Mac mini | Full Info: Design, Price and Review

What is the Mac mini, and what can it do? Should you buy one? All these questions may come into your mind when browsing the Apple Store and seeing Mac mini on the product page. Well, you will find the answers after you read this passage.

Mac mini: About the Design

Mac mini, as its name suggests, is a mini desktop computer developed by Apple but without a screen, keyboard, and mouse. It sounds odd, but it is mainly designed to power up another device. For example, you can pair your keyboard, screen, and mouse with a Mac mini instead of buying new ones. Now, let's come to the design of the Mac mini, starting with the shell material.

Mac mini's Appearance

In general, the appearance of the Mac mini is plain, with only an Apple logo on it. Typical Apple fashion. It is a metal box that measures 7.7 inches long, 7.7 inches wide, and 1.4 inches thick and has rounded corners and an excellent finish. It weighs 2.6 pounds, a small device that fits easily on a desk.

It's worth mentioning that Apple company uses 100% recycled aluminum to make iPhones, iMacs, and other products. And the leftover aluminum from making these products is enough to build the entire Mac mini line; thus, Apple has created a closed loop in the manufacturing process.

This action is so environmental that it reduces 50 percent of the carbon footprint for the alloy's creation compared to the previous process. Using recycled aluminum also helps Apple be completely carbon neutral across manufacturing and corporate by 2030.

There is a color change embodied in the Apple Silicon Mac mini. Silicon-based Apple Mac mini is available in silver, unlike Intel-based products in space gray. This color change may indicate that Apple repositions the Mac mini as an entry-level product instead of level pro-only.

Mac mini's Ports and Connections

You can find a small power LED on the front and the ports on the back of the Mac mini. In M1 and M2 models, two Thunderbolt 4 ports are available; in M2 Pro, you will find four Thunderbolt 4 ports. Two USB-A ports at the back for peripheral devices and one headphone jack for audio professionals.

You should note that the Apple M1 chip only supports one display connected through a Thunderbolt connector. That is to say, even though the Mac mini has two Thunderbolt ports, only one Thunderbolt display can be output. Moreover, as the picture above shows, there is an HDMI port for a second 4K monitor.

Mac mini: M1 Chip vs. M2 Chip

Before you buy one Mac mini, you should decide which one to choose. The following is about the comparison between M1 and M2 Mac mini.

Memory and Storage

The standard option for M1 and M2 Mac mini is the same, 8GB memory and 256/512GB storage. But with the M2 Mac mini updates, the maximum memory of M2 is 24GB and 2TB storage, an 8GB increase compared with M1's 16GB maximum memory.

Ports and Connectivity

As the former part says, the number of ports of the M1 and M2 Mac mini is the same: two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, one headphone jack, and an HDMI port. However, there is a little difference. The Apple M2 chip supports two displays, while the M1 only support one. Moreover, the 3.5mm audio jack that M2 has supports high-impedance headphones, while M1 Mac mini cannot do it.

Processor

There table below shows the processor difference between M1 and M2 Mac mini:

Apple claims that the M2 is 50 percent faster in some Adobe Photoshop tasks than the M1, and the M2 Mac mini delivers up to 2.4 times faster ProRes transcode in Final Cut Pro. This speedier speed is attributed to the M2 Mac mini's 50 percent more memory bandwidth, 18 percent faster CPU, 35 percent faster GPU, and 40 percent faster neural engine than M1.

Mac mini: Overview of Prices

After knowing so much about the Mac mini basic features, this passage comes to the table of the price of the Mac mini and concludes the comparison in the table to help you decide which one to buy.

	M2 Mac mini 2023	M1 Mac mini 2020
Starting Price	$599	$699
CPU	8-core CPU, 10-core GPU	8-core CPU, 8-core GPU
RAM	8-24GB	8GB, 16GB
Storage	256GB-2TB	256/512GB,1/2TB
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5
Dimensions	7.7x7.7x1.4 inches
Weight	2.6 pounds

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Mac mini: Review in 2023

A recent video about Mac mini review was released after the M2 Mac mini came out one month ago.

1. 02:29 - A decent port selection
2. 03:03 - Limited display support
3. 04:40 - Performs well with CPU
4. 05:13 - Speedy single-core performance
5. 12:41 - Great for regular users

Mac mini's Usage and Benefits

The benefits of the Mac mini can be listed as follows:

• The price is much more affordable than MacBook.
• It has FaceTime, iBooks, Maps, iTunes, and Mail as the built-in apps.
• Multiple ports make it more like a PC than a media device.
• Apple says the device can "keep up with computers twice its size with fourth-generation Intel Core processors."
• It can connect to Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth.
• It is easy to set up for a screen, keyboard, and mouse.
• The perfect size to use as the center of a "digital home".

You already know that the Mac mini is small and portable so that Mac mini is perfect for the following usage:

• Sharing presentations or photos to screen
• Listening to music on the app like Spotify
• Digital signage
• Accessing emails
• Playing games

To use your Mac mini for the beforehand purposes, you should know how to set up a Mac mini. There are a few things you need to do:

• Power your Mac mini by plugging the power adaptor into the Mac mini.
• Attach your Mac mini to your TV or monitor with an HDMI-to-DVI adaptor or a mini-DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter.
• Connect to a stable Wi-Fi.
• Sign in with your Apple ID.

After these are done, you can use your Mac mini once you press the power button on the back.

Conclusion

This passage provides complete information on the Mac mini, from its features to its price. If you are considering buying a Mac mini, this article can help you decide which one to choose. Also, when you have difficulties setting up a Mac mini, this passage gives instructions you can follow. I hope you enjoy this article and find it helpful.

Mac mini FAQs:

Learn more about the Mac mini through the following frequently asked questions.

1. What is the purpose of a Mac mini?

Mac mini, as its name suggests, is a mini desktop without a keyboard, screen, and mouse, but you can connect your devices to it and make it a home or office desktop at a lower price than Macs.

2. What are the cons of Mac mini?

Three primary shortages of the Mac mini: slower storage, limited to two displays, and price rising quickly for upgraded configs.

3. Can you use a Mac mini with a laptop?

No, you can't connect your laptop to the Mac mini directly.

4. Is the Mac mini as powerful as MacBook？

MacBook has better performance, and the Mac mini is a small desktop at an affordable price.