Apple's M4 Mac mini is officially tiny, and I think it's the best Mac

Home / Hot Stuff / Apple’s M4 Mac mini is officially tiny, and I think it’s the best Mac

The Mac mini has long been one of the best Macs you can buy. It’s by far one of the most affordable, and thanks to Apple silicon, these tiny machines are super powerful. Apple’s new M4 Mac is now official, after leaking last night. It’s now smaller than ever at the size of an Apple TV and more powerful than ever with M4 and M4 Pro – perfect for your desk. In fact, I think it’s the new best Mac.

Read more: Apple confirms exciting Mac announcements this week: here’s what to expect

Apple’s new Mac mini is even teenier than the current model at 5×5 inches – almost the same size as an Apple TV 4K. It’s definitely handheld, per Apple’s own images. This new Mac mini comes with an M4 and M4 Pro chip option, as expected.

The standard M4 delivers 1.8x the CPU speed and a solid 2.2x GPU boost over the M1 variant. And the M4 Pro gets you a CPU that goes up to 14 cores and a GPU maxing out at 20 cores. You can configure up to 64GB of unified memory (up from a piddly 32GB) and up to 8TB of storage. This puts the base model closely in line with the M1 Max Mac Studio. Another nice touch is that this tiny desktop now starts at 16GB of memory as standard.

But it’s the ports that might be the real headline here. The Mac mini is catching up to modern demands by sneaking in two front-facing USB-C ports (like the Mac Studio). You even get a 3.5mm headphone jack on the front, which cements Apple’s position of the Mac mini as a device for creatives. On the back, the USB-C ports have been updated to support Thunderbolt 5 on the M4 Pro option. But, they remain Thunderbolt 4 on the non-pro option. This means it can handle up to three 6K displays, which is a bit overkill but brilliant nonetheless. You also get an Ethernet port and HDMI port on the rear for additional connectivity.

Look ma, how tiny!

Of course, it supports all of the latest features in the free macOS Sequoia/15 update, and some of the new Apple Intelligence features (though some are coming later). It’s also the first carbon neutral Mac, if the environment is up your alley. Like the rest of the new M4 Macs, the Mac mini retains its starting price of $599, but is slightly cheaper in the UK at £599. The M4 Pro version starts at $1399/£1399.

Related: Here’s why Apple’s new iMac M4 is the best value it’s ever been

About

Connor is a writer for Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. He has been writing for around seven years now, with writing across the web and in print too. Connor has experience on most major platforms, though does hold a place in his heart for macOS, iOS/iPadOS, electric vehicles, and smartphone tech. Just like everyone else around here, he’s a fan of gadgets of all sorts! Aside from writing, Connor is involved in the startup scene. This exciting involvement puts him at the front of new and exciting tech, always on the lookout for innovating products.