{"id":52998,"date":"2026-08-25T16:12:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T20:12:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/?p=52998"},"modified":"2026-10-08T14:19:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T18:19:13","slug":"mac-mini-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/2026\/08\/25\/mac-mini-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Mac mini 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Apple<\/a> (Hacker News<\/a>, MacRumors<\/a>, Slashdot<\/a>):<\/p>\n

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With M6, Mac mini now delivers up to 4x faster AI performance, 2x faster storage and graphics, and 40 percent faster CPU performance. Everything on Mac mini with M6 feels incredibly fast, from everyday productivity tasks to agentic AI workflows. Mac mini with M5 Pro delivers even more pro-level performance to breeze through demanding projects, from video production to game development. And this new level of performance takes on business workflows with ease whether Mac mini is being used as a primary desktop or for always-on, deskside agentic computing. Both Mac mini models include Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, as well as upgraded 2.5Gb Ethernet, with a 10Gb option available.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

Mac mini with M6 starts at $899 (U.S.) and $799 (U.S.) for education.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

Mac mini with M5 Pro starts at $1,699 (U.S.) and $1,599 (U.S.) for education.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Rui Carmo<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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The M6 tops out at 170GB\/s and 32GB of unified memory, whereas the M5 Pro offers 307GB\/s and up to 64GB–nearly twice the bandwidth, as well as twice the memory ceiling. That is the number to watch for AI inference, not just CPU and GPU benchmark deltas.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

John Gruber<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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Here’s my attempt to put all of the RAM\/SSD configurations into condensed tables, so you can see which storage and memory options are available for each chip, and how much they cost.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

If you configure an M6 Mac Mini with 2 TB of storage, the SSD upgrade ($1,000) costs more than the entire base model computer ($900). So too with the 4 TB SSD upgrade for the M5 Pro Mini ($1,800 upgrade for a $1,700 computer).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Nick<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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Almost double (in Canadian dollars) what I paid for my M4 mini 18 months ago.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Previously:<\/p>\n