Apple Mac mini (M4 Pro) review: A compact powerhouse

Apple Mac mini (M4 Professional) evaluation: Tiny however mighty

Good issues are available small packages

The very first thing you should know in regards to the redesigned Mac mini is that it’s very small. With a footprint of 12.7cm by 12.7cm, it virtually suits within the palm of my hand. It’s far more compact than the last-generation Mac mini. When it comes to absolute quantity, the brand new Mac mini solely takes up about 58% of the house that its predecessor did. Although it’s positively tiny, its options and efficiency potential are astonishing, and leaves little question in my thoughts that it’s the most effective value-for-money product that Apple at present makes.

The TL;DR model:

The Mac mini could also be Apple’s smallest and most inexpensive Mac, however it delivers large efficiency and worth.

Be aware: You could find the Mac mini on Lazada, Shopee, and the Apple Online Store.

Apple’s redesign of the Mac mini was inevitable given the sheer quantity of unused space in the last-generation model. It’s additionally deeply spectacular. Numbers alone don’t paint an correct image of simply how compact this factor is – it’s a must to see it for your self within the flesh.

The brand new Mac mini seems to be extra like a shrunken model of the Mac Studio than the last-gen Mac mini – it’s extra of a sq. than an extended rectangle. I feel this resolution was the proper one since it means it takes up much less house on a desk. It’s not a heavy factor in any respect too at just a bit over 700g. This does imply some care must be taken when connecting or eradicating peripherals as a result of it’s straightforward to inadvertently transfer the Mac mini within the course of.

The one subject with the Mac mini’s design is the place of the ability button. For some inexplicable motive, Apple determined to place it on the backside. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means because you received’t be needing it usually. Nonetheless, it begs the query why, particularly since they might have simply put it on the again just like the Mac Studio.

Regardless of its measurement, connectivity is nice. To begin, there at the moment are two USB ports on the entrance – these help USB speeds of as much as 10Gbps. There’s additionally a 3.5mm headphone jack within the entrance too. Behind, you’ll discover one other three USB-C ports that help both Thunderbolt 4 or 5 relying on the processor you select on your system (extra on that later). On the again can be a full-size HDMI port and a Gigabit Ethernet port that may be upgraded to help 10Gb Ethernet. That stated, there are not any USB-A ports and there’s no SD card reader.

Exterior show help has additionally been improved. All Mac minis – even the bottom mannequin model – can drive as much as three shows. Moreover, all fashions can help no less than one 8K show.

Contained in the Mac mini, you possibly can have Apple’s latest M4 or M4 Professional chips. These chips comprise Apple’s fastest-ever CPU and GPU cores that ship higher efficiency, larger reminiscence bandwidth, and help for graphics applied sciences like hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading. And ultimately, Apple is giving out 16GB of reminiscence as customary for all Mac minis – even the bottom mannequin.

The M4 chip options 10 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores and could be spec’ed with as much as 32GB of reminiscence. Alternatively, the M4 Professional is available in two configurations: one with 12 CPU cores and 16 GPU cores, and one other with 14 CPU cores and 20 GPU cores. Each M4 Professional configurations could be outfitted with as much as 64GB of reminiscence. Most storage for each M4 and M4 Professional Mac minis is 2TB. As ever, you possibly can’t improve your Mac mini after the very fact, so rigorously contemplate how a lot reminiscence and storage you want.

The unit I’m testing comes with the full-fat M4 Professional chip – which means 14 CPU cores and 20 GPU cores. It’s vital to notice that the M4 Professional’s core configuration may be very completely different from the usual M4. The M4 has 4 efficiency cores and 6 effectivity cores, whereas the M4 Professional has 10 efficiency cores and 4 effectivity cores – that’s greater than double the variety of efficiency cores.

