Before the Mac came back to life a few years ago, the idea that Apple would make a computer like the new Mac Mini (Apple Mac Mini M2) seemed like a pipe dream. The company’s small desktop was rarely updated and mostly ignored. We often had to wait many years between major updates. But the Mac line as a whole started to work better after a while. The terrible butterfly keyboard was taken out of use. The touch bar on the MacBook Pro has been replaced with real buttons. All of this reached a fever pitch when Apple started making its own processors. At first, these processors were used in fast laptops that also set new records for battery life. Later, they were used in desktops like the redesigned iMac and the super-fast Mac Studio.
Apple Mac Mini M2: Description
The Mac Mini was one of the first Apple silicon products to come out in 2020. It was small but very powerful. But it was also a low-effort release with some drawbacks. For example, the M1 Mac Mini could only have up to 16GB of RAM and had fewer ports than the Intel-powered model, which Apple kept selling until this Mac Mini came out last week. The 2023 version of the Mac Mini is powered by either the M2 or M2 Pro chip.
It has the same overall design, but the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and (optionally) HDMI and ethernet specs have been upgraded, depending on how much you spend. You can choose between two processors for the new Mac Mini. One is a great choice for a home computer, while the other is clearly made for prosumers who want to push the limits a bit. The cheaper model starts at $599, $100 less than the M1 model. It is powered by Apple’s M2 chip and costs $100 less than the M1 model. This version has the same eight CPU cores and 10 GPU cores as the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Specification Table
With its 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU, the Apple M2 Pro processor has a lot of power and can handle demanding tasks like video editing, graphic design, and software development. The 16 GB RAM and 1TB SSD storage give you a lot of memory and fast data access, so you can switch between tasks easily and move files quickly.
| Specifications | Details |
|---|---|
| Price | $1,799 |
| Processor | Apple M2 Pro (12-core CPU, 19-core GPU) |
| RAM | 16 GB |
| Storage | 1TB SSD |
| Ports | 4x Thunderbolt 4/USB4, 2x USB-A, HDMI out, Ethernet (up to 10GB), 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Size | 7.7 x 7.7 x 1.4 inches |
| Weight | 2.8 pounds |
| Official link | Visit Website |
Apple Mac Mini M2: Design
The Mac mini M2 looks almost exactly the same as the Mac mini M1, which is fine with me. With dimensions of 7.7 by 7.7 by 1.4 inches and a weight of just under 3 pounds, the Mac mini M2 is small enough to fit into many different desk arrangements. It also looks good, with rounded corners and a silver aluminium body with a big black Apple logo on top. It looks like an Apple icon made of metal that came out of your desk, and I like it.
Just like its predecessor, the Mac mini M2 has a raised base that tapers down from the rounded, rectangular chassis to a round, black plastic disc that covers the bottom. This makes it look like it’s floating slightly above your desk. Don’t think you can open the case or upgrade the insides yourself. These machines are made so that only Apple can fix them.
Apple Mac Mini M2: Ports
The back of the Mac mini M2 has a good number of ports, and if you get a Mac mini M2 Pro, it gets even better. On the base model, you get two Thunderbolt 4/USB4 ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI out, an Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. If you buy a Mac mini M2 Pro, you get twice as many Thunderbolt 4 ports, for a total of four. Because the M2 Pro has more power, you can also use external displays better.
| Port Type | Quantity | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Thunderbolt 4 | 4 | High-speed data and video transfer |
| USB 4.0 | 2 | Universal Serial Bus for peripherals |
| HDMI 2.1 | 1 | High-definition multimedia interface |
| Ethernet (RJ-45) | 1 | Wired network connectivity |
| 3.5mm Headphone | 1 | Audio output for headphones or speakers |
| SDXC Card Slot | 1 | Secure Digital memory card reader |
| Power Input | 1 | Power supply connection |
This probably won’t make much of a difference for most people, but the Mac mini with M2 Pro can support up to three external displays: two via Thunderbolt (with resolutions up to 6K and refresh rates up to 60Hz) and one via HDMI (with resolutions up to 4K and refresh rates up to 60Hz). The HDMI port can also support one 8K display with a refresh rate of up to 60Hz or a 4K display with a refresh rate of up to 240Hz, which is very high for both. Even the most basic Mac mini can support up to two external displays with the same resolutions (6K via Thunderbolt 4, 4K via HDMI). But the basic Mac mini can’t work with an 8K or 240Hz display. Only the M2 Pro model can do that.
