Along with the new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro, Apple today unveiled the new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro chips. With an affordable new starting price of just $599, improved performance, and much more, the new Mac mini is a superb addition to the Mac lineup. Here’s everything you need to know.
This is the first time Apple has updated the Mac mini with a new chipset. The last time Apple announced a new Mac mini was when the company released first-generation M-series desktops and laptops. Even though the new Mac mini features similar design as the previous gen, Apple says the new Mac mini provides a phenomenal desktop experience that will take users’ productivity and creativity to the next level.
Mac mini with M2
The base model features Apple’s new M2 chipset — the same chipset as the 2022 MacBook Air. It comes with an 8-core CPU with four high-performance and four high-efficiency cores, along with a 10-core GPU. In addition, it features much faster 24GB RAM with 100GB/s of bandwidth, making activities like image editing in Adobe Photoshop up to 50 percent faster.
Proving the power prowess of the M2 model, Apple says it can handle up to two streams of 8K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps, or up to 12 streams of 4K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps. Compared to the Intel Core i7 model, the M2 Mac mini features 22x faster machine learning (ML) and up to 9.8x faster complex timeline rendering in Final Cut Pro.
Mac mini with M2 Pro
The more powerful M2 Pro Mac mini offers a 12-core CPU with eight high-performance cores and four high-efficiency. It also features a faster 19-core GPU and up to 200GB/s of memory bandwidth. It comes with a new Neural Engine that is 40 percent faster than M1, speeding up ML tasks like video analysis and image processing.
Apple also says that the M2 Pro model is specifically engineered to provide rapid video playback and encoding with minimal power consumption. It features a powerful media engine that can handle simultaneous playback of up to five streams of 8K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps or up to 23 streams of 4K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps.
Mac mini continues to offer a wide range of ports. The Mac mini with an M2 chip features two Thunderbolt 4 ports and support for up to two displays. On the other hand, the M2 Pro model includes four Thunderbolt 4 ports and support for up to three displays. Additionally, the M2 Pro model can support one 8K display, a first for the Mac.
In addition, the new models also feature two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a Gigabit Ethernet port with a 10GB option, and an upgraded 2.5mm headphone jack. It is also worth pointing out that Apple has upgraded wireless connectivity on the new models as the new Mac mini models are also equipped with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.
Pricing and Availability
The new Mac mini models are available for purchase starting today. They will start arriving at the customers’ doorsteps starting January 24, 2023. The Mac mini with M2 chipset starts at $599, while the M2 Pro variant has been priced at $1,299. Education discounts are available on both the models, bringing down their price by $100.
Source: Apple
