Apple opened 2023 with a bang by revealing a revamped MacBook Pro lineup and a new Mac mini, along with new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips to lead them on.
The new 14-inch and 16-inch 2023 MacBook Pro with the power of the M2 Pro and M2 Max launched on January 24, along with the new Mac mini with the M2 and M2 Pro. While the new MacBook Pro models are certainly exciting, there are more new things to talk about with Apple’s 2023 update of the Mac mini line.
When Apple launched the inaugural M1 chip in the 2020 Mac mini with the M1, it was a small revolution in Mac computing. The M1 chip has redefined what we expect from a Mac in terms of performance, and has allowed MacBooks to reach new heights in energy efficiency.
Since then, we’ve admired the leaps Apple has made with its internal silicon, but we haven’t heard much about the next big thing we can expect from Apple’s smallest computers. Now we’ve gotten a glimpse of what to expect from the 2023 Mac mini, and it appears to be cheaper and more performant than its predecessor — which was already a sweet spot for its performance price.
To give you a clear idea of what’s new, here’s how the new Mac mini M2 compares to the Mac mini M1 as of 2020.
Mac mini M2 vs. Mac mini M1: Specifications
| M2 Mac mini (2023) | M1 Mac mini (2020) | |
|---|---|---|
| price | $599 (from) | $699 (from) |
| CPU | M2 (8-core GPU, 10-core GPU) or M2 Max (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU) | Apple M1 (8-core, 8-Core GPU) |
| RAM | 8-24 GB (M2), 16-32 GB (M2 Pro) | 8 GB / 16 GB |
| storage | 256GB – 2TB (M2), 512GB – 8TB (M2 Pro) | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB |
| ports | 2x Thunderbolt / USB 4 (M2) or 4x (M2 Pro), HDMI, 2x USB-A, Ethernet (up to 10Gb), 3.5mm headphone jack | Thunderbolt / USB 4 (2), HDMI 2.0, USB-A (2), Ethernet, 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Connection | Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5 |
| Dimensions | 7.7 x 7.7 x 1.4 in | 7.7 x 7.7 x 1.4 in |
| Weight | 2.6 pounds (M2), 2.8 pounds (M2 Pro) | 2.6 pounds |
Mac mini M2 vs. Mac mini M1: The price
The Mac mini M2 is available to order now Apple site (Opens in a new tab), and will begin shipping on January 24. The new Mac mini has a base price of $599 (plus £649 or AU$999 in the UK and Australia, respectively), which is $100 cheaper than the entry-level Mac mini M1 when it launched.
However, unlike the 2020 Mac mini with the M1, the latest model can be upgraded with a better M2 Pro chip. This is a more powerful version of the base M2 chip that offers more CPU and GPU cores (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU vs. 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU on the M2), though They also cost more. Pricing for an entry-level Mac mini with the M2 Pro starts at $1,299, which puts the price of upgrading to the M2 Pro around $700.
Given that the 2020 Mac mini with M1 offered no upgrade over its M1 chip and had a starting price of $699, the new 2023 Mac mini is clearly a better value with more versatility than its predecessor.
Mac mini M2 vs. Mac mini M1: Design
For better or worse, it appears that Apple has fundamentally changed nothing about the design of the Mac mini M2 versus the Mac mini M1. If you like the design of the current Mac mini, that’s not an issue, and we certainly praised it in our review, noting that “the Mac mini’s square shape and rounded corners are symbolic, literally like an icon rendered in 3D” that is pinned to your desk.
Like its predecessors, the Mac mini M2 has a brushed aluminum chassis with a brushed silver aluminum finish. It’s classic and iconic look, fitting neatly into all kinds of desk arrangements thanks to its compact dimensions. It measures about 7.7 by 7.7 by 1.4 inches and weighs about 2.6 pounds, though that goes up to 2.8 pounds if you’re shelling out for the upgraded M2 Pro model.
While we’ll have to wait until we get one to test to check out for ourselves, the new Mac mini M2 will likely have a removable black plastic disk on the bottom that raises it slightly off your desk, potentially improving airflow and cooling.
