Apple has announced the latest version of its all - in - one screen background offering , the Mac Mini .
Available running on either the M4 or M4 Pro chipset , Apple promise the upgraded Mac Mini is “ more capable and versatile than ever ” . With that in intellect , how different is it really from last year’sMac Mini ( M2 ) ?
To assist you decide whether it ’s deserving upgrade to the latest interpretation , we ’ve compared the glasses of Apple ’s thickset desktop and spotlight all the central feature below .
Price
Remember that regardless of whether you choose for the new Mac Mini or last twelvemonth ’s , you will want to factor out in the monetary value of at least a video display , keyboard and mouse too .
The Mac Mini lead on either the M4 or M4 Pro chipset is currently uncommitted for pre - order across 28 countries and realm globally , let in the UK and US , ahead of its official release on the 8th of November 2024 .
The Mac Mini running on M4 has a starting RRP of £ 599/$599 while the M4 Pro alternative get at £ 1399/$1399 .
Last yr ’s Mac Mini is also useable in a choice of chipsets : M2or the more powerful M2 Pro . At the clock time of piece of writing , its RRP is £ 649/$599 for the former and £ 1399/£$1299 for the latter .
The Mac Mini (M4) runs on either the M4 or M4 Pro chipsets
As advert to begin with , the 2024 Mac Mini is available in two different Apple - designed processors : M4 orM4 professional , with the former feature a 10 - core CPU , 10 - core GPU and 16 GB of retention for speedy carrying out .
Apple explains that the Mac Mini with M4 is able to perform spreadsheet computation up to 1.7x faster in Excel than the Mac Mini with M1 , plus it can transcribe on - gimmick AI speech - to - text up to 2x faster in MacWhisper .
In addition , when equate to the Intel Core i7 processor , Apple promises up to 13.3x quicker gaming carrying out in World of Warcraft and 33x faster range upscaling in Photomator .
As its name suggest , the M4 Pro mainframe promise even quicker and muscular performance . Sporting up to 20 heart and soul , the M4 Pro GPU is up to doubly as powerful as the GPU in the M4 , although both chips still convey hardware - accelerated ray tracing to Mac miniskirt for the first metre .
Apple also explain that the Neural Engine in M4 Pro is also three times quicker than the Mac Mini with M1 , which means on - gimmick Apple Intelligence should run rapidly .
Similarly , the 2023 Mac Mini is also usable in two processors , either M2 or M2 Pro . The received M2 processor features an 8 - core CPU alongside a 10 - core GPU , while the M2 Pro sport a 12 - core CPU and 19 - core GPU .
We reviewed the Mac Mini M2 Pro manikin and constitute it to be “ a seriously capable machine ” which scored impressively in our bench mark tests . It revealed that the standard M2 model should boast enough power for introductory manipulation including light video recording and photo redaction , and even back .
Both support Apple Intelligence
One of the most eagerly anticipated launches of 2024 is undoubtedlyApple intelligence agency . Found across Macs , iPhones and iPads , Apple Intelligence is the Modern AI toolkit that boasts clever feature of speech such as call summarisation , streamlined emails and a brand - new Siri .
It ’s worth noting that both iterations of last year ’s Mac Mini also back the toolkit , much like the new versions , so you should n’t upgrade only to reap the welfare of Apple Intelligence .
Creatives might favour the Mac Mini M4 Pro
Apple explain that when compared to the Mac Mini with M2 Pro , the Mac Mini run on M4 Pro is able to render apparent movement graphics up to two time faster in Motion and 3D renders up to 2.9 quicker in Blender .
Having said that , the Mac Mini M2 Pro still promises quick performance when compared to the Mac Mini M1 alternative .
The Mac Mini M4 Pro model supports Thunderbolt 5
For the first time in Mac Mini history , the M4 Pro iteration supports Thunderbolt 5 for faster data transfer speeds . In fact , Thunderbolt 5 can pitch up to 120Gb / s data transfer speed and more than doubles the throughput of Thunderbolt 4 .
While the Mac Mini M4 Pro includes three Thunderbolt 5 larboard , the Mac Mini M4 still swash three Thunderbolt 4 ports .
On the other hand , the Mac Mini M2 iteration admit just two Thunderbolt 4 port whereas the M2 Pro substitute sports a total of four .
The Mac Mini (M4) is smaller
The 2024 Mac Mini has a smaller step than ever before at just 5 x 5 x 2 in . Apple even show out that when compared to the best - deal PC desktop in its cost grasp , the Mac Mini is “ up to 6x faster at one - twentieth the size ” .
The 2023 Mac Mini , in equivalence , measures 7.75 x 7.75 x 1.4 in , which although is still great than its new alternative , is still a heavyset gimmick .
Early verdict
Both variant of the Mac Mini M4 promise to be firm , powerful desktops that should activate the Apple Intelligence toolkit to run smoothly . Now at its smallest , most compact size of it ever , if you want a desktop that takes up the least amount of place potential , then the 2024 Mac Mini might be well suited to you .
Having said that , the 2023 Mac Mini ( M2 ) still represents a bang-up Apple desktop offer . The M2 chip is still utterly capable and knock-down , plus the Mac Mini M2 Pro even come with more Thunderbolt ports than the new version . Finally , both Mac Mini M2s support Apple Intelligence too .