Apple Mac Mini M2: Performance
The only thing about the M1 Mac Mini that really stood out was how well it worked. Even though the M2 Mini isn’t as much of an improvement over its direct predecessor as the M1 was over Intel-based Mac Minis, it does have some improvements. Using the well-known Geekbench 5 test we found that the M2 is about 10% faster than the M1 when it comes to a single core, and about 22% faster when it comes to multiple cores. Figures like this are a great way to show how much performance has improved, but what really matters is how the user feels about the system.
| Performance Metrics | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Processor | Apple M2 Chip |
| CPU Cores | 8 (16 Threads) |
| Base Clock Speed | 3.5 GHz |
| Turbo Boost Frequency | Up to 4.5 GHz |
| Graphics | Apple GPU |
| RAM | Up to 32 GB DDR5 |
| Storage | Up to 2 TB SSD |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Ports | Thunderbolt 4, USB 4.0 |
| Operating System | macOS Monterey |
| Performance Rating | High-End, Power-efficient |
Photoshop workflows, for example, seemed to go faster, and any action that took time to load seemed to go about 25% faster, on average, to me. Other programs for editing photos, videos, and sounds were also faster in the same ways. General tasks, like surfing the web, showed less noticeable improvements, but that was mostly because they were already so fast on the M1. The only place where the M2 Mini’s performance went down was in the speed of its internal storage. It’s important to remember that this mostly affects the base model that costs $599 and has 256GB of storage.
On the M1 Mini, Apple used two SSD storage chips with 128GB each. On the M2, there is only one chip with 256GB. We did very similar tests to see how well the Mac mini worked and to compare it to the new MacBook Pro and the Mac Studio from last year, both of which we had tried. These use Logic Pro X and the plugins that come with it, so there are no OS compatibility issues. This time in Logic, the processing setting is changed from “automatic” to “12 threads,” and the buffer size is set to 256 samples.
The Alchemy synth plays a series of five-note chords on multiple tracks in the first test. The review Mac mini could always play 68 tracks. In the second test, there are several audio tracks that all play the same bit of sound and have Logic Pro’s ChromaVerb added to each one. The Mac mini could always handle 385 tracks. The M2 MacBook Pro we tried, which had the same processor, did a little bit worse. We don’t know for sure why, but it could be because running an external screen takes an extra hit.
Apple Mac Mini M2: Pros and Cons
It has a lot of ports, including Thunderbolt 4/USB4, USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, and a headphone jack. This makes it easy to connect to a wide range of accessories. Also, its small size and light weight make it easy to move around and use in any workspace.
Pros
- $100 cheaper than its predecessor
- Just as capable as systems costing many times as much
- 10%-20% performance boost over M1 generation
Cons
- Storage is slower than previous-gen models
- Still limited to just two displays
- Prices jump quickly for upgraded configs
Final Words
After putting the Mac mini M2 through its paces, it’s easy to recommend. The base model is faster and less expensive than the one it replaced, making it the best choice for anyone looking for a small Mac desktop. Plus, being able to add an M2 Pro chip is a nice upgrade option that can make this PC a decent gaming machine. Even though it’s not as good as the best gaming PCs on the market, it’s much cheaper, smaller, and quieter. And really, the biggest thing that keeps the Mac mini M2 from being a great gaming computer is not the hardware, but the fact that many games don’t have official macOS support.
Even though a Mac Studio with M1 Ultra or an old Mac Pro will give you better raw performance than a fully upgraded Mac mini M2 Pro, they will both cost you several thousand dollars more. They’re great PCs for people who need them and can afford them, but for most of us, the new Mac mini M2 seems like a great deal because it’s powerful, flexible, and cheap.
FAQs
The M2 Mac Mini is a great desktop computer for daily work, and it doesn’t take up much space on your desk. Its M2 mobile processor is a lot faster than the processors in most $600 laptops, and it uses very little power.
The better laptop is the MacBook Air M2, but the MacBook Air M1 is close behind. If you can spend $200 to $350 more, the better choice is the MacBook Air M2. It has a separate charging port, a brighter screen, a better webcam and keyboard, a lot more battery life, and a little bit more performance power.
