Is the M4 Mac mini Already Apple’s Release of the Year?

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I’ve been waiting for this.

Yesterday, Apple revealed the brand-new M4 Mac mini. Powered by the M4 chip and featuring a design which takes up less than half the frontprint of the previous version, it looks set to be one of their best ever Macs.

That isn’t hyperbole. And, no, I haven’t got my hands on one yet (mine is on order and a full review will follow, soon) but I know my Macs, and I know that the Mac mini is still one of the most compelling – and most cost-effective – ways to get into the wonderful world or macOS. 

This new version takes that to a whole new level.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though, because today, I’d like to share what I believe to be the good and not so good stuff about the new M4 Mac mini. We’ll also try and suss out who should buy this little beast – and I’ll reveal the spec I’ve pre-ordered.

M4 Mac mini: the GOOD stuff

The M4 Mac mini starts at £599/$599. That nets you a 10-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU, 16GB of unified memory, and 256GB of storage. It is, quite simply, an absolute bargain. Sure, you need to add a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, but you’ll still end up with one hell of a capable Mac rig for very little outlay.

Apple has also removed the 8GB variant. So, that puts an end to the 8GB vs 16GB debate forever. Thank god for that.

Overall, the new Mac mini is up to 20 times faster than the 2018 Intel Mac mini, which makes it an unbelievable upgrade for anyone in that position. Honestly, you won’t know what’s hit you, if you sit in that camp.

Speaking of power, the M4 Pro version of the new Mac mini looks insane. Its CPU is 1.6 times faster than the outgoing M2 Pro Mac mini, and there’s 1.5 times faster graphics on offer, too.

All of this sits inside a new chassis which is as tiny as it should be. As you’d expect, Apple has aimed squarely at the Windows market with this, noting that the new Mac mini is around 1/20 the size of a similarly priced and specced PC desktop. Ouch. Oh, and it’s also the first carbon-neutral Mac. Which is nice.

That new design brings with it some tasty changes. We’ve lost USB-A, I’m afraid, but we do at least now have two USB-C ports and a headphone jack on the front, along with three Thunderbolt ports on the back. HDMI and ethernet made the cut, thankfully, and if you go for the M4 Pro version, you get Thunderbolt 5 for the first time ever on a Mac.

For anyone who has the thirst and budget, you’ll be glad – and possibly surprised – to discover that the M4 Pro Mac mini can handle up to three 6K displays. Even the base model M4 Mac mini can drive up to two 6K and one 5K display simultaneously. Crazy stuff.

Is it all roses? Well, yes, pretty much. Regardless, this is the internet, so I’ve managed to find four things about the M4 Mac mini that might be troublesome.

M4 Mac mini: the BAD stuff

There have been so many rumours about the new Mac mini leading up to this week’s announcement. One of the most consistent was that the new version would come complete with a new range of colour options.

I basically took this and ran with it. When I heard the more recent rumour that the redesigned Mac mini would resemble a slightly taller Apple TV, I convinced myself that we’d get a black version. We didn’t. And, no, there’s no lairy orange version, either.

Does this matter? Yes. Well, no. But I don’t care. I like orange things.

As noted earlier, the new Mac mini doesn’t come with USB-A ports. This marks the end of that kind of connectivity on Apple’s smallest desktop computer unless you head into Dongle Land. It doesn’t bother me, but I know it’ll be a pain for anyone who still relies on that connection for something very important.

I must also highlight the storage upgrade prices which remain bonkers. To add 2TB to my Mac mini configuration, it cost my business a whopping £600 extra on top of the base price. At least this is one Mac where cheaper and limitless external storage makes the most sense.

Lastly, the new design probably is going to cause a bit of a headache for anyone who rackmounts their Mac minis. Apple even nodded towards this market during its reveal video. I’m sure there’ll be countless third-party solutions already hitting the market, but I’d also guess that demand for M1 and M2 Mac minis is going to explode in the corporate sector.

That’s all the gripes I could find, and none of them are particularly big, are they?

But this is the internet, and I know there’s a few things people will relentlessly complain about with the new Mac mini, so let’s quickly head them off at the pass.

M4 Mac mini: the stuff that doesn’t matter but which people will complain about

There are two comments I’m expecting to see below my YouTube videos about the M4 Mac mini.

The first is the power button placement. It’s always the big stuff, after all, eh? Apple has decided to move this rather useful switch to the underside of the Mac mini. Thankfully, they’ve seen it fit to position it where most people – I think – should be able to access it by sliding their forefinger beneath the computer. You know – without lifting it up. But that won’t stop people claiming that it will result in them having to turn their Mac mini upside down everytime they want to switch it on or off (which is rarely, on both accounts).

Remember – this is the internet.

The second is the presence of the headphone jack on the front of the new Mac mini. For me, this is a benefit. I don’t leave my wired headphones plugged into my Mac – they come out when required, which, these days, isn’t that often. If it’s an aesthetic thing and you don’t like ugly wires hanging out of your lovely new Mac mini – I get it. Kinda.

For the record, I’d rather these two minor grumbles don’t dictate the narrative of Mac mini commentary – because Apple has done so much right with this thing.

Who should buy the M4 Mac mini?

I think there are three types of people who should buy the new M4 Mac mini.

The first is anyone who has an Intel Mac mini. Basically, even if you weren’t thinking about upgrading, you should give the new one serious thought. It will be a monumental upgrade for you – seriously.

The second is anyone who has an M1 Mac mini who wants more power. If that’s you, I’m glad to report that all of your Christmases have arrived at once. You can read why I gave away my M1 Mac Mini if you’re interested.

Lastly, we have anyone who has been wanting to buy their first Mac mini for the first time but who has been waiting for ‘the right moment’. Good news: that moment is now.

The one I’ve ordered (and what I’m doing with it)

The first thing I did after hearing about the new Mac mini was get my order in – and I’ve gone to town on it.

I opted for the M4 Pro version and specced it up to the maximum 14-core CPU and 20-core GPU. To that, I added 64GB of unified memory, and that remortgage-inducing 2TB of SSD storage.

The final tick box clicked was the one for the 10Gb ethernet upgrade, purely because all of my YouTube mates did the same thing and I’d have felt left out if I didn’t have it – even though I possibly don’t have a need for a communication port of that magnitude.

This tiny beast is going to become the main Mac I use in the studio, and the central powerhouse of my long-wanted and much-talked about music production setup. Consequently, it’ll put my M3 Max MacBook Pro at risk, but I’ll report back on how that fares in terms of usage post-M4 Pro Mac mini acquisition.

It’s a good time to be a Mac fan.

Before you go