Mac mini M2 vs. Mac mini M1: Ports
The Mac mini M1 broke away from its predecessors by changing the array of ports, and now the Mac mini M2 has once again updated its offering to be better suited to modern needs.
The new Mac mini M2 has two Thunderbolt 4 ports (or four if you fancy upgrading the M2 Pro), plus two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, an Ethernet port (configurable from 10 to 100 GB), and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. .
This is a significant upgrade over the 2020 model, which offered two Thunderbolt 3 ports, two USB-A ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an HDMI port.
However, it is important to note that the HDMI port on the 2020 Mac mini M1 was HDMI 2.0, while the new Mac mini with the M2 appears to have an HDMI 2.1 port. The difference between the two is that the newer Mac mini with the M2 Pro can support more external displays, with higher refresh rates than its predecessor. Specifically, a Mac mini with M2 Pro can support up to three displays (two via Thunderbolt @ up to 6K 60Hz, one via HDMI at up to 4K 60Hz) or one display at up to 8K 60Hz (or 4K 240Hz) via HDMI alone.
Most people don’t need to do a lot of computing in 4K or 6K (let alone 8K), but it’s nice to see the new Mac mini with M2 Pro capable of that.
Mac mini M2 vs. Mac mini M1: Performance
The most exciting Mac mini upgrade with M2 is the aluminum housing. The new M2 chip and M2 Pro chip help propel Mac mini to new heights of performance.
The Mac mini with the M2 is likely to be a fairly linear improvement over the 2020 Mac mini M1, as Apple claims the M2 offers 25% more transistors than the M1 and delivers up to 18% more multi-core performance. The company also claims that the M2’s 16-core Neural Engine (which helps with machine learning tasks like image processing) is capable of processing up to 40% more computations per second than the M1, which is good news for people who like to see the numbers. .
The M2 chip also supports up to 24GB of memory, and Apple claims it can deliver up to twice the performance of the M1 chip while using half the power. This allows you to configure the Mac mini M2 with up to 24GB of RAM, an improvement over the 16GB limit allowed by the M1 chip.
And of course you now have the option of outfitting the 2023 Mac mini with the M2 Pro chip, which wasn’t an option for the 2020 Mac mini. The M2 Pro supports up to 32GB of memory and offers faster memory bandwidth than the M2, which means you can get a Mac mini with Configure the M2 Pro with up to 32GB of RAM and expect apps to load faster than an entry-level Mac mini. with M2.
The M2 Pro chip also offers more cores than we’ve seen in a Mac mini, as you can configure it with up to a 12-core CPU (8 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores) and a 19-core GPU. Apple pitches this model as a powerful workhorse for photo/video editing and even gaming, claiming that a Mac mini with M2 Pro delivers up to 2.5x faster graphics performance in Affinity Photo and up to 2.8x faster gameplay in Resident Evil Village From Mac mini to beginners with the M1. Not surprising given the 3 year gap between chips, but still impressive.
The new Mac mini M2 also offers improved wireless connectivity options over its predecessor, as it now supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. These are the latest wireless standards in common use as of publication, and an upgrade over the slower versions available in the 2020 Mac mini M1.
Mac mini M2 vs. Mac mini M1: the verdict
When the Mac mini M2 hits store shelves in late January 2023, it will be a definite improvement over the older model, making the buying decision straightforward. If you need a pint-sized Mac desktop for work or play, the Mac mini M2 is the Mac to buy. It’s cheaper and faster than its predecessor, without meaningful compromises.
But now that you have the option to upgrade the chip inside, the question that A Mac mini model to buy is a little more complicated than it used to be. After examining M2-equipped MacBooks like the 2022 MacBook Air in our Performance Test Lab, I have no doubt that the Core M2 chip is powerful enough for everyday work, light photo/video editing, and basic gaming. Based on what Apple has shown us so far, I expect the M2 Pro to make the 2023 Mac mini even more capable, letting you do more (and with higher precision) than any Mac mini to date.
Is a Mac mini upgrade worth the $700 M2 Pro chip? The answer is ultimately up to you, but we’ll soon be publishing a review — along with plenty of performance tests — that will hopefully help you make that decision.
[ad_2]
