M4 Mac mini
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M4 Mac mini
4.5/5 Best Price on M4 Mac mini
Apple's long-overdue Mac mini redesign squeezes an already great chassis even more, but still punches above its weight class.
I've had a Mac mini since the very first G4. In an era of bulky towers and the G4 Cube just a few years before that were impressive but not fun, the little box brought Apple's power to a small desktop enclosure, and I was hooked.
And I've had one running 24/7 ever since. Even now, I have a Mac Studio on my desk, one upstairs being used by a family member, one in another room quietly humming as my network storage and testing platform, and a few more on my shelf that I've been hoarding for years, just waiting to be used.
Beyond delighting devotees, it was also the most affordable option for those making the switch. The low price made it the perfect first Mac for PC users interested in changing their computing ecosystem.
It’s been the same size since its inception and has maintained roughly the same aluminum design for about 15 years. Optical drives have disappeared and upgradeability has changed somewhat over the years, but the size has stayed the same.
That is, until 2024. This is the first major exterior design change in years. So let’s talk about it.
Mac mini M4
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M4 Mac mini Review – Design and Dimensions
The previous external case for the Mac mini was a rounded square shape, measuring 7.75 inches long and wide, and 1.41 inches tall.
In some ways, you could say the new Mac mini follows a similar path. It’s still a rounded square from the top, but it’s much smaller at 5 inches wide and deep.
M4 Mac mini review: It takes up much less space than existing accessories
Slimming down the footprint forces Apple to make compromises, and the first of those is the height. It’s taller by 2 inches, but it’s not actually that much bigger than the previous one.
It’s still a square aluminum puck with the Apple logo on top. It’s just sleeker when viewed from top to bottom than before.
Another compromise is one that actually benefits end users. There’s not enough room on the back for all the ports.
M4 Mac mini review – not all ports are on the back
This forced Apple to move some elements around, some of which moved to the front of the case. Apple took this approach with the Mac Studio in 2022, and apparently they think it was a good move. I think so too.
But let's talk about that power button. It's been moved underneath the case, to one of the corners.
The power button placement may force you to lift the Mac mini to reach it, but users won't be doing that often.
M4 Mac mini review – New power button placement
It's still not amazing, considering Apple removed automatic power on and off from the settings menu and forces users who are probably completely new to Macs to fiddle with Terminal to do it. We're sure there will be accessories that will handle this.
All in all, it's not a show stopper. It's just annoying.
M4 Mac mini review – specs vs. M2 Mac mini
| Specs | M4 Mac mini (2024) | M4 Pro Mac mini (2024) | M2 Mac mini (2023) | M2 Pro Mac mini (2023) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $599 Best M4 Mac mini Prices |
$1,399 Check M4 Pro Mac mini Prices |
$599 Best M2 Mac mini prices |
$1,299 Best prices on M2 Pro Mac mini |
| Dimensions (inches) | 5.0 x 5.0 x 2.0 | 5.0 x 5.0 x 2.0 | 1.41 x 7.75 x 7.75 | 1.41 x 7.75 x 7.75 |
| Weight (lbs) | 1.5 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 2.8 |
| Processor | Apple M4 10-core CPU | Apple M4 Pro 12-core CPU, Apple M4 Pro 14-core CPU |
Apple M2 8-core CPU | Apple M2 Pro 10-core CPU, Apple M2 Pro 12-core CPU |
| Graphics | 10-core GPU | 16-core GPU, 20-core GPU |
10-core GPU | 16-core GPU, 19-core GPU |
| RAM | 16GB, 24GB, 32GB |
24GB, 48GB, 64GB |
8GB, 16GB, 24GB |
16GB, 32GB |
| Network | 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E wireless network IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compliant, Bluetooth 5.3, Gigabit Ethernet, 10Gig capability upgrades |
802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E wireless network compatible with IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.3, Gigabit Ethernet, 10Gig upgradeable |
802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E wireless network compatible with IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.3, Gigabit Ethernet, 10Gig upgradeable |
802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E wireless network compatible with IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.3, Gigabit Ethernet, 10Gig upgradeable upgrades |
| Storage | 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2TB |
512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB |
| Display Support | Maximum 3: Two 6K 60Hz via Thunderbolt and one 5K 60Hz via HDMI, or one 5K 60Hz via Thunderbolt and one 8K 60Hz or 4K 240Hz via HDMI |
Maximum 3: Three 6K 60Hz via Thunderbolt or HDMI, or one 6K 60Hz via Thunderbolt and one 8K 60Hz or 4K 240Hz via Thunderbolt or HDMI |
Maximum of 2: One 6K 60Hz via Thunderbolt and one 5K 60Hz via Thunderbolt or 4K 60Hz via HDMI |
Maximum of 3: Two 6K 60Hz via Thunderbolt and one 4K via HDMI. Up to 8K or 240Hz possible via HDMI |
| Ports | HDMI, Three Thunderbolt 4, Two USB 3 Type-C (front) Gigabit Ethernet, 3.5mm headphone jack (front) |
HDMI, Three Thunderbolt 5, Two USB 3 Type-C (front) Gigabit Ethernet, 3.5mm headphone jack (front) |
HDMI, Two Thunderbolt 4, Two USB-A, Gigabit Ethernet, 3.5mm headphone jack |
HDMI, Four Thunderbolt 4, Two USB-A, Gigabit Ethernet, 3.5mm headphone jack |
M4 Mac mini review: port shifts and wireless connectivity
USB-A is gone. We've been saying for years that USB-C is the way to go, and Apple is making it clear with the new Mac mini that it's time to switch.
