Apple’s new Mac Mini with the M4 Pro chip launches, now available to pre order
posted Thursday, October 31, 2024 at 10:13 AM EST
Apple just gave the popular Mac Mini a massive design overhaul, making it smaller but even more powerful. The new compact desktop is equipped with the latest M4 and M4 Pro chips and is compatible with Apple Intelligence.
The first thing that jumps out at you is the new form factor of the Mac Mini. It has significantly shrunk down from previous models. The mini desktop computer only measures five inches in length and width. How Apple engineers managed to squeeze the powerful M4 chip into such a tiny package is just mind-boggling.
- Check out the entire Apple Mac Mini range here at B&H
- Apple Mac Mini M4 Pro also available at Amazon
- Apple Mac Mini M4 starting at $599
Apple's new M4 chip comes to the Mac Mini
The new M4 chip has up to 10 CPU cores, and 10 GPU cores and starts out with 16 GB of unified memory. The more powerful M4 Pro features 14 CPU cores (with 10 performance cores and four efficiency cores) and up to 20 GPU cores. Apple claims that the M4 Pro is the world’s fastest CPU core “with lightning-fast single-threaded performance.” The M4 Pro supports up to 64 GB of unified memory and 273GB/s of memory bandwidth.
Interestingly, Apple had enough space in the Mini to have nine I/O ports. There are two USB-C ports and a 3.5mm audio jack in the front. The is a gigabit ethernet, HDMI, and three USB-C (Thunderbolt) ports around the back of the device. Noticeably absent in the Mini is the USB-A port that was present in the previous model.
The speed of the Thunderbolt ports on the new Mac Mini depends on the CPU. The M4 features Thunderbolt 4 while the M4 Pro chip comes with the latest Thunderbolt 5 which delivers 80 gigabits per second transfer speeds.
Having a powerful chip in a small chassis does bring about some concerns regarding cooling. Apple claims that the Mac Mini manages to keep things cool because of the “incredible power efficiency of Apple silicon and an innovative thermal architecture, which guides air to different levels of the system, while all venting is done through the foot.”
Both models support three display outputs which is great for editing and post-production work. The M4 Pro is capable of using three 6K displays at 60Hz while the M4 supports two 6K and one 5K display.
For photographers and videographers, the new Mac Mini M4 and M4 Pro promise performance close to that of the Mac Studio but in a smaller and significantly cheaper unit. The base model Mac Mini M4 with 16GB memory starts at $599. The premium M4 Pro starts at $1,399.