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On the heels of new iMac announced Monday, Apple has just added a new Mac mini. And this one is more than just an iterative update: it’s the first change to the Mac mini’s design since the product’s initial launch in 2010.

The new Mac minis seem to do the impossible: pack more powerful components into an even smaller footprint. We think these minis are going to have big appeal for creatives, but be sure to also follow our Summary of Apple Black Friday deals as I expect we will start seeing good pricing on previous models.

New Mac mini (M4 and M4 Pro): everything you need to know

We’re already big fans of the Mac mini – we gave the 2023 M2 Pro model a 4.5 star reviewnoting how impressed we were with the performance provided by such a compact computer. Less than two years later, this generation is about to be replaced by the Mac mini M4 and M4 Pro which take up even less desktop space.

Although the new Mac mini isn’t much different – ​​it’s still a shiny metal body – it now measures just 5 x 5 inches compared to 7.75 x 7.75 inches. It is, however, a bit taller and now has an angled base with air vents at the bottom.

There are also now two USB-C ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the front, which seems like a much more convenient location for easy access. There are more ports on the back: three Thunderbolt 4 on the M4 version and three Thunderbolt 5 for the M4 Pro Mac mini. There’s also HDMI and Ethernet in both, but no USB-A.

Mac Mini M4 and M4 Pro specifications

When it comes to power, Apple claims the M4 chip’s 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU deliver 1.8x faster CPU performance and 2.2x faster GPU performance than the M1 (but of course, the last minis were not M1 but M2 and M2 Pro). The neural engine is more than three times faster.

The M4 Pro chip means that, for the first time, the Mac mini can support accelerated ray tracing. This could be a deal breaker for creatives working in game development (or who just want to play games on their Mac). Its 16-core Neural Engine could also potentially speed up graphically demanding tasks.

Memory-wise, 16GB is now the starting point for the entry-level configuration, while the M4 Pro Mac mini can be configured up to 64GB. Meanwhile, the ports I mentioned earlier mean that the M4 mini can support up to two external 6K resolution displays and the M4 Pro up to three 6K resolution displays at 60Hz.

M4 Mac mini price and availability

The new Mac mini starts at $599/£599 for the M4 configuration with 16GB of memory and 256GB SSD. There’s a price hike for the M4 Pro configurations, which start at $1,399 / £1,399 for a 12-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 24GB of memory and 512GB SSD.

Those using the M2 or M2 Pro Mac mini are unlikely to see the need to rush out to upgrade, but more power in an even more compact form factor will likely make the new Mac minis the winners for creatives looking for their next desktop computer. Pre-orders are open now on Apple.com for release on November 8, the same day as the new iMac.