Apple has released the latest Mac mini. Powered by either a M2 or all-new M2 Pro chip, Apple says the Mac mini is even more powerful and capable with a new starting price of just A$999 – not bad for a system that boasts “pro-level performance”. As well as the processor boost, the Mac mini gets more unified memory support for up to two displays on the M2 model and up to three displays on the M2 Pro model.
M2 and M2 Pro performance boost
The Mac mini with M2 features an 8-core CPU with four high-performance and four high-efficiency cores, along with a 10-core GPU. Mac mini comes with up to 24GB of unified memory and 100GB/s of bandwidth. It also gets ProRes acceleration so tasks like video editing in Final Cut Pro are more than twice as fast. The M2 model can also simultaneously play up to two streams of 8K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps, or up to 12 streams of 4K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps. Apple claims this makes it up to 5x faster than the bestselling Windows desktop.
When compared to the Mac mini with Intel Core i7,3 Mac mini with M2 offers:
- Up to 22x faster machine learning (ML) image upscaling performance in Pixelmator Pro.
- 9.8x faster complex timeline rendering in Final Cut Pro.
When compared to the previous-generation Mac mini with M1,1 Mac mini with M2 delivers:
- Up to 2.4x faster ProRes transcode in Final Cut Pro.
- Up to 50% faster filter and function performance in Adobe Photoshop.
- Up to 35% faster gameplay in Resident Evil Village.
The M2 Pro features up to a 12-core CPU with eight high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, along with up to a 19-core GPU and twice the memory bandwidth in the M2 with support for up to 32GB of memory. The next-generation Neural Engine is 40% faster than M1 and its media engine can simultaneously play up to five streams of 8K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps, or up to 23 streams of 4K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps.
Connectivity boost
The M2 model features two Thunderbolt 4 ports and support for up to two displays while the M2 Pro model has four Thunderbolt 4 ports and support for up to three displays. Additionally, the M2 Pro model can support one 8K display, a first for the Mac. Both models feature two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a Gigabit Ethernet port with a 10GB option, and an upgraded headphone jack to support high-impedance headphones. For wireless connectivity, both new models also feature the latest standards with Wi-Fi 6E for up to 2x faster throughput than before, as well as Bluetooth 5.3.
Pricing and Availability
The new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro is available to order at apple.com/au/store and in the Apple Store app. It will start arriving to customers, in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorised Reseller from Tuesday, 24 January 2023. Mac mini with M2 starts at A$999 and A$829 for education Mac mini with M2 Pro starts at A$1,999 and A$1,849 for education. Additional technical specifications are available at apple.com/au/mac-mini.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.