It doesn't matter much now, and it didn't matter nine years ago when the 12-inch MacBook only came with USB-C. We don't recommend using adapters, as it's just another connection that can be problematic.
Instead, if you have a peripheral that doesn’t support USB-C, just buy the cable you need, which will likely be a USB-C to USB-B cable. They’re plentiful and inexpensive.
In any case, the old Mac mini had two USB-A ports, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, a headphone jack, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports on the M2 non-Pro Mac mini.
M4 Mac mini review – two USB-C ports and a headphone port on the front
As for the M4, space constraints meant Apple had to rethink what the back of the Mac mini looks like. HDMI and Gigabit Ethernet are accessible from the back, as usual. More on display support in a bit, but if you need advanced networking, you can still upgrade to the 10-gigabit Ethernet version.
Like I said, no more USB-A. Also on the back, along with HDMI and Ethernet, Apple has decided to offer a trio of Thunderbolt 4 ports.
A headphone jack and a pair of USB-C ports with USB 3 10Gbps speeds are on the front.
There’s no Wi-Fi 7 here, but that’s okay. It’ll be a while before Wi-Fi 7 becomes affordable. Wi-Fi speeds are as expected, with no noticeable deviations from the norm.
Bluetooth remains at 5.3, which is also nothing to write home about. Your AirPods, keyboards, and other Bluetooth peripherals will work just fine. Smooth performance is a hallmark of the Mac mini, so this isn’t surprising.
M4 Mac mini review – The M4 and other internals
The base M4 has a ten-core CPU with four performance cores and six efficiency cores, plus a 10-core GPU. The GPU benefits from hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which can help games that use it look even better.
There's also a 16-core Neural Engine that's primed and ready for Apple Intelligence. There's also the Media Engine, which returns to handle hardware-accelerated video encoding and decoding duties.
Obviously, the performance improvements are the main thing here. They are big.
Geekbench Single-Core Benchmarks
Most tasks rely on a single core. For most users, the M4’s single-core generational boost will be the most significant speed improvement.
Geekbench Multi-Core Benchmarks
Geekbench 6.3 multicore: 15,012 — about the same as the M2 Pro.
Geekbench Metal Benchmarks
And in Apple’s marketing, the M4 Macs are all about gaming machines. We’ve seen hot rumors that the new Mac mini is a good replacement for the new PlayStation or Xbox, given the inclusion of ray tracing.
We won’t go that far. While there are some merits to the overall concept, given the machine's performance, the Mac gaming landscape remains abysmal.
This landscape is the biggest obstacle to the whole “Mac mini as a gaming console” concept. Until this is fixed, it won’t be a good replacement for a console or an Intel or AMD gaming PC.
Sure, there are big-name games like Baldur’s Gate 3, No Man’s Sky, and the upcoming Civilization 7 that will run just fine. Don’t expect to play Destiny 2 or most AAA games on the market.
And even if you do, don’t buy them from the Mac App Store. Buy them from Steam instead.
As for storage, as we’ve said, Apple has decided to use slot-based SSDs for the M4 Mac mini. This is more about Apple not having to carry multiple motherboard SKUs these days and can just pop in an SSD during build.
The repairmen at iFixit replaced the 256GB SSD with a 512GB module from a donor unit using Apple Configurator. So an upgrade is possible. We'll see over time.
There’s still quite a big difference between the 256GB module and the higher storage capacities. Using the BlackMagic Disk Speed test, we saw about 2 gigabytes per second write and 3 gigabytes per second read on the 256GB capacity.
The 1TB version of the M4 has symmetrical read and write speeds of about 3 gigabytes per second. That’s a noticeable speed difference, but not as noticeable as the M1 mini saw between the low- and high-capacity models.
We’ll discuss this more in a future review, but the M4 Pro Mac mini delivers maximum read speeds of about 6 gigabytes per second and writes of 5 gigabytes per second.
As always, you know what you’re getting when you buy a $599 configuration. More speed costs more money.
And we’re not fans of Apple’s SSD prices. External storage is almost always a better and significantly more cost-effective option for desktop computers.
