The **First Mac Mini Revamp in Nearly 15 Years**: A Thorough Examination of the M4 Mac Mini
The Mac mini, Apple’s petite desktop machine, is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary in January 2024. Throughout the years, the Mac mini has stood as a crucial component of Apple’s offerings, providing a budget-friendly entry into the Mac environment. Nevertheless, the design of the Mac mini has seen minimal alterations for almost 15 years—until now. The newly released M4 Mac mini boasts not just a major internal upgrade but also a much-anticipated exterior refresh. This article delves into the new M4 Mac mini, highlighting its design, performance, and why it might be regarded as the best Mac mini ever made by Apple.
### A Quick Overview of the Mac Mini’s History
The Mac mini made its debut in 2005, priced at $499 and promoted as the most economical way to enter the Mac ecosystem. The price varied over the years, yet the Mac mini consistently offered the lowest-cost Mac model. However, entry-level versions often lacked adequate performance. Early models were equipped with minimal RAM, and even the 2018 Mac mini was powered by a Core i3 processor that had difficulty justifying its pricing.
Jump to 2024, and the new M4 Mac mini signifies a breakthrough. With a price of $599, it emerges as the most potent and capable Mac mini ever created by Apple at this price tier. The M4 chip, paired with 16GB of RAM, delivers performance that transforms the Mac mini into more than merely an entry-level machine—it’s a proficient mainstream PC with minimal compromises.
### The Redesign: A Fresh Appearance for the Mac Mini
The M4 Mac mini represents just the second redesign of the device in its 20-year existence. The updated design is streamlined and compact, featuring a reduced size of 5×5 inches, down from the earlier 7.7×7.7 inches. Although the height has seen a slight increase from 1.4 inches to 2 inches, the overall effect is that the new Mac mini feels markedly smaller and more streamlined than its predecessor.
The design aesthetic remains recognizable, with an all-metal body and a black Apple logo recessed on the top. However, the ports are now integrated directly into the aluminum casing, similar to the Mac Studio, endowing the device with a sleeker and more contemporary appearance. A notable alteration is the shifting of the power button to the lower corner, a move that has incited some debate, though it’s a minor hassle for most users.
### Ports: Pros and Cons
The latest Mac mini features a combination of familiar and new ports. The most notable alteration is the elimination of the two USB-A ports, which could be seen as a drawback for some users. However, the new mini adds another Thunderbolt port, raising the total to three at the back, along with two USB-C ports located at the front for added ease of access. The M4 Pro variant of the Mac mini also includes Thunderbolt 5 ports, enabling even faster data transfers.
While the absence of USB-A ports may inconvenience some users, the addition of front-facing ports simplifies connecting devices significantly. The M4 Mac mini is now capable of supporting up to three external displays, marking a considerable enhancement over earlier models, which were restricted to two.
### Performance: M4 and M4 Pro
The M4 chip takes center stage in the latest Mac mini. Upon its introduction, the M4 chip impressed with solid, incremental performance enhancements compared to the M3. Now, with the active cooling system in the Mac mini, the M4 can operate at peak performance for extended durations, yielding remarkable performance across various tasks.
In terms of single-core performance, the M4 outpaces the M3 by 14% to 21%, while multi-core performance exhibits advancements of 20% to 30%. When compared to the M1, the M4 achieves speeds that are 40% to 60% faster in single-core tests and up to 70% quicker in multi-core tests. Despite these performance improvements, the M4 is highly power-efficient, using less energy than the M1 during demanding tasks such as video encoding.
The M4 Pro iteration of the Mac mini goes even further, providing a substantial uptick in multi-core performance thanks to extra CPU cores. In fact, the CPU capabilities of the M4 Pro come close to that of the M1 Ultra, Apple’s most powerful chip from just a couple of years prior. This makes the M4 Pro Mac mini an enticing choice for power users who require a compact yet high-performance desktop solution.
### High Power Mode: A Mixed Blessing
One of the novel features in the M4 Pro Mac mini is the High Power mode, which was previously available only on Apple’s Max and Ultra chips. This mode enables the chip to operate at enhanced speeds and increased temperatures for prolonged periods, potentially enhancing GPU performance.
