Apple has announced an updated Mac mini powered by its new M6 chip, with pre-orders open now and units shipping on September 22.
The entry-level M6 model starts at $899 in the U.S., a $300 increase over the $599 price the Mac mini carried when Apple introduced the M4 version less than two years ago.
The M6 chip brings a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU, up from 10 cores each in the M5, along with what Apple calls a dual Neural Engine, pairing two 16-core engines rather than the single engine found in previous chips.
Memory bandwidth increases to 170 GB/s from 153 GB/s. Apple claims the M6 Mac mini delivers 40% faster CPU performance, double the graphics speed, double the storage throughput, and four times faster AI task performance compared to the M4 model it replaces.
Also: Apple’s new Mac design has a transparency slider now, and users are divided on what that means
M5 Pro configurations for heavier workloads
Buyers who need more headroom can step up to one of two M5 Pro configurations, priced starting at $1,699.
The lower-tier M5 Pro offers a 15-core CPU and 16-core GPU, while the higher-end option packs an 18-core CPU and 20-core GPU.
M5 Pro models support up to 64GB of RAM and an 8TB SSD, compared to the M6’s ceiling of 32GB RAM and 2TB storage. Both chip families gain Neural Accelerators inside each GPU core, a first for the Mac mini line.
One notable difference in connectivity: M6 models use Thunderbolt 4 ports, while the pricier M5 Pro models include the faster Thunderbolt 5.
All new Mac mini models upgrade to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and the rear Ethernet port now defaults to 2.5 Gigabit rather than 1 Gigabit, with a 10-Gigabit option still available at extra cost.
The port layout is otherwise unchanged, with two front USB-C ports, three rear Thunderbolt ports, an HDMI output, and a headphone jack. All models support up to three external displays.
Same design, higher price
The physical design carries over from the 2024 model without changes, and silver remains the only color option.
What has changed is the cost. Apple’s cheapest Mac mini configuration now costs $899 with 256GB of storage and 16GB of RAM.
The equivalent M4 model launched at $599 in late 2024 before Apple raised prices across its Mac and iPad lineup in June, pushing that same configuration to $799. The new M6 entry price adds another $100 to that.
Apple is positioning the machine around AI workloads, describing it as the leading desktop for “always-on, deskside agentic computing” and citing the M6 as having the world’s fastest CPU core.
The company published detailed performance comparisons using Affinity, Blender, LM Studio, and Photoshop in its press release.
The new Mac mini is available to pre-order today at apple.com, with in-store availability beginning September 22.
