Opinion · Euroglobal NewKyle Kucharski/ZDNET 4.0 / 5 Very good Pros & Cons Versatile, powerful, and compact. Wide range of hardware configurations. Supports up to three external 6K displays.
Standard 2.5Gb ethernet with a 10Gb option. Recent price hikes make it more expensive than ever. Memory is not upgradeable.
Bring your own peripherals. Alongside what is perhaps the flashiest product it’s ever made, Apple announced the latest Mac Minis: its utilitarian and compact desktop in both an entry-level configuration with the base model M6 chip — the latest in Apple Silicon — and the more powerful (and pricier) M5 Pro chip, broadening the appeal of the tiny desktop powerhouse to an ever-wider audience. Also: 5 biggest Apple announcements from the iPhone Duo event The Mini remains Apple’s most versatile Mac, customizable with a wide range of peripherals and available in multiple configurations starting as low as $899 for the M6 and up to several thousand dollars for the M5 Pro with up to 64GB of unified memory and 8TB of local storage.
I spent the last week with the Mac Mini M5 Pro, and it’s proven to be an exceedingly capable, versatile machine that pairs exceptionally well with Apple’s 27-inch Studio Display but plays nice with its good selection of I/O. M6 vs. M5 Pro Apple’s newest Mac Mini models come with either the brand-new M6 chip or the M5 Pro.
If you’re not familiar with these two chipsets, note that the higher number doesn’t automatically make it better. In fact, that “Pro” moniker makes a big difference here, with more performance horsepower and higher memory configurations, while the M6 takes advantage of Apple’s latest AI dual-core neural engine. This makes the M5 Pro ideal for creators, developers, and power users, whereas the M6 is the latest Mini in Apple’s catalog for everyday users and professionals looking to upgrade (or migrate from Windows) to an AI-ready desktop at an accessible starting price.
Of the two, I’d recommend opting for the M5 Pro unless you explicitly don’t need the memory and higher-end hardware in the Pro. Mac Mini M6 Mac Mini M5 Pro CPU 12-core 15-core / 18-core GPU 12-core 16-core / 20-core Neural engine Dual 16-core 16-core Memory 16GB, 24GB, 32GB 16GB, 24GB, 32GB, 48GB, 64GB Storage 256GB-2TB 256GB-8TB Starting price $899 $1,699 But then, of course, there’s the cost. The Mac Mini used to be one of the most affordable Macs in Apple’s catalog because of its utilitarian, “BYODKM” (Bring Your Own Display, Keyboard, and Mouse) package, designed to attract Windows converts in particular by playing nicely with their own peripherals.
These days, however, the Mini can be loaded with far more powerful hardware, and it has undergone a steady stream of price increases. In 2024, the M4 Mac Mini launched at $599 (the M4 Pro was $1,399), then, after the price hike earlier this year , went up to $799. Now, the next-generation M6 chip gets an additional increase to $899 .
Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET The Mac Mini M5 Pro starts at double the price: $1,699 for the lowest-tier configuration with the 15-core CPU and 24GB of RAM. Upgrading the RAM to 48GB (the configuration I tested) brings it up to $2,299, and 64GB of RAM will run you $2,699. Also: How Apple can sell you a $2K iPhone Duo without winning the spec race But that’s not even close to where this device tops out.
Opting for 64GB with the 18-core CPU, 8TB of storage, and the 10Gb ethernet port will cost an eye-watering $6,799, a price that’s almost comical for any desktop computer, a Mini nonetheless (this isn’t even a Mac Studio we’re talking about). Still, it’s at the high end where the effects of “ Ramageddon ” are most noticeable. Small but mighty The Mac Mini M5 Pro comes in at the same size and weight as its M4 Pro predecessor: small enough to fit on virtually any desktop with a minimal cable footprint.
It retains the five-inch-by-five-inch, 1.5-pound physical frame with a raised design for better thermals, pulling in air from the front and expelling hot air out the back. The box does heat up under heavy workloads, but the fans rarely kick in. For the vast majority of the time, it’s utterly silent.
It comes with an appropriate amount of I/O: three Thunderbolt 5 ports on the back and two USB-C ports on the front, with an audio jack. The Mini also comes with Apple’s new N1 chip, enabling Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, along with the option for either 2.5Gb or 10Gb ethernet via the port on the back. Also: 3 new MacOS 27 features make it worth upgrading right away for me – Siri included If you want a multi-display setup, the Mini M5 Pro is particularly capable, supporting up to three external displays at 6K resolution via Thunderbolt or HDMI.
