Apple is working to refresh the entire Mac lineup with M4 series chips, and the Mac mini could receive an update as early as late 2024. Apple is expected to skip the M3 chip and go straight from M2 to M4.
This guide highlights everything we know so far about the Mac mini update.
design
Apple hasn’t changed the design of the Mac mini for many years, but that will change in 2024. Apple will introduce the first design change since 2010 and slim down the Mac mini.
The Mac mini is expected to be Apple’s smallest desktop computer ever, with a chassis about the same size as the Apple TV. Although it has the footprint of an Apple TV, the Mac mini is expected to be slightly taller than the current Mac mini, which is 1.4 inches tall.
Apple has tested Mac mini models with at least three USB-C ports on the back, as well as a power cable and an HDMI port.
M4 Chip
The “Mac mini” will feature Apple’s M4 and M4 Pro chips, with Apple skipping the M3 series entirely and moving from “M2” to M4.
Apple introduced the M4 chip in the iPad Pro and the chip is based on a second-generation 3-nanometer technology. Compared to the M2 chip, the M4 chip offers 50 percent faster CPU performance and up to 4x faster rendering performance.
The M4 chip has a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. There is a variant of the M4 with a 9-core CPU, but Apple is unlikely to use it in the Mac mini, reserving it instead for the iPad Pro and a future MacBook Air.
There’s also a more advanced 16-core Neural Engine, and the GPU supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a feature not available on the M2. Apple says the Neural Engine in the M4 chip is an “absolute powerhouse for AI.”
We do not yet know any details about the M4 Pro, as this chip is not expected to be released until later this year.
R.A.M.
The M4 models of the Mac mini could start with 16GB of RAM instead of 8GB, possibly to better support Apple Intelligence features. All M4 Macs spotted in developer logs have either 16GB or 32GB of RAM.
Release date
Accordingly BloombergAccording to Mark Gurman, the Mac mini will be updated in late 2024 along with the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
The Mac mini was last updated in January 2023, so it will be almost two years old when it is updated. Apple often updates Macs in October or November, so we could see the M4 Mac mini sometime during that time frame.
