Apple refreshed the Mac mini back in November, adding M4 chips and increasing the base memory. We did a hands-on impressions video at the time, but we thought we'd follow that up with a more in-depth review now that we've had more time to spend with Apple's cheapest desktop machine.
Priced starting at $599, the Mac mini offers the most affordable way to get access to Apple's new M4 chip, plus the machine got a design overhaul with the 2024 refresh. The Mac mini now measures in at 5 inches by 5 inches, and it's more than two inches smaller than the prior-generation model. It takes up much less space on a desk, and while it isn't quite as small as the Apple TV, it offers impressive performance in a super compact package.
With Apple Intelligence and the M4 chip, Apple stopped using 8GB as the base amount of memory that Macs ship with, and upped it to 16GB. The $599 Mac mini has an M4 chip and 16GB of RAM as a result, and it is an excellent deal for a desktop machine. Of course, you're going to need to supply your own display, keyboard, and mouse, but it's so small that you can easily move it between desktop setups at home and work.
The base Mac mini comes with an M4 chip, but there is an option to upgrade to the faster M4 Pro for those who need more power. The M4 models have three Thunderbolt 4 ports, but choosing the M4 Pro nets you three Thunderbolt 5 ports with faster transfer speeds. There are also two USB-C ports with 10Gb/s transfer speeds at the front of each machine. Compared to the prior-generation M2 Mac mini, the M4 models are up to 55 percent faster in terms of CPU speed.
If you're looking for a desktop Mac, the base Mac mini is the best deal that you're going to get. The performance is more than enough for day to day tasks and even gaming, photo editing, and video editing, and that $599 price tag really can't be beat.