Apple has opened pre-orders for a new Mac mini that will ship on 22 September for £899/$899. Here’s everything you need to know about the new machine and all the specs on offer.
The new Mac mini introduces Apple’s M6 and M5 Pro chips as configuration options. Neural Accelerators built into the GPU cores reach the Mac mini lineup for the first time and add processing power for on-device AI tasks alongside the existing Neural Engine.
Chip performance and pricing
The base M6 chip pairs a 12-core CPU, split across two performance-focused super cores, four performance cores and six efficiency cores, with a 12-core GPU and a dual 16-core Neural Engine that supports up to 170GB/s of memory bandwidth and 32GB of configurable unified memory.
Stepping up to the M5 Pro chip raises the starting price to £1699/$1699 and unlocks two additional memory configurations alongside a matching 16-core Neural Engine. This is a jump that targets demanding workflows such as 3D design, 4K video editing and AI-based tasks beyond what the base chip comfortably handles.
Beyond the choice of chip, storage capacity spans from 256GB up to 8TB, while unified memory ranges from 16GB to 64GB depending on configuration, and the spread extends further than previous Mac mini generations offered at launch.
Alongside that storage and memory range, the new Mac mini offers two USB-C ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the front, plus three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port and a 2.5Gb Ethernet port on the back, with support for up to three external displays.
That standard 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port can be upgraded to a 10 Gigabit option that raises potential link speeds to 10Gb, a useful jump for anyone who moves large files across a local network regularly.
Software bundles and trade-in options
Every new Mac mini comes with a three-month trial of Apple Creator Studio, a subscription bundle that includes the Pro Apps package for education along with additional tools, and buyers can instead choose a standalone preinstalled bundle covering Final Cut Pro, Motion, Compressor, Logic Pro and MainStage licences.
Apple also offers a trade-in scheme that provides credit towards the new Mac mini when customers submit an eligible device, an option that gives buyers an additional way to offset the cost of a fresh configuration.
The new Mac mini can be ordered now, and there’s an Education discount that takes £100/$100 off the starting prices.
Opinion
The previous generation Mac Mini was one of my favourite Apple products ever. It was a wonderful bargain, a real workhorse of a machine that could do pretty much anything (within reason) at a price that was far lower than many had expected. This new M6 isn’t as affordable (around £300/$300 more expensive), but with the rising component costs it was never going to be. I’m still excited to see what the new Mac Mini can do, even if it is no longer one of the best tech bargains.
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