Apple has unveiled the all-new Mac mini powered by the M4 and new M4 Pro chips, and redesigned around Apple silicon.
And it comes in an even smaller form of just 5 by 5 inches. With the M4 chip , Mac mini delivers up to 1.8x faster CPU performance and 2.2x faster GPU performance over the M1 model, according to John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. With M4 Pro, it takes the advanced technologies in M4 and scales them up to tackle even more demanding workloads, he adds.
For more convenient connectivity, it features front and back ports, and for the first time includes Thunderbolt 5 for faster data transfer speeds on the M4 Pro model. The new Mac mini is also built for Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system that transforms how users work, communicate, and express themselves while protecting their privacy.
The new Mac mini footprint is less than half the size of the previous design at just 5 by 5 inches, so it takes up much less space on a desk. Ternus says the super-compact system is enabled by the incredible power efficiency of Apple silicon and an innovative thermal architecture, which guides air to different levels of the system, while all venting is done through the foot.
According to Apple….
When compared to the Mac mini with Intel Core i7, Mac mini with M4:
- Applies up to 2.8x more audio effect plugins in a Logic Pro project.
- Delivers up to 13.3x faster gaming performance in World of Warcraft: The War Within.
- Enhances photos with up to 33x faster image upscaling performance in Photomator.
When compared to the Mac mini with M1, Mac mini with M4:
- Performs spreadsheet calculations up to 1.7x faster in Microsoft Excel.
- Transcribes with on-device AI speech-to-text up to 2x faster in MacWhisper.
- Merges panoramic images up to 4.9x faster in Adobe Lightroom Classic.
M4 Pro for Pro-Level Performance
For users who want pro-level performance, Mac mini with M4 Pro features the world’s fastest CPU core with lightning-fast single-threaded performance. With up to 14 cores, including 10 performance cores and four efficiency cores, M4 Pro also provides serious multithreaded performance.
With up to 20 cores, the M4 Pro GPU is up to twice as powerful as the GPU in M4, and both chips bring hardware-accelerated ray tracing to the Mac mini for the first time. The Neural Engine in M4 Pro is also over 3x faster than in Mac mini with M1, so on-device Apple Intelligence models run at blazing speed, says Ternus.
The M4 Pro supports up to 64GB of unified memory and 273GB/s of memory bandwidth — twice as much bandwidth as any AI PC chip — for accelerating AI workloads. And M4 Pro supports Thunderbolt 5, which delivers up to 120 Gb/s data transfer speeds on Mac mini, and more than doubles the throughput of Thunderbolt 4.
According to Apple….
When compared to the Mac mini with Intel Core i7, Mac mini with M4 Pro:
- Performs spreadsheet calculations up to 4x faster in Microsoft Excel.
- Executes scene-edit detection up to 9.4x faster in Adobe Premiere Pro.
- Transcribes with on-device AI speech-to-text up to 20x faster in MacWhisper.
- Processes basecalling for DNA sequencing in Oxford Nanopore MinKNOW up to 26x faster.
When compared to the Mac mini with M2 Pro, Mac mini with M4 Pro:
- Applies up to 1.8x more audio effect plugins in a Logic Pro project.
- Renders motion graphics to RAM up to 2x faster in Motion.
- Completes 3D renders up to 2.9x faster in Blender.
Upgraded Connectivity and Display Support
The new Mac mini features a wide array of ports. It includes front-facing ports, including two USB-C ports that support USB 3, and an audio jack with support for high-impedance headphones. On the back, the Mac mini with M4 includes three Thunderbolt 4 ports, while the Mac mini with M4 Pro features three Thunderbolt 5 ports.
The new front-facing ports on Mac mini include two USB-C ports and an audio jack with support for high-impedance headphones.
The Mac mini comes standard with Gigabit Ethernet, configurable up to 10Gb Ethernet for faster networking speeds, and an HDMI port for easy connection to a TV or HDMI display without an adapter. With the M4, the Mac mini can support up to two 6K displays and up to one 5K display, and with M4 Pro, it can support up to three 6K displays at 60Hz for a total of over 60 million pixels.
And marking an important environmental milestone, Mac mini is Apple’s first carbon neutral Mac with an over 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across its materials, manufacturing, transportation, and customer use.
Customers can pre-order the new Mac mini with M4 and M4 Pro starting today on apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app in 28 countries and regions, including the U.S. It will start arriving to customers, and in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers, beginning Friday, November 8.
The Mac mini with M4 starts at US$599 and $499 for education. Additional technical specifications are available at apple.com/mac-mini.
The Mac mini with M4 Pro starts at US$1,399 and $1,299for education. Additional technical specifications are available at apple.com/mac-mini.
New accessories with USB-C — including Magic Keyboard ($99 U.S.), Magic Keyboard with Touch ID ($149 U.S.), Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad ($179 U.S.), Magic Trackpad ($129 U.S.), Magic Mouse ($79 U.S.), and Thunderbolt 5 Pro Cable ($69) — are available at apple.com/store.
Apple Intelligence is available now as a free software update for Mac with M1 and later, and can be accessed in most regions around the world when the device and Siri language are set to U.S. English. The first set of features is in beta and available with macOS Sequoia 15.1, with more features rolling out in the months to come.
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