Last month, Apple announced a new Mac mini built around the all-new M6 chip and M5 Pro, replacing the M4 and M4 Pro models on sale since October 2024. Pre-orders are now open and the machines will arrive at customers’ homes and in stores on September 22.
The M6 model starts at $899 and the M5 Pro model starts at $1,699, each $100 more than its predecessor sold for at the end of its run and $300 more than their predecessors’ launch price. The Mac mini went from $599 to $799 in May, and the M4 Pro configuration went from $1,399 to $1,599 in June, both due to memory shortages driven by AI demand. Education pricing brings the new models down to $799 and $1,599 respectively.
What has changed in the two models
A number of upgrades also apply to Standard and Pro configurations, regardless of which chip you choose:
| Mac mini (2024) | Mac mini (2026) |
|---|---|
| Neural accelerators in each GPU core | |
| Variable refresh rate and HDR support | |
| Wi-Fi 6E connectivity | Wi-Fi 7 connectivity |
| Apple N1 wireless network chip | |
| Bluetooth5.3 | Bluetooth6 |
| Thread networking technology | |
| Gigabit Ethernet or 10 GB Ethernet | 2.5 GB Ethernet or 10 GB Ethernet |
| Genlock support over USB-C |
Mac Mini with M4 vs. M6
Here’s everything that’s different between the M4 and M6 versions of the Mac mini:
| Mac mini (M4) | Mac mini (M6) |
|---|---|
| M4 chip | M6 chip |
| 10-core processor with four performance cores and six efficiency cores | 12-core processor with two super cores, four performance cores and six efficiency cores |
| 10-core GPU | 12-core GPU |
| 16-core neural engine | Dual 16-core neural engine |
| 120 GB/s memory bandwidth | 153 GB/s memory bandwidth, increasing to 170 GB/s with 32 GB of unified memory |
| Two displays up to 6K at 60 Hz, plus a third up to 5K at 60 Hz | Two displays up to 6K at 60 Hz or 4K at 165 Hz, plus a third up to 5K at 60 Hz |
| Up to two external displays on a single Thunderbolt port | |
| Now abandoned | From $899 |
Mac Mini with M4 Pro vs. M5 Pro
The comparison below shows the remaining differences between the two Pro configurations:
| Mac mini (M4 Pro) | Mac mini (M5 Pro) |
|---|---|
| M4 Pro chip | M5 Pro chip |
| Base: 12-core CPU with eight performance cores and four efficiency cores Configurable for: 14-core processor |
Base: 15-core processor with five super cores and 10 performance cores Configurable for: 18-core processor |
| Improved shader core and third generation ray tracing | |
| 273 GB/s memory bandwidth | 307 GB/s memory bandwidth |
| Three displays up to 6K at 60 Hz | Three displays up to 6K at 60 Hz or 4K at 165 Hz |
| Two screens: one up to 8K at 60 Hz or 4K at 240 Hz, plus a second up to 6K at 60 Hz | Two displays: one up to 8K at 60 Hz, 5K at 120 Hz or 4K at 240 Hz, plus a second up to 5K at 120 Hz or 4K at 200 Hz |
| Up to three external displays on a single Thunderbolt port | |
| Now abandoned | Starting at $1,699 |
How much faster is it really?
The latest refresh is minor for ordinary work and important for AI workflows. Compared to the M4, Apple claims 40% faster CPU performance and 2x faster graphics, which is a normal generational milestone, as well as unusually large gains, up to 4x faster AI performance and up to 4.8x faster prompt processing in LM Studio. Almost all of the engineering appears to have gone into AI optimization, in the form of neural accelerators built into each GPU core for the first time on the Mac mini and a neural engine doubled as two 16-core units. The M5 Pro follows the same pattern, up to 4x faster than the M4 Pro for fast processing, but only 1.4x faster for ray tracing rendering in Blender.
Display support is the only significant change beyond the chips. Both models add 4K at 165Hz and a variable refresh rate, which the 2024 machines never supported, and the M5 Pro can drive a second display at 5K at 120Hz where the M4 Pro capped it at 6K at 60Hz. If you own a high refresh rate monitor, this is perhaps the most noticeable difference in the entire update.
It’s worth noting that Apple’s figure of up to 170GB/s for the M6 only applies to the 32GB configuration. The 16GB and 24GB models run at 153GB/s, so the gain over the M4’s 120GB/s is around 28% for most buyers, rather than the implied 42%. Bandwidth determines how quickly a model’s weights flow out of memory, making the 32GB configuration a faster machine.
The memory caps also aren’t the increases they appear to be. The M4 came with a 32GB option and the M4 Pro with 64GB when they launched in October 2024, and Apple removed both in May as memory prices climbed. The new models restore these caps rather than raising them, so a 32GB M4 or a 64GB M4 Pro already has the same cap as its 2026 equivalent.
Which one to choose?
If you own a 2024 Mac mini and don’t run AI models on it, skip this generation. A 40% improvement in CPU isn’t something you’ll notice in everyday use, and nothing else significant on the machine has changed. The exception is display support: if you have a high refresh rate monitor stuck at 60Hz, that’s a real problem that newer models solve and older ones never will.
If you’re running models locally, the upgrade is easy to justify from an M4, but harder from an M4 Pro. Processing prompts about 4 times faster changes what you can attempt. From an M4 Pro, you get an unchanged GPU core count, a 12% increase in bandwidth, and a $300 increase over what you paid, so hold off on next year’s review unless you specifically need to upgrade to a 64GB model.
For new buyers, the gap between the two 2026 models is wider than the $800 price difference suggests: the M5 Pro has 80% more memory bandwidth, double the memory cap, and 50% more CPU cores at the top. Since tools like LM Studio and Ollama run on the GPU rather than the Neural Engine, it’s capacity and bandwidth that matters. Memory capacity determines which models you can load, while bandwidth determines how quickly they run. If your models fit in 32GB, buy the M6 at $899. If not, the M5 Pro is your only option here.
The 2024 models remain to be considered even if Apple has stopped selling them new, with availability via third parties, in Apple’s refurbished store or used.
Don’t expect prices to collapse in the usual way, whichever path you take. The memory shortage caused Apple’s prices to rise twice in the M4’s final year, so a modest $799 discount is nothing remarkable. The M4 model is worth buying closer to the $599 it launched at, and well above that, it’s hard to argue against buying a new M6.
The 32 GB M4 and 64 GB M4 Pro were only marketed between October 2024 and May 2026, so they exist on the second-hand market but were not available new during the machine’s final months. A 64GB M4 Pro matches the memory cap of a $1,699 M5 Pro at 273GB/s versus 307GB/s, for much less. For running larger models on a budget, this may be the most cost-effective setup.
The new Mac mini is available for pre-order now, with shipping and in-store availability starting Tuesday, September 22.
