Specs Appeal: A Detailed Comparison of the New M4 Mac mini vs M2 and M1 Mac minis
With the release of the newly revamped Mac mini by Apple, it’s essential to evaluate how this latest iteration stacks up against its predecessors, notably those featuring the older design and M2/M1 chipsets.
The freshly redesigned Mac mini, now powered by the M4 chip, marks the first significant redesign in 14 years since the original unibody model was introduced in 2010. This latest version is noticeably more compact and lightweight, occupying only 5 by 5 inches of desk space, as per the official specifications. It also features an updated thermal system with air vents integrated into the base plate.
Nonetheless, there is a peculiar design choice with the new model: the power button has been relocated to the base rather than the rear, reminiscent of the controversial charging port positioning seen in the Apple Magic Mouse. On a brighter note, users benefit from the addition of two USB-C ports at the front of the Mac mini, eliminating the inconvenience of reaching around the device to make connections.
Transitioning from the M2 series to the new M4 processors has enabled Apple to enhance not only performance but also display capabilities. The new Mac mini can now support up to three 6K displays at 60Hz. In terms of performance, Apple claims the M4 model can deliver double the speed for motion graphics in Motion and achieve 2.9 times faster rendering in Blender compared to the M2 Pro variant.
All Mac mini models now begin with a minimum of 16GB of RAM, as Apple has discontinued the 8GB configuration. The highest RAM capacity is now 64GB, an increase of 16GB compared to the previous generation’s maximum of 48GB. However, the base storage option remains unchanged at 256GB.
Here’s a summary of the primary changes:
- More compact and lighter chassis.
- Updated Apple M4 and M4 Pro processors featuring additional cores, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, enhanced memory, and AV1 decode.
- Starting RAM configuration of 16GB.
- New maximum RAM option of 64GB.
- Support for up to three displays.
- Expanded connectivity options: three Thunderbolt 4 ports and three Thunderbolt 5 ports (available on M4 Pro).
- Removal of USB-A ports.
Below is a detailed comparison of specifications by model:
| Mac mini M4 | Mac mini M2 | Mac mini M1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 5.0 x 12.7 x 12.7 cm, 0.67 kg (M4), 0.73 kg (M4 Pro) 2 x 5 x 5 in, 1.5 lbs (M4), 1.6 lbs (M4 Pro) |
3.58 x 19.7 x 19.7 cm, 1.18 kg (M2), 1.28 kg (M2 Pro) 1.41 x 7.75 x 7.75 in, 2.6 lbs (M2), 2.8 lbs (M2 Pro) |
3.6 x 19.7 x 19.7 cm, 1.2 kg 1.4 x 7.7 x 7.7 in, 2.6 lbs |
||
| CPU |
Apple M4 |
Apple M4 Pro Up to 14-core CPU Up to 20-core GPU Hardware-accelerated ray tracing 16-core NPU 273GB/s memory bandwidth |
Apple M2 8-core CPU 10-core GPU 16-core NPU 100GB/s memory bandwidth |
Apple M2 Pro Up to 12-core CPU Up to 19-core GPU 16-core NPU 200GB/s memory bandwidth |
Apple M1 8-core CPU 8-core GPU 16-core NPU |
| Media Engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW Video decode engine Video encode engine ProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decode |
Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW Video decode engine Video encode engine ProRes encode and decode engine |
Hardware-accelerated H.264 and HEVC Video decode engine Video encode engine |
||
| Memory | 16 GB, 24GB, 32GB, 48GB, and 64GB | 8GB, 16GB, 24GB, 32GB | 8GB, 16GB | ||
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB | |||
| Display support | Supports up to three displays | Supports up to two displays (M2) or three displays (M2 Pro) | One display | ||
| Wireless Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 | |||
| Audio Features | 3.5 mm headphone jack with high-impedance support HDMI port with multichannel audio Built-in speaker |
3.5 mm headphone jack HDMI port with multichannel audio Built-in speaker |
|||
| Ports |
3x Thunderbolt 4 (M4) 3x Thunderbolt 5 (M4 Pro)2x USB-C 1x HDMI 1x Gigabit Ethernet (optional 10Gpbs) |
2x Thunderbolt 4 (M2) 4x Thunderbolt 4 (M2 Pro) 2x USB-A 1x HDMI 1x Gigabit Ethernet (optional 10Gpbs) |
2x Thunderbolt / USB 4 2x USB-A 1x HDMI 1x Gigabit Ethernet |
||
| Smart Features | Yes | ||||
| Color Options | Silver | ||||
| Starting Price | $599+ | $599+ | $699+ | ||
The newly updated Mac mini is now available for preorder, with shipping expected to begin on November 8, 2024.
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