In a surprise to probably just me on a Tuesday morning (let's call this a Monday for MLK), Apple just busted out of its gaudy pearly gates with the new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro.
The Mac mini has a new starting price of $599, and the Mac mini with M2 Pro starts at $1,299. You can order the new Mac mini models today, with availability beginning Tuesday, Jan. 24.
Mac mini M2 / M2 Pro: What we know
The Mac mini includes support for up to two displays on the M2 model, and up to three displays on the M2 Pro model. It can be paired with Studio Display and Magic accessories, and it'll have access to the latest macOS Ventura. The Mac mini with M2 features an 8-core CPU along with a 10-core GPU, up to 24GB of unified memory, and 100GB/s of memory bandwidth.
According to Apple, 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 also claims that Mac mini M2 can complete complex timeline rendering in Final Cut Pro 9.8x faster than Mac mini with Intel Core i7.
Mac mini M2 Pro features up to a 12-core CPU along with up to a 19-core GPU. M2 Pro has 200GB/s of memory bandwidth and supports up to 32GB of memory. According to Apple, the Mac mini M2 Pro 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. It also claims that it is up to 14x faster than the fastest Intel-based Mac mini.
The M2 model features two Thunderbolt 4 ports and support for up to two displays, while the M2 Pro includes four Thunderbolt 4 ports and support for up to three displays (one of them being 8K). Both models feature two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a Gigabit Ethernet port with a 10GB option, and a headphone jack. Both models also feature the latest Wi-Fi 6E⁵ as well as Bluetooth 5.3.
Outlook
Apple loves making claims, as do most companies, so we'll have to see which ones add up when we get the new Mac minis through our labs. We don't recommend purchasing any products until you've seen the reviews, whether it's from us or our competition (we prefer from us, because we're awesome).
