Small But Mighty

A Mac is many things but cheap. So surprisingly, the big news for many people is that the new Mac mini now starts at $849, $130 lower than the starting price of the last-generation M1-powered Mac mini.

- KENNY YEO

Apple Mac Mini M2 Pro

And with that you get the full-fat M2 chip with 8 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores paired with 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage. The unit I received, however, is a custom-order M2 Pro with a 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU, 32GB of memory, and a 2TB SSD. Unsurprisingly, it's one of the most expensive Mac minis you can spec out. Configured this way, the price goes up to $3,817.20.

The main differences apart from the processor are the ports and video connectivity. Because of the limitations of the M1 chip, you’d only get two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports. The M2 Pro models will get two more for a total of four USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports. All Mac minis will have two USB-A USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. And for an extra $151.40, you can upgrade that Gigabit Ethernet port to a 10GbE port.

Video connectivity is also different. Mac minis with M2 chips will only be able to drive up to two external displays simultaneously, while units with M2 Pro chips can drive up to three. Also, M2 Pro chips will work with 8K displays (at up to 60Hz), while M2 chips support up to 6K displays at 60Hz. Wireless connectivity has been improved with support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.