Mac mini

The Mac mini was refreshed in August 2026 so it is at the beginning of its product cycle and now is the best time to buy a Mac mini.

The latest models feature M6 and M5 Pro chips, Thunderbolt 4 or 5 ports, up to 64GB unified memory, and SSD storage up to 8TB. There have been no design changes, and the updates are internal.

The Mac mini is Apple's smallest, most compact desktop computer. It does not come with a display or peripherals, so you will need to supply your own.

The Mac mini is Apple's most affordable desktop machine, but Apple also sells the Mac Studio if you need a machine that can handle more intensive tasks. If you're trying to decide if you should upgrade to the new Mac mini, or need help choosing between the Mac mini and Mac Studio, we have helpful buyer's guides, plus an up-to-date guide on where to get the best Mac mini deals.

• M5 vs. M6 Chip Buyer's Guide: How Much Better Really Is M6?

Apple updated the Mac mini in August 2026, adding faster M6 and M5 Pro Apple silicon chips. There were no design changes because the Mac mini got a design refresh back in 2024.

The Mac mini is 5 inches by 5 inches and two inches tall, and it weighs just 1.5 pounds (1.6 pounds for the M5 Pro model). It has the same square-shaped silver aluminum enclosure as the prior model, with updated thermal architecture to accommodate the M5 Pro and M6 chips. There's a vented foot that pulls in air from the surrounding environment to cool the machine. Air is able to circulate throughout the system before being vented back out. With the thermal design, the Mac mini remains cool and quiet during operation.

M6 and M5 Pro Apple silicon chips in the Mac mini integrate the GPU, CPU, RAM, and other components. The M6 is Apple's first chip built on a 2-nanometer process, with a 12-core CPU and a 12-core GPU for up to 4x faster AI performance and up to 2x faster graphics than the M4 Mac mini. It comes with 16GB memory, but is configurable up to 32GB memory, and it now has up to 170GB/s memory bandwidth for faster multitasking.

The M5 Pro chip is built on a 3-nanometer process. It has up to an 18-core CPU and up to a 20-core GPU with an enhanced shader core and third-generation ray tracing. The M5 Pro model supports up to 64GB memory with 307GB/s memory bandwidth, and Apple says it offers industry-leading performance per watt.

Both chips have a dual 16-core Neural Engine with faster performance and Neural Accelerators in each GPU core.

Standard M6 Mac mini models come with a 256GB SSD that is configurable up to 2TB, but the M5 Pro can be purchased with up to an 8TB SSD. Storage is up to 2x faster than the storage in the prior-generation Mac mini.

The M6 Mac mini supports up to three displays, with two displays at 6K 60Hz and one display at 5K 60Hz. It can run an 8K display with 60Hz or a 4K display with a 240Hz refresh rate along with one display at 5K resolution at 60Hz. The M5 Pro Mac mini also supports up to three displays, but it can run three that have a 6K resolution at 60Hz. Alternatively, it can handle one 6K display at 60Hz and one 8K display with 60Hz or a 4K display at 240Hz.

All Mac mini models have two USB-C ports that support transfer speeds up to 10Gb/s on the front, along with an additional three USB-C/Thunderbolt ports at the back. The M6 Mac mini has Thunderbolt 4 ports that support transfer speeds up to 40Gb/s, while the M5 Pro Mac mini has three Thunderbolt 5 ports that support transfer speeds up to 120Gb/s.

With Thunderbolt 5, Mac mini systems can be clustered together to run large AI models on device. Genlock support through USB-C allows for synchronization between a display and a camera, including the iPhone 17 Pro.

There are built-in speakers in the Mac mini, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack that supports high-impedance headphones. An HDMI port supports multichannel audio output, and there is a 2.5Gb Ethernet port configurable to 10Gb Ethernet. The back of the Mac mini also includes a connector for power. At the bottom of the Mac mini, there is a power button for turning it on and off.

The Mac mini has an Apple N1 chip with support for Wi-Fi 7, up from Wi-Fi 6E in the prior model, along with Bluetooth 6. It also includes Thread networking technology.

The Mac mini models do not come with displays or included peripherals, which is why pricing is lower. You need to supply your own display, keyboard, and mouse with these desktop machines.

Pricing on the Mac mini now starts at $899 for the entry-level M6 model with 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD. The higher-end M5 Pro version with 15-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 24GB RAM, and 512GB SSD is priced starting at $1,699. There are build-to-order upgrade options available to upgrade the chip, SSD, RAM, and Ethernet.

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The M6 and M5 Pro Mac mini models can be pre-ordered from Apple's website, with pricing that starts at $899. The Mac mini will launch on Tuesday, September 22.

The 2026 Mac mini has the same design as the 2024 model, with no updates. Apple redesigned the 2024 Mac mini, and it won't be due for another design update for some time. Prior to 2024, Apple hadn't updated the Mac mini's design in 14 years.

The Mac mini measures 5 inches by 5 inches square and two inches thick. At 1.5 pounds for the M6 version and 1.6 pounds for the M5 Pro version, it is lightweight and easy to transport if you need to take it from place to place. Apple continues to sell the Mac mini only in silver, with no other color options available.

Unlike the iMac, the Mac mini does not ship with a display, keyboard, or mouse, so it is ideal for those who want to supply their own accessories.