At full retail, upgrading the 256GB model to 512GB costs an additional $200. Upgrading to 1TB increases that to $400.
The M4 Mac mini review is more powerful than the Mac Pro it’s based on
Retail prices for 1TB external Thunderbolt or USB4 SSDs are around $160 if you buy them right or build your own. Or 2TB drives can be had for around $250.
And over Thunderbolt, these drives will only be slightly slower than the upgraded Mac mini. They’ll be significantly faster than the 256GB capacity.
As I’ve always done, I recommend external local storage or network storage instead of paying Apple’s exorbitant SSD prices. Maybe do what I do and use a generation or two of the Mac mini as a server hooked up to your TV, with a ton of hard drives.
Maybe use your upgrade money for more RAM. Apple’s RAM prices are high, too. In a desktop form factor, that's money better spent than on internal storage.
Either way, be warned. The M4 Pro Mac mini is just a notch or two above that, and it’s easy to hit that price point with upgrades.
Speaking of RAM, the Mac mini now comes standard with 16GB. That’s more than enough for most of this device’s target markets, as even 8GB is enough for word processing and most of the uses the Mac mini sees.
However, the seasoned AppleInsider reader has, for the most part, been running into the limitations of that default capacity for some time now. 16GB is welcome, especially considering Apple Intelligence will chew on it a bit.
M4 Mac mini review: wider monitor support
The main complaint AppleInsider readers had about Apple Silicon was its reduced monitor support compared to the latest Intel Macs.
Non-Pro models of Apple Silicon were limited to a pair of displays. This showed up in the portables as an internal screen and one external, and in the Mac mini as one on HDMI and one on Thunderbolt.
We already talked about this a little bit in this review in the specs table above, but Apple changed that with the M4.
In short, you can now connect three monitors to the base M4 Mac mini instead of two. For three monitors, you can connect two 6K monitors at 60Hz via Thunderbolt and one 5K display at 60Hz via HDMI.
M4 Mac mini review – new model over old
If you only need two monitors, the HDMI port is probably where you want to connect your primary monitor. With one 5K60 display connected via Thunderbolt, this HDMI port can support one 8K 60Hz or 4K 240Hz display via HDMI.
Unfortunately, I don’t currently have an 8K monitor to test this out with. They’re still way over budget. If I can beg, borrow, or steal one, we’ll upgrade.
But what I can say is that I was able to swap out my Mac Studio on my desk and connect my main 4K120 monitor via HDMI and two portrait-oriented 4K60 monitors without issue.
M4 Mac mini review – new design, same goal
Apple has always focused on a few specific markets for the Mac mini, and that’s spilled over into others a bit. At its core, the Mac mini was designed to give consumers a Mac that won’t break the bank and gets the job done with minimal fuss.
It's spread among enthusiasts like me, who put them where others would put a Raspberry Pi. Data centers like MacStadium love them too, and already have a plan to house the new model.
There were days when the Mac was the core product and the iPhone was the “halo” thing that people were drawn to the Mac for. That’s been a long time coming.
Instead, the new Mac mini remains a full-fledged Mac that’s priced below the education price of $499, which is half the price of the iPhone 16 Pro.
We’re all for squeezing every penny out of your computer investment. Still, if you’re interested in performance at a low price, the only reason to stick with an Intel Mac mini right now is Boot Camp.
And there’s an argument to be made that the M1 is a bit dated for anyone who reads AppleInsider regularly.
It’s been nearly five years since the switch to Apple Silicon. Almost all important software is now native to Apple Silicon, and non-native Mac software runs faster on Rosetta than it ever did on the Intel mini.
The external design has changed for the first time in years. For the first time in 20 years, the footprint has changed radically. We're sure the new footprint has confused accessory designers, but we're also sure they've already gotten to work.
What hasn't changed is the fact that Apple's new M4 Mac mini remains the best balance of processing power and value for the “computer as a device” crowd that you can get for the money.
M4 Mac mini Review – The Pros
- The M4 is significantly faster than the M2 in the latest mini
- Still-priced at $599
- New design for the first time in years, but…
M4 Mac mini Review – The Cons
- The new design is also a minus for accessories that fit the same size
- Lacks USB-A, but that's not a big deal nine years after Apple first used it
- Very odd power button placement — but that's not the point either
- Terrible prices for SSD and RAM upgrades
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Where to buy Apple's M4 Mac mini at a discount
All 2024 Mac mini configurations are on sale in our M4 Mac mini Price Guide, with prices starting at $549 at the time of publication.
Exclusive Deals via AppleInsider
M4 Mac mini
The standard M4 Mac mini has 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.
Buy for $549
M4 Pro Mac mini
Every M4 Pro Mac mini is eligible for a discount with promo code.
Buy from $1,349
Save on retail models at Amazon, and configure-to-order (CTO) models are eligible for up to $200 off with promo code APINSIDER at Apple Authorized Reseller Adorama.
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