Review: Apple Mac Mini (M4, 2024)

the best part about the Mac Mini has always been its simplicity. This tiny desktop PC is easy to add to any workstation—just plug it into your peripherals, and that’s it. Apple’s latest version maintains this reputation, though with a new look for the first time in more than a decade. It also supports a pair of processors: the M4 or M4 Pro chipset.

It's the most affordable way into what the latest and greatest Macs have to offer, including Apple Intelligence, the company's artificial intelligence features. The base model with the M4 starts at $599, while the M4 Pro–powered Mac Mini starts at $1,399. Apple's only other desktop option is the new iMac with the M4, starting at $1,299.

As is the case with most Apple hardware over the past few years, the new Mac Mini sports incremental updates over its predecessor. That's not a bad thing. This is still a great little computer, and you can build an affordable, stationary setup around it. But anyone with a recent Mac Mini (2020 or newer) shouldn't feel the need to upgrade unless you're feeling a performance drag.

Miniature PC

The Mac Mini is a computer designed to sit stationary on your desk, but now that it's smaller and more portable than ever, it's a little enticing to just pick it up and throw it in a bag for hybrid work setups. Maybe you have a monitor and peripherals at the office or the same at home—after all, this thing has a smaller footprint than a MacBook (5 x 5 inches) and weighs just 1.5 pounds (down from 2.6 pounds).

It is slightly taller though, with vents that slope down for airflow, but retains its cube-like shape. This shape still slots in nicely at the base of Apple's Studio Display, not that you have to spend the absurd price on this lovely monitor. (We have plenty of more reasonably priced monitor recommendations here.)

A lot of people compared the Mac Mini's new look to an Apple TV box, but I think it looks more like a mini Mac Studio—especially with the new port arrangement. Apple finally added ports to the front (a gripe I had with the M2-powered version), which means I can spend less time annoyingly reaching over to the back to plug a cable in.

The M4 model comes with two USB-C ports that support USB 3.0 and a 3.5-mm headphone jack. The other side has three Thunderbolt 4 ports (the M4 Pro variant has three Thunderbolt 5 USB-C ports for the first time ever) along with an HDMI, an Ethernet connection, and a power port. It marks an official end to the USB-A port on a Mac Mini.

Ports on the front are great. Moving the power button to the bottom? Not so much. It used to be on the back, but this new implementation isn't intuitive. I have to pick the device up and press the button to power on my desktop. It's just weird. You'll probably leave this thing on all the time but, like the USB-C port on the underside of the Magic Mouse, it's just an awkward design choice.

If you're the type who is only productive when you're staring at multiple screens, you’ll be happy to learn that the base Mac Mini now supports three external displays (two 6K-resolution displays and up to one 5K-resolution display) instead of two. With its predecessor, you had to upgrade to the M2 Pro for access to that many displays. It's nice to see that Apple expanded this capability to both processors.

Mighty PC

I tested the Mac Mini with the M4 chip. My configuration consisted of a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16 gigabytes of unified memory, and 512 GB of storage. The base memory is double the amount of its predecessor with the option to upgrade up to 32 GB and will prove to be helpful when you have lots of applications and browser tabs open, or if you're heavily relying on Apple Intelligence features. If you go for the M4 Pro, it comes with up to a 14-core CPU and up to 20-core GPU with the option to step up to a whopping 8 TB of storage, but you'll pay a pretty penny.

I used the Mac Mini the past week as my primary computer to send emails, take video calls, and write stories in our content management system via the Chrome browser—all while apps like Slack, Messages, and Telegram ran in the background simultaneously. I never felt like the M4 struggled to handle any of it, even with multiple tabs and windows open. Performance felt quick and smooth at all times.

I can't say I've noticed much of a difference over the Mac Mini with M2 though. Apple says the M4 delivers 1.8 times faster CPU performance, while the GPU performance is 2.2 times faster than the M1. But none of that matters unless you are consistently feeling that your Mac Mini is too slow for the tasks you want it to complete. If that's the case, then you may need to upgrade to a beefier chip (like the M4 Pro if you are on an M1 or M2).

Regardless of which configuration you choose, the Mac Mini continues its reputation as a great tiny desktop computer, especially for folks who are more choosy with their peripherals. The same problem remains: There's no way to upgrade the hardware down the road. Unlike traditional desktop PCs, you can't just swap out the CPU or add more RAM when you need it. You're probably going to keep this Mac Mini for a while, so kit it out accordingly.