Apple's Refurbished Mac Mini Pricing Has a Problem

Apple this week began selling refurbished Mac mini models with the M4 chip for the first time, but this has led to a pricing conundrum.

M4 Mac mini Apple Video
In the United States, Apple is offering a refurbished Mac mini with the base M4 chip, 256GB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet for $509, down from $599 new. This is the standard 15% discount that Apple offers on refurbished Macs.

The issue is that Apple continues to offer a refurbished Mac mini with the base M2 chip, 256GB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet for $559. This means a refurbished Mac mini with an M2 chip is currently $50 more expensive than a refurbished Mac mini with an M4 chip, despite other key specs being equal. That's a bad buy.

The underlying reason for this situation is that Apple increased the minimum amount of RAM included in Macs from 8GB to 16GB last year, at no additional cost. When new, the Mac mini with the M2 chip started at $799 when upgraded to 16GB of RAM, whereas the latest Mac mini now comes with 16GB of RAM by default for just $599. Apple has not revised its refurbished Mac mini prices enough to account for this difference.

Related Roundup: Mac mini
Buyer's Guide: Mac Mini (Neutral)
Related Forum: Mac mini

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Top Rated Comments

Howard2k Avatar
8 months ago
It's an IQ test.
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IceCool Avatar
8 months ago
Not to mention that you could get a brand new M4 Mac Mini for $499 via Education Discount online…
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PoisonTheWell Avatar
8 months ago
Apple's pricing on M2 products is out of line? Color me shocked. They're still charging full price for M2 Studios despite the fact that they've been out for years and they're now two generations of chips old.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
8 months ago

In the United States, Apple is offering a refurbished Mac mini with the base M4 chip, 256GB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet for $509, down from $599 new. This is the standard 15% discount that Apple offers on refurbished Macs.

The issue is that Apple continues to offer a refurbished Mac mini with the base M2 chip, 256GB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet for $559.
The M2 Mac mini is more expensive because it has a bigger aluminum body/enclosure than the M4 Mac mini. Were you expecting Apple to not charge you for that extra aluminum?
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
8 months ago
Very odd indeed

Nobody should be buying those base M2's at those prices

Apple maybe needs a non first party channel to offload those at lower prices

(see: eBay)
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TechRunner Avatar
8 months ago
But the M2 Mini is two years closer to being a collectors item.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)