support Apple Intelligence and other AI processes, the new Mac mini comes with a minimum of 16GB of RAM, with configurations available up to 64GB of unified memory and up to 8TB of storage on the M4 Pro. The device ships with macOS Sequoia.
Pricing starts at $599 for the M4 Mac mini with 16GB of memory and 256GB of storage, which is available for pre-order from Apple. There is also a 512GB storage option at $799 and a version with 24GB of memory and 512GB storage for $999. The M4 Pro Mac mini starts at $1,399, featuring 24GB of unified memory and 512GB of storage, with deliveries set to begin on November 8.