Apple has refreshed its Mac mini line, its most affordable desktop computer. The price drops (- 100 €), the performances are better thanks to the switch to the M2 chip. The
Here is a sentence that you will rarely read: Apple lowers the price of one of its products. In a press release published on January 17, the multinational presents its new range of Mac mini, on the sidelines of the evolutions of the MacBook Pro. In a design comparable to the previous version, the most affordable Mac in the catalog will be sold 100 € less, despite the performance on the rise.
Indeed, the Mac mini will go from an M1 chip to an M2 chip, for a floor price now set at €699 (against €799). Or 20 € more than a refurbished Mac mini with an M1 chip offered by the Apple site. Note that you can also upgrade to an M2 Pro chip, provided you spend €1,549. This is an option for those who need more resources than a simple M2 chip, without necessarily being able to invest in a Mac Studio at €2,299.
100 € less for the Mac mini
With this price, the Mac mini really stands out as the ultimate way to discover the macOS universe, from the moment you have no need for mobility (it’s a fixed computer, as a reminder). Like the M1 chip, the M2 chip, designed by Apple, promises dizzying performance and, above all, sufficient for the majority of uses – even professionals. We were able to test it with the latest MacBook Air.
Concretely, Apple is counting on the following developments:
- Up to 50% faster performance in Adobe Photoshop (including filters);
- More fluidity in Resident Evil Villagethe latest horror game from Capcom.
The arrival of the M2 Pro chip also marks the end of configurations based around an Intel processor (which were the “Pro” versions before). All that’s missing is the Mac Pro to complete the Apple Silicon transition.
Three Mac mini M2 configurations are available (excluding options) :
| Setup 1 | Setup 2 | Setup 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chip | M2 | M2 | M2 Pro |
| CPU | 8 hearts | 8 hearts | 10 hearts |
| GPUs | 10 hearts | 10 hearts | 16 cores |
| RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| SSD | 256 GB | 512 GB | 512 GB |
| Thunderbolt 4 ports | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Other Ports | USB‑A (x2) hdmi Gigabit-Ethernet helmet | USB‑A (x2) hdmi Gigabit-Ethernet helmet | USB‑A (x2) hdmi Gigabit-Ethernet helmet |
| Price | 699 euros | 929 euros | €1,549 |
Like the MacBook Pro launched at the same time, the Mac mini is compatible with Wi-Fi 6E, which uses the 6 GHz band. Numerama’s test of the iPad Pro with the Google Nest Wifi Pro proved that this technology can be impressive. A major performance boost is expected.
Paradoxically, the MacBook Air, also equipped with the M2 chip, is not entitled to Wi-Fi 6E. Difficult to justify this choice of Apple.
In its most muscular configuration, the Mac mini costs €5,229. He understands :
- An Apple M2 Pro chip with a 12-core CPU, 19-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine;
- 32 GB of unified memory;
- 8TB SSD storage;
- A 10 Gigabit Ethernet port (this is a chargeable option).
The Mac mini will be available from January 24.
We need you to build the future of Numerama: take part in our survey!