Mac Mini with M2 and M2 Pro chipsets arrive packing extra power

Taking a small seat on your desktop, Apple’s new Mac Mini introduces the M2 Pro chipset, packing extra power. With a standard M2 and M2 Pro models available, Apple’s tiniest machine is now one of its mightiest. Thanks to the new chips, you’ll find faster performance, more unified memory, and advanced connectivity on both machines.

The standard M2 chipset packs an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, with four high-performance and four high-efficiency cores as well. It’s the same processor we saw in the M2 MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro in 2022. It’s now more affordable than ever, though you’ll have to bring your own display and accessories. What’s more, the new M2 Pro chipset features a 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU, with eight high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores. M2 brings up to 2.4x faster performance than the M1 predecessor (depending on tasks), while M2 Pro boasts up to 4.2x improvements.

It’s not just power that gets an upgrade, so does connectivity. On the M2 model, you’ll get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, which support up to two displays. Things go up a notch on the M2 Pro model, thanks to four Thunderbolt 4 ports, which support up to three displays. One of those can be an 8K display, which is a first for any Mac device. Alongside, these new ports, Apple packs the standard two USB-A ports, HDMI port, Gigabit Ethernet port, and an upgraded headphone jack on both Mac Minis. Both also come with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support.

As you’d expect, both of the new Mac Minis play rather nicely with the Studio Display and all Apple-branded accessories. The Mac Minis ship with macOS Ventura as standard, and will support future software updates for years to come. You can spec the standard M2 model up to an impressive 24GB of RAM. Or if you need more power, the M2 Pro supports up to 32GB of RAM.

Both new Mac mini models are available to order from today directly from Apple, before shipping on 24 January. In Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, and New Zealand, they’ll be available from 3 February. The standard M2 model retails for $599/£649, while the M2 Pro spec goes for $1299/£1399. Education pricing is available for both models, too.

Read more: Apple in 2023: what Stuff wants to see

About

Connor is a writer for Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. He has been writing for around six years now, with writing across the web and in print too. Connor has experience on most major platforms, though does hold a place in his heart for macOS, iOS/iPadOS, electric vehicles, and smartphone tech. Just like everyone else around here, he’s a fan of gadgets of all sorts! Aside from writing, Connor is involved in the startup scene. This exciting involvement puts him at the front of new and exciting tech, always on the lookout for innovating products.