You can also connect to a TV via the HDMI port at up to 8K 60Hz or 4K at a 240Hz refresh rate. The Mac Mini M5 Pro is a significant leap forward in performance compared to the M1: up to 4.6 times faster CPU performance and 15.9 times faster graphics rendering. When it comes to AI, the M6 and M5 Pro Minis are understandably on a whole different level, with up to 22.3 times faster AI performance.
The capacity of RAM determines what models you can run locally, so with up to 64GB of unified memory on the M5 Pro, you’re already at four times as much as the M1, enabling a wider array of available models. If memory bandwidth then determines the speed of local processing, the 307GB/s on the M5 Pro blows the M1 out of the water at over four times the speed. MacOS 27 Golden Gate.
Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET The new Minis launched just days after Apple upgraded to its latest operating system, MacOS 27 Golden Gate. When it was unveiled this summer, I noted the lack of showstopping features, instead focusing on additional design optimizations, performance improvements, and deeper Siri integration. The Spotlight feature now interacts with Siri, supporting natural language for general queries or interactions with your own apps and local files.
In fact, Golden Gate does feel smoother and more refined. The Liquid Glass customizations are minor but welcome. The Siri updates (some of which are still in beta) aren’t particularly flashy and exist in other forms on other platforms (like Visual Intelligence), but they contribute to Apple’s approach of carefully curated, user-friendly AI features that are less insistent than those in Windows.
Performance and use cases So who’s the Mac Mini for? Almost anyone at this point, though the range of hardware configurations skews it toward advanced users with multi-display setups and demanding workloads, as well as those with a need for customizable peripherals. Also: OLED TV vs.
OLED monitor: Which is better for creatives, gamers, or power users? The Mini sits right in the middle of Apple’s desktop offerings: the iMac is designed for everyday users looking for an out-of-the-box desktop experience, while on the high end, the Mac Studio brings Apple’s most cutting-edge technology to professional creators, power users, and the absolute frontier of local AI compute. That said, creators will find the Mac Mini M5 Pro’s 20-core GPU well-suited to graphics-heavy workflows.
In my testing, editing 4K video in Final Cut Pro was a breeze, with the aforementioned 307GB/s memory bandwidth resulting in shorter render times than the M4 Pro (but still behind what you’ll get on a Mac Studio). Compare this to the 170GB/s bandwidth on the M6 Mini, and the performance gap between the M6 and the M5 Pro becomes apparent. Another popular use case for the Mini is as a local server, as the low power consumption, cost relative to power, and silent operation make it ideal for home setups.
This goes for local AI models such as LM Studio and Ollama as well, particularly for Minis with 48GB of memory or greater. Here’s something else to consider: If you can’t remember the last time you looked at the screen on your MacBook Pro as you connected to external monitors, you could consider commuting with the Mini. Think about it: This thing is a five-inch cube that weighs half as much as the laptop.
Sure, you’d have to bring your own cables, keyboard, and mouse (my ProtoArc travel kit covers all those bases), but if you need desktop-level power on the go, especially for creators in the field or working from a hotel room, it’s more practical than you might think. Also: The case for buying a MacBook Neo right now – especially for students Speaking of which, another notable new feature for creators is the Mini’s support for Genlock over USB-C. Genlock is a timecode sync that lets you achieve synchronization between different cameras and screens, either for editing or live production, down to the individual frame.
Again, this is a rather niche feature (and one I don’t have any firsthand experience with, admittedly), but it supports the Mini’s in-the-field potential use case and aligns with support for the feature on compatible iPhones. Final thoughts Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET The Mac Mini M5 Pro is a major upgrade from the M2 Pro, and if you’re coming from that machine or earlier, it’s worth the upgrade. Its wide range of configurations places it in the middle of Apple’s desktop offerings, and although its utilitarian package is less about saving money these days, it has impressive power to back it up, with more cores, more memory, and more bandwidth.
Ultimately, the Mini is a practical desktop that delivers exceptional performance across a wide array of use cases. If you’re coming from Windows, there’s still a case to be made for the Mini as a “BYODKM” entry point to Apple’s ecosystem, especially with Thunderbolt 5 ports, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 6. The M5 Pro is the model I’d recommend first to pros and creatives alike and, with its efficient power footprint and future-proofed hardware, will be relevant for several years.
Also: Your MacOS Spotlight tool is seriously underrated – 6 ways I use it beyond basic searches Another suggestion: Don’t pay for the high-end storage options if you buy the device through Apple. Opting for the 2TB configuration will tack on an extra $800. Choosing 4TB will raise the price by $1,800.
These numbers are not worth it when you can utilize external storage devices or simply upgrade the Mini yourself with your own storage from third-party retailers. The Mac Mini M5 Pro will be generally available starting Sept. 22.
Source: ZDNET
