Mac mini (2023): Apple introduces new mini PC with significantly more performance and M2 Pro

Apple is relaunching its Mac mini mini PC. The new Mac mini (2023) gets a powerful performance upgrade and relies on the new M2 Pro with 12 CPU and 16 GPU cores at the top. In addition, the mini now features four Thunderbolt 4 ports.

Mac mini (2023): All info and details

After many had already expected a refresh of the Mac mini last year, Apple has now officially unveiled the new mini PC. The Mac mini (2023) was announced together with the new MacBook Pro (2023) and relies on the new M2 Pro SoC at the top.

The entry-level model comes with the Apple M2 already unveiled in July 2022, which relies on an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of system storage. Optionally, even up to 24 GB RAM and two terabytes of system memory are possible.

The Gigabit LAN port can also be upgraded to a 10 Gbit LAN connection for an additional 115 euros if desired. “With its incredible capabilities, multitude of ports and compact design, Mac mini is used in many places in many different ways. Today, we’re excited to take it one step further with M2 and M2 Pro,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing.

Mac mini with significant performance increase

Already, the new Mac mini (2023) with M2 is said to offer up to 50 percent faster image editing in Adobe Photoshop compared to its predecessor with M1 chip. The M2 also brings ProRes acceleration to the Mac mini, so tasks like video editing in Final Cut Pro are more than twice as fast. Encoding in Final Cut Pro is said to be as much as 2.4 times faster in comparison, while the mini PC benefits from the added efficiency of the newer chip.

On the other hand, the variant with the new M2 Pro chip is a powerful upgrade. With up to a 12-core CPU with eight high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, along with up to a 19-core GPU, the M2 Pro has a memory bandwidth of 200 GB/s and can be equipped with up to 32 GB of RAM.

“The next-generation Neural Engine is 40 percent faster than the M1, speeding up ML tasks like video analytics and image processing,” Apple promises. The new Media Engine is also aimed primarily at content creators and is said to noticeably speed up video playback and encoding while consuming very little power.

Compared to the previous-generation Mac mini with M11, the Mac mini with M2 Pro delivers up to 2.5 times faster graphics performance in Affinity Photo and up to 4.2 times faster encoding of ProRes video in Final Cut Pro.

• Competition in the Windows segment: Minisforum Neptune HX99G: Gaming-grade mini PC with Ryzen 9 6900HX & RX 6600M

New ports: Up to 4x Thunderbolt 4

The Mac mini (2023) has also seen some changes in terms of ports. The model with M2 comes with two USB Type-C ports that enable Thunderbolt 4 and supports up to two displays. The ports offer a speed of up to 40 Gbit/s.

The mini with M2 Pro even has four Thunderbolt 4 ports and supports three displays and is the first Mac to support an 8K display. In addition, both models have an HDMI, an Ethernet LAN, a 3.5 mm jack and two USB-A ports with a data rate of up to 5 Gbit/s.

Modern Wi-Fi 6E, as well as Bluetooth 5.3 are used as wireless connections. Apple also ships the new Mac mini (2023) with the latest macOS Ventura operating system.

In addition, the mini PC is supposed to protect the environment. Aluminum in the case, rare earths in all magnets, tin in the solder of the motherboard and gold in the coating of several circuit boards are 100 percent recycled.

“In addition, at least 35 percent of the plastic in several components is recycled, and it meets Apple’s high standards for energy efficiency. It is free of numerous pollutants and 96 percent of the packaging is fiber-based, bringing Apple closer to its goal of eliminating all plastic elements from its packaging by 2025,”the manufacturer promises.

Prices and availability

The new Mac mini (2023) is available for pre-order now directly from Apple and is scheduled to begin shipping on January 24, 2023. The model with M2 chip starts at a recommended retail price of 699 Euros. Apple will charge 929 Euros for the upgrade to 512 GB SSD storage. The Mac mini with M2 Pro (with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD storage) starts at 1,549 Euros.