The Week of Mac continues! Following the release of the new M4 iMacs is the all-new Mac mini. Predictably, it’ll be powered by M4 chips: specifically, the M4 and the M4 Pro. Other than being powered by the latest M-series processors, it also has the distinction of being the first carbon neutral mac.

Pint-sized Powerhouse

For the unfamiliar, the Mac mini is Apple’s take on a mini-PC that you can connect to different peripherals. You can think of them as tiny desktop PCs, but they’re Mac.

This one in particular measures at just 5×5 inches — 1/20th the size of its predecessor. Some might say that’s not very sizable. And that’s the point. Don’t be discouraged because even at this size, it’s a powerhouse when it comes to performance.

The Mac mini with M4 features a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU. It now starts with 16GB of unified memory. What does that mean for you? Breezy multitasking across everyday productivity apps to creative projects like video editing, music production, or writing and compiling code.

When compared to the Mac mini with Intel Core i7, Mac mini with M4:

• Applies up to 2.8x more audio effect plugins in a Logic Pro project.
• Delivers up to 13.3x faster gaming performance in World of Warcraft: The War Within.
• Enhances photos with up to 33x faster image upscaling performance in Photomator.

When compared to the Mac mini with M1, Mac mini with M4:

• Performs spreadsheet calculations up to 1.7x faster in Microsoft Excel.
• Transcribes with on-device AI speech-to-text up to 2x faster in MacWhisper.
• Merges panoramic images up to 4.9x faster in Adobe Lightroom Classic.

Naturally, the M4 Pro is even more powerful. It has up to 14 cores, including 10 performance cores and four efficiency cores. With up to 20 cores, the M4 Pro GPU is up to twice as powerful as the GPU in the M4. Both chips bring hardware-accelerated ray tracing to the Mac mini for the first time.

It also has Apple Intelligence with its Neural Engine being 3x more powerful (as it ought to be) than the Mac mini M1. On-device Apple Intelligence models run at blazing speed. M4 Pro supports up to 64GB of unified memory and 273GB/s of memory bandwidth — twice as much bandwidth as any AI PC chip — for accelerating AI workloads. And M4 Pro supports Thunderbolt 5, which delivers up to 120 Gb/s data transfer speeds on Mac mini, and more than doubles the throughput of Thunderbolt 4.

When compared to the Mac mini with Intel Core i7, Mac mini with M4 Pro:

• Performs spreadsheet calculations up to 4x faster in Microsoft Excel.
• Executes scene-edit detection up to 9.4x faster in Adobe Premiere Pro.
• Transcribes with on-device AI speech-to-text up to 20x faster in MacWhisper.
• Processes basecalling for DNA sequencing in Oxford Nanopore MinKNOW up to 26x faster.

When compared to the Mac mini with M2 Pro, Mac mini with M4 Pro:

• Applies up to 1.8x more audio effect plugins in a Logic Pro project.
• Renders motion graphics to RAM up to 2x faster in Motion.
• Completes 3D renders up to 2.9x faster in Blender.

Ports Galore

Due to its reduced size, some ports had to move up front. But that also means a little more convenience. The ports in front are: two (2) USB-C ports that support USB 3, and an audio jack with support for high-impedance headphones.

The rest of the ports are at the back. They differ for the M4 and the M4 Pro.

M4: Three (3) Thunderbolt 4 ports, can support up to two 6K displays and up to one 5K display,

M4 Pro: Three (3) Thunderbolt 5 ports, can support up to three 6K displays at 60Hz for a total of over 60 million pixels.

The rest of the ports at the back are the same: Gigabit Ethernet, configurable up to 10Gb Ethernet for faster networking speeds, and an HDMI port for easy connection to a TV or HDMI display without an adapter.

First Carbon Neutral Mac

The Mac mini is made with over 50 percent recycled content overall. This includes 100 percent recycled aluminum in the enclosure, 100 percent recycled gold plating in all Apple-designed printed circuit boards, and 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets.

The electricity used to manufacture Mac mini is sourced from 100 percent renewable electricity. And, to address 100 percent of the electricity customers use to power Mac mini, Apple has invested in clean energy projects around the world.

Apple prioritized lower-carbon modes of shipping, like ocean freight, to further reduce emissions from transportation.

Together, these actions have reduced the carbon footprint of Mac mini by over 80 percent. For the small amount of remaining emissions, Apple applies high-quality carbon credits from nature-based projects, like those generated by its innovative Restore Fund.

Price and availability

Mac mini with M4 starts at $599 (U.S.) and $499 (U.S.) for education. Additional technical specifications are available at apple.com/mac-mini.

Mac mini with M4 Pro starts at $1,399 (U.S.) and $1,299 (U.S.) for education. Additional technical specifications are available at apple.com/mac-mini.

Customers can pre-order the new Mac mini with M4 and M4 Pro starting today, Tuesday, October 29, on apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app in 28 countries and regions, including the U.S. It will start arriving to customers, and in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers, beginning Friday, November 8.