Apple has officially unveiled the new Mac mini, supercharged by M2 and the all-new M2 Pro. With the M2 chip, the Mac mini is even more powerful, capable, and affordable. The new M2 Pro chip delivers pro-level performance to Mac mini for the first time, enabling users to run high-performance workflows that were previously unimaginable in such a compact design.
The Apple Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro delivers faster performance, even more unified memory, and advanced connectivity, including support for up to two displays on the M2 model, and up to three displays on the M2 Pro model. Paired with Studio Display and Magic accessories, along with the power and ease of macOS Ventura, the Mac mini provides a phenomenal desktop experience that will take users’ productivity and creativity to the next level.
Compared to the previous-generation Mac mini, the M2 and M2 Pro bring a faster next-generation CPU and GPU, much higher memory bandwidth, and a more powerful media engine to the Mac mini, delivering extraordinary performance and industry-leading power efficiency. Both models feature an advanced thermal system for exceptional sustained performance.
Mac mini with M2
Mac mini with M2 features an 8-core CPU with four high-performance and four high-efficiency cores, along with a 10-core GPU—perfect for users looking for superfast performance and incredible productivity at an even more affordable starting price of $599. Everyday tasks are blazing fast—from launching and multitasking between apps to browsing the web. For users with more intensive tasks, Mac mini with M2 also powers through even more demanding workloads. With up to 24 GB of unified memory and 100 GB/s of bandwidth, activities like image editing in Adobe Photoshop are up to 50 per cent faster than the previous generation.
The M2 also adds ProRes acceleration to the Mac mini, so tasks like video editing in Final Cut Pro are more than twice as fast. The M2 model can also simultaneously play up to two streams of 8K ProRes 422 video at 30 FPS, or up to 12 streams of 4K ProRes 422 video at 30 FPS. With all this performance, the Mac mini is up to 5x faster than the bestselling Windows desktop, delivering incredible value to first-time computer buyers, upgraders, and PC switchers.
When compared to the Mac mini with Intel Core i7,3 Mac mini with M2 offers:
When compared to the previous-generation Mac mini with M1,1 Mac mini with M2 delivers:
Mac mini with M2 Pro
M2 Pro brings pro-level performance to Mac mini for the first time. Featuring up to a 12-core CPU with eight high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, along with up to a 19-core GPU, M2 Pro has 200 GB/s of memory bandwidth—double the amount in M2—and supports up to 32 GB of memory. The next-generation Neural Engine is 40 per cent faster than M1, speeding up ML tasks like video analysis and image processing. Designed to dramatically accelerate video playback and encoding while using very little power, M2 Pro offers a powerful media engine, that speeds through the most popular video codecs and can simultaneously play up to five streams of 8K ProRes 422 video at 30 FPS, or up to 23 streams of 4K ProRes 422 video at 30 FPS. The M2 Pro-powered model is up to 14x faster than the fastest Intel-based Mac mini.
When compared to the 27-inch iMac with Intel Core i7 and Radeon Pro 5500 XT, Mac mini with M2 Pro offers:
When compared to the previous-generation M1 Mac mini, Mac mini with M2 Pro delivers:
With M2 Pro, Mac mini users can run high-performance workflows that were previously inconceivable in such a compact form factor. Musicians can produce music with incredibly powerful plug-ins and effects without missing a beat, while photographers can adjust huge images in an instant. Creators can seamlessly work in Multicam with multiple camera formats, including ProRes video, and gamers can play demanding titles in console quality. Gaming performance is up to 15x faster than the fastest Intel-based Mac mini.
Advanced Connectivity
Mac mini continues to deliver extensive connectivity with a wide range of ports. The M2 model features two Thunderbolt 4 ports and support for up to two displays. The M2 Pro model includes four Thunderbolt 4 ports and support for up to three displays. Additionally, the M2 Pro model can support one 8K display, a first for the Mac. Both models feature two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a Gigabit Ethernet port with a 10 GB option, and an upgraded headphone jack to support high-impedance headphones. For wireless connectivity, both new models also feature the latest standards with Wi-Fi 6E for up to 2x faster throughput than before, as well as Bluetooth 5.3.
A Phenomenal Desktop Experience with Studio Display and Magic Accessories
Paired with Studio Display and Magic accessories, the Apple Mac mini delivers a phenomenal desktop experience. Studio Display completes the full Mac desktop setup experience with its expansive 27-inch 5K Retina display, 12MP Ultra Wide camera with Center Stage, studio-quality three-mic array, and six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio. Customers can add matching Magic accessories that complement the elegant design of the Mac mini and Studio Display.
macOS Ventura
With macOS Ventura, the Apple Mac mini delivers even more performance and productivity. Powerful updates like Continuity Camera bring videoconferencing features to any Mac, including Desk View, Center Stage, Studio Light, and more. Handoff in FaceTime allows users to start a FaceTime call on their iPhone or iPad and fluidly pass it over to their Mac, or vice versa. And tools like Stage Manager automatically organize apps and windows, so users can concentrate on the task at hand and still see everything in a single glance.
Messages and Mail are better than ever, while Safari—the world’s fastest browser on Mac—ushers in a passwordless future with passkeys. With iCloud Shared Photo Library, users can now create and share a separate photo library among up to six family members, and the new Freeform app provides a flexible canvas that helps users be more productive and expressive, whether they are planning or brainstorming on their own, or with others. With the power and popularity of Apple silicon, and new developer tools in Metal 3, gaming on Mac has never been better.
Mac mini and the Environment
The Apple Mac mini is designed to minimize its impact on the environment, including 100 per cent of the following recycled materials: aluminium in the enclosure, rare earth elements in all magnets, tin in the solder of the main logic board, and gold in the plating of multiple printed circuit boards. It also features 35 per cent or more recycled plastic in multiple components and meets Apple’s high standards for energy efficiency. It is free of numerous harmful substances, and 96 per cent of the packaging is fibre-based, bringing Apple closer to its goal of completely removing plastic from its packaging by 2025.
Today, Apple is carbon neutral for global corporate operations, and by 2030, plans to be 100 per cent carbon neutral across the entire manufacturing supply chain and all product life cycles. This means that every Apple device sold, from component manufacturing, assembly, transport, customer use, and charging, all the way through recycling and material recovery, will have net-zero climate impact.
Apple has confirmed that both the Mac Mini M2 and M2 Pro are available to pre-order now with a general release scheduled for January 24th (some regions in Asia will not see a release until circa February 3rd). – Prices start at $699, however, do vary depending on the specifications and specifically so in regards to the M2 Pro variant which will start at circa $1,200.
If you would, however, like to learn more about these new Mac Mini systems, you can check out the official product website via the link here!
What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!
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