As you’ll see from the results on the next page, the M4 Professional’s multi-core efficiency was practically double that of the usual M4. It’s extra appropriate to think about the M4 Professional as a cut-down M4 Max relatively than a beefed-up M4. What’s additionally exceptional is how the M4 Professional typically outperforms and comes near the efficiency of a Mac Studio with a fully decked-out M2 Ultra chip.

In the actual world, the efficiency enhancements are maybe much less dramatic. The M4 Professional Mac mini is quick, however so is the last-generation Mac mini – it is perhaps powered by the older M2 chip, however it stays very succesful. As I stated, the efficiency limits of recent Macs with Apple Silicon are so excessive that few professionals and even fewer informal customers can discover them. Except you’re a skilled who offers with a number of streams of high-res footage, advanced 3D fashions, or music that consists of a whole bunch of tracks, the Mac mini – even the one with the usual M4 chip – will ship extra efficiency than you’ll ever want. One other spectacular factor in regards to the new Mac mini is how quiet it’s. Even beneath heavy hundreds, the followers are however a mere whisper, which is a testomony to the efficiency of Apple Silicon.

I didn’t have an M4 Mac mini to check, however I did check the new iMac which additionally has the M4 chip and it might simply edit 40MP images and 4K movies. It additionally ran Baldur’s Gate 3 simply positive, although I needed to flip down the settings a tad to maintain body charges affordable.

Efficiency apart, Mac minis with the M4 Professional chip have rear USB-C ports that help Thunderbolt 5. This allows information switch charges of as much as 120Gbps – 3 times quicker than Thunderbolt 4. Although Thunderbolt 5 equipment are uncommon and expensive, customers who demand the most effective needs to be happy that the Mac mini helps it. Mac minis with the usual M4 chip have rear USB-C ports that help Thunderbolt 4.

One minor disappointment is the lack of support for Wi-Fi 7. I believed Apple’s latest Macs would help Wi-Fi 7 just like the iPhone 16 collection, however they nonetheless only support Wi-Fi 6E. It’s actually a disappointment given the shortcomings of Wi-Fi 6E and the truth that Wi-Fi 7 is indubitably the networking customary of the long run.

Like all different Macs working Apple Silicon, the brand new Mac mini additionally helps Apple Intelligence. Regardless of all of the hype and buildup, I’m afraid Apple Intelligence doesn’t dramatically change the Mac person expertise. There’s no query that some options like Writing Instruments and Clear Up are good to have, however there are already apps for that. I’m not saying Apple Intelligence is redundant, however it’s not as useful as you may think it to be – no less than not in its present state.

The Mac with the most effective worth

With costs beginning at S$849, the Mac mini is the most cost effective means you will get right into a Mac. You’ll want your individual monitor, keyboard, mouse, and probably audio system, however even an older M2 MacBook Air is S$1,399. That S$550 value distinction is sufficient to get you a good monitor and different equipment.

The bottom mannequin Mac mini is best worth than ever, particularly because it now has 16GB of reminiscence as customary. Solely having 256GB of storage might be just a little imply, however you can also make it work with cloud storage providers or by getting an exterior storage drive. The essential factor is that even the bottom Mac mini with the M4 chip will run nearly any app and do nearly any and every part you want.

Upgrades, as ever, are expensive and have to be rigorously thought of. For instance, upgrading to a 512GB SSD within the base mannequin prices an additional S$300, which is ridiculous since that very same quantity can simply get you a 2TB M.2 SSD in Sim Lim with spare change. My recommendation as ever is to remain lean on the choices.

The unit I examined with a full-fat M2 Professional chip, 48GB of reminiscence, and a 1TB SSD is S$3,199. Nonetheless, contemplating the efficiency of the unit I examined, it will possibly and needs to be regarded as a cut-price mini Mac Studio – no less than till Apple updates the Mac Studio with M4-class chips.

Going small used to imply making concessions, however the brand new Mac mini appears to have compromised on little or no. It’s one of the gorgeous techniques I’ve examined in years, and can possible go down in historical past as one of the vital Macs Apple has ever made.