Apple shrinks the Mac mini with M4 power

Apple just took its most affordable Mac, shrank it to the size of a coaster, and finally gave it the specs users have been begging for.

Apple unveiled the completely redesigned Mac mini powered by the M4 and new M4 Pro chips. Measuring just 5 by 5 inches, the footprint is less than half the size of the previous model. Best of all, it still starts at $599, but Apple has finally killed the 8GB baseline: unified memory now starts at 16GB.

Pre-orders are open now, with units hitting shelves on November 8.

Half the size, double the cooling cleverness

The new Mac mini is basically Apple TV-sized, enabled by Apple silicon efficiency and a thermal architecture that pulls air through internal layers and exhausts entirely through the bottom foot. Apple claims it is up to 6 times faster than the top-selling PC desktop in its price tier, at just one-twentieth the volume.

The base M4 chip packs a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, offering up to 1.8x faster CPU and 2.2x faster GPU speeds than the M1 model.

For heavier workloads, the M4 Pro scales up to a 14-core CPU and a 20-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing. It supports up to 64GB of memory with 273GB/s bandwidth, which Apple notes is double that of any competing AI PC chip. The Neural Engine in M4 Pro is over 3x faster than M1, built specifically to run local Apple Intelligence workloads.

Ports where you can actually reach them

Anyone who has owned a Mac mini knows the struggle of blind-reaching behind the desk to plug in a thumb drive. Apple finally fixed this by putting two USB-C ports and a high-impedance headphone jack right on the front.

The back features three Thunderbolt 4 ports on the M4 model, while the M4 Pro model upgrades to Thunderbolt 5 with transfer speeds up to 120Gb/s. Both come with HDMI and Gigabit Ethernet (configurable to 10Gb). Display support is wild for this form factor: M4 can drive up to two 6K screens plus a 5K, and M4 Pro handles up to three 6K displays simultaneously.

The machine also marks Apple's first carbon-neutral Mac, cutting greenhouse gas emissions across its lifecycle by over 80 percent.

Why it matters

At $599 with 16GB of RAM, this is arguably the best-value desktop computer on the market today. The 8GB bottleneck that plagued base Macs for years is finally gone, making this an instant buy for students, developers, and creators who already own monitors and peripherals.

For the broader industry, it sets a punishing benchmark for mini PCs and Windows AI PCs. Delivering up to 273GB/s unified memory bandwidth in a 5-inch silent chassis is something x86 alternatives simply cannot replicate without dedicated GPUs, massive power bricks, and loud fans.

In our view, Apple made the right tactical call by conceding on two long-running user gripes: front-facing ports and baseline RAM. It seems obvious that Apple Intelligence forced their hand on the 16GB minimum, but buyers win either way. The only bizarre compromise is the power button, which sits on the underside of the chassis, meaning you will have to lift the machine to turn it on.