Mac Mini Gets A Big M4 Upgrade In An Unbelievably Small Package

Apple, which has been busy updating its Mac lineup for the past couple of days has just announced an updated version of the Mac Mini, a product that was due for an update anyway given that it's been around since January 2023.

Besides featuring a compact design, the updated Mac Mini comes equipped with Apple's updated M4 chips, ships with 16GB of memory on even the base variants and is built from the ground up to support the upcoming Apple Intelligence features. Perhaps the greatest change to the 2024 Mac Mini is how incredibly small it has become.

While the previous generation model was quite compact anyway, Apple went ahead and reduced the overall footprint of the new machine to make it less than half the size of the previous generation model. Measuring just 5 by 5 inches, this super compact system is small enough to fit into the pocket of a small backpack.

While prices for the entry level variants of the 2024 Mac Mini start at just $599, those opting for the SKUs with the M4 Pro chips will need to spend at least $1,399 to get hold of one.

Even the base variant of the Mac Mini now gets a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, making the machine a powerful tool for people on the go. As outlined earlier, even the base variant now ships with 16GB of unified memory. Apple claims that these chips make the machine almost three times faster than the older Intel powered (Core i7) Mac Mini while applying audio effect plugins with Logic Pro, and nearly 13 times faster while playing titles like World of Warcraft: The War Within.

The M4 powered Mac Mini is also almost 2x faster than the M1 powered model with Excel sheets, and can merge panoramic images nearly 5x faster while using Adobe Lightroom Classic. The higher end M4 Pro powered models get the power of 14 CPU cores of which 10 cores are dedicated to performance. 

Other notable changes to the 2024 Mac Mini include support for five Thunderbolt 5 ports in all — two at the front and three at the back — and the removal of the legacy USB-A port. The front side also gets a 3.5mm audio jack. At the rear, the only other connectivity options include an ethernet port and HDMI out.

Preorders for the 2024 Mac Mini have already started today, October 19, 2024, via the Apple Store across the U.S. and 28 other countries. The product will reach your neighborhood Apple Store by November 7, 2024. Customers who pre-order the device can expect their deliveries on the same day.