Apple Mac mini (2023)

Attractive, compact, quiet and fast-what's not to like about this straightforward update to the Mac mini?

- ALEX WAWRO

SCORE ✪✪✪✪✪

PRICE As reviewed, £1,583 (£1,899 inc VAT) from apple.com/uk 

The new Apple Mac mini is here - although you wouldn't know that it's new by looking at it. Externally, the chassis is almost identical to the M1-powered version launched in 2020. But it's what's inside that counts: the 2023 Mac mini is the first Apple desktop computer to include the latest M2 chip, and the top-shelf model debuts the brand-new M2 Pro processor.

The 2020 M1 mini was already a compelling deal, with prices starting at £699, and the new version is even cheaper at £649. That buys you a standard M2 processor with eight CPU cores and ten GPU cores (two more than the M1), but note that the entry-level model still only comes with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. There's no way to upgrade these after purchase, so consider stepping up to a model with 16GB or 24GB of memory. SSD options extend up to 2TB, and the embedded gigabit Ethernet socket can be swapped for a 10GbE port.

If you opt for the M2 Pro CPU, you get 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD as standard for £1,399 (£350 more than the equivalent M2 specification). Power users can configure up to 32GB of memory with the M2 Pro, and as much as 8TB of internal storage. There's also a choice of two CPU flavours: the standard M2 Pro has ten CPU cores and 16 GPU cores, but for an extra £300 you can choose a model with 12 CPU cores and a curiously odd 19 GPU cores.

I tested the 12-core M2 Pro model with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, which will set you back a total of £1,899. Obviously that's much higher than the entry-level price, but it's not much more expensive than a desktop PC with a comparable hardware specification - and the Mac mini is significantly smaller, quieter and more power-efficient.

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