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Apple unveils redesigned Mac mini with M4 and M4 Pro, Thunderbolt 5, more

Apple’s exciting week of Mac announcements continues today with the introduction of the completely redesigned Mac mini. The new Mac mini is powered by the M4 and M4 Pro chips and features a significantly smaller design. It’s also the first Mac with support for Thunderbolt 5 connectivity.

Starting at $599 with 16GB of memory, the new Mac mini is available to pre-order today, with availability beginning November 8.

Apple says:

Apple today unveiled the all-new Mac mini powered by the M4 and new M4 Pro chips, and redesigned around Apple silicon to pack an incredible amount of performance into an even smaller form of just 5 by 5 inches. With M4, Mac mini delivers up to 1.8x faster CPU performance and 2.2x faster GPU performance over the M1 model. With M4 Pro, it takes the advanced technologies in M4 and scales them up to tackle even more demanding workloads.

For more convenient connectivity, it features front and back ports, and for the first time includes Thunderbolt 5 for faster data transfer speeds on the M4 Pro model. The new Mac mini is also built for Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system that transforms how users work, communicate, and express themselves while protecting their privacy. And marking an important environmental milestone, Mac mini is Apple’s first carbon neutral Mac with an over 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across its materials, manufacturing, transportation, and customer use.

New Mac mini design

The new Mac mini features a dramatic new design that is significantly smaller than its predecessor. According to Apple, the new model is half the size of the previous generation and measures in at just 5 by 5 inches.

One big change that enables the smaller footprint is the introduction of an “innovative new thermal architecture.” Apple says this architecture guides air to different levels of the system, while all venting is done through the foot.

The new Mac mini features two USB-C ports on the front alongside a headphone jack. On the back, you’ll find three Thunderbolt ports (more on that below) along with an HDMI port and gigabit ethernet port. Apple has ditched USB-A connectivity on this Mac mini.

Performance

The new Mac mini is available with either the M4 chip or the M4 Pro chip. This marks the first machine with the M4 Pro option, following the introduction of the M4 in the iPad Pro and 24-inch iMac. In both the M4 and M4 Pro configurations, the new Mac mini starts at 16GB of RAM.

As detailed in our full coverage of the M4 Pro chip, it features support for up to 64GB of RAM. It features a 14-core CPU with 10 performance cores and 4 high-efficiency cores. That’s paired with an up to 20-core GPU that Apple says is up to twice as fast as the GPU in the M4 chip.

Here are some stat highlights from Apple on the Mac mini powered by M4, in comparison to the Mac mini with M1:

  • Applies up to 2.8x more audio effect plugins in a Logic Pro project.
  • Delivers up to 13.3x faster gaming performance in World of Warcraft: The War Within.
  • Enhances photos with up to 33x faster image upscaling performance in Photomator.

And here are some stat highlights of the M4 Pro Mac mini in comparison to the M2 Pro version:

  • Applies up to 1.8x more audio effect plugins in a Logic Pro project.
  • Renders motion graphics to RAM up to 2x faster in Motion.
  • Completes 3D renders up to 2.9x faster in Blender.
  • The Neural Engine in M4 Pro is also over 3x faster.

The Mac mini powered by the M4 Pro chip also offers Thunderbolt 5 connectivity. Apple says that Thunderbolt 5 support enables up to 120 Gb/s data transfer speeds on Mac mini, and more than doubles the throughput of Thunderbolt 4.

Pricing and availability

The Mac mini starting price remains unchanged at $599 with 256GB of storage and 16GB of RAM. The M4 model is configurable with up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. There’s also an optional 10 gigabit ethernet upgrade as well.

The M4 Pro Mac mini starts at $1,399 with a 12-core CPU and 16-core GPU, paired with 24GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. It can be configured with a 14-core CPU and 20-core GPU, up to 64GB of memory, and up to 8TB of storage.

You can follow along with all of this week’s news in our dedicated roundup.

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Author

Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is the editor-in-chief of 9to5Mac, overseeing the entire site’s operations. He also hosts the 9to5Mac Daily and 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcasts.

You can send tips, questions, and typos to chance@9to5mac.com.

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