In 2024, Apple overhauled the Mac mini's thermal architecture. It sucks air in through the foot of the device, circulates it throughout each level of the machine, and then vents it back out.

Both the front and rear of the Mac mini include ports for displays and peripherals. There is an LED light at the front that lets you know when the Mac mini is turned on, and there's an Apple logo at the top of the device.

Ports

The Mac mini has five total USB-C ports. The two at the front are USB-C ports that support USB 3 transfer speeds of up to 10Gb/s, but the rear ports are Thunderbolt.

In the M6 Mac mini, there are three Thunderbolt 4 ports that support transfer speeds up to 40Gb/s, but in the M5 Pro Mac mini, Apple included Thunderbolt 5 ports that support transfer speeds of up to 120Gb/s. Both the Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 5 ports support USB 4 and DisplayPort connectivity.

Both Mac mini models include an HDMI 2.1 port, a Gigabit Ethernet port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a spot for the power cord to plug in.

With Thunderbolt 5, the M5 Pro Mac mini supports turning a stack of Mac mini machines into a cluster for running large AI models locally.

Display Support

The M6 Mac mini supports the following display combinations:

• Three displays: Two displays up to a native resolution of 6K at 60Hz or 4K at 165Hz, plus a third display up to 5K at 60Hz over Thunderbolt or 4K at 60Hz over HDMI.
• Two displays: One display up to a native resolution of 8K at 60Hz or 5K at 120Hz or 4K at 240Hz, plus a second display up to 5K at 60Hz over Thunderbolt or 4K at 60Hz over HDMI.

The M5 Pro Mac mini supports the following display combinations:

• Three displays: Three displays at up to 6K resolution at 60Hz or 4K 165Hz over Thunderbolt or HDMI.
• Two displays: One display up to a native resolution of 8K at 60Hz or 5K at 120Hz or 4K at 240Hz, plus a second display up to 5K at 120Hz or 4K at 200Hz.

The Mac mini comes with either an M6 chip or an M5 Pro chip. The M6 is Apple's first chip built on a new 2-nanometer process that increases speed and efficiency.

The M6 chip includes a 12-core CPU and a 12-core GPU with two more CPU and GPU cores than the M4. Apple says it offers the world's fastest single-threaded performance.

The 12-core GPU includes Neural Accelerators in each core for up to 4x faster AI performance and 2x faster graphics performance than the M4 Mac mini. Overall, Apple says the M6 chip is up to 4.8x faster than the M4 chip.

Apple previously used the M5 Pro chip in the MacBook Pro, and it's in the Mac mini because there are no plans for an M6 Pro chip. The M5 Pro has up to an 18-core CPU and up to a 20-core GPU. The GPU includes an enhanced shader core and third-generation ray tracing for 3D design, video effects, and game development.

As with the M6 chip, there are Neural Accelerators for each GPU core, and Apple says it offers "significant gains" in AI compute compared to the prior-generation model.

According to Apple, the M5 Pro is up to 4x faster than the M4 Pro chip.

Neural Engine

The M6 Mac mini has an upgraded dual 16-core Neural Engine for improved AI performance, while the M5 Pro has a standard 16-core Neural Engine.

Media Engine

There is a media engine in the two Apple silicon chips that speeds up video processing while preserving battery life. The M6 and M5 Pro support dedicated acceleration for the ProRes video codec, along with video encode/decode engines and hardware accelerated support for AV1, H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW.

Memory and Storage

The M6 Mac mini supports up to 32GB unified memory, up to 2TB of SSD storage, and up to 170GB/s memory bandwidth. The base model ships with 16GB memory and 256GB storage, offering 153GB/s memory bandwidth.

The M5 Pro Mac mini supports up to 64GB unified memory and up to 8TB of SSD storage, plus it offers 307GB/s memory bandwidth.

The Mac mini is equipped with Apple's N1 networking chip. It supports 802.11be Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi 7, offering latency and speed improvements over the prior Wi-Fi 6E option. It also includes Bluetooth 6.

An Ethernet port is available for a wired connection, and by default, the Mac mini has 2.5Gb Ethernet. It can be upgraded to 10Gb Ethernet.

Thread networking technology is included in the Mac mini.

Speakers

The Mac mini models are equipped with built-in speakers.

Base Models

There are four stock Mac mini configurations available from Apple. Three feature the M6 chip, while the most expensive has an M5 Pro chip.

• $899 - M6 chip with 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU, 16GB memory, 256GB SSD.
• $1,099 - M6 chip with 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU, 16GB memory, 512GB SSD.
• $1,299 - M6 chip with 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU, 24GB memory, 512GB SSD.
• $1,699 - M5 Pro with 15-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 24GB memory, 512GB SSD.

Build-to-Order Options

The CPU, RAM, SSD, and Ethernet port can be upgraded on Mac mini models. The M6 Mac mini is available with 16GB, 24GB RAM, or 32GB RAM, while the M5 Pro Mac mini is available with 24GB, 48GB, or 64GB.

The M6 Mac mini supports up to a 2TB SSD, while the M5 Pro model supports up to an 8TB SSD.

Apple plans to upgrade the Mac mini with M7 and M7 Pro chips as soon as 2027.