Apple Mac mini: Apple still prototyping M2 and M2 Pro-based mini-PCs

Over two years have passed since Apple introduced the current Mac mini, one of the company’s first devices to launch with its in-house silicon. Since then, Apple has launched various Macs powered by in-house chipsets, as well as several iPads. However, the Mac mini remains on the Apple M1, which sits within a design that is over a decade old at this point.

According to Mark Gurman, Apple had wanted to release a new Mac mini, along with the first Mac Pro based on Apple M series chipsets. Reportedly, Apple plans to offer the Mac mini with the Apple M2 and Apple M2 Pro, which should both deliver healthy performance boosts for an actively cooled mini-PC. For reference, the Apple M2 achieves about 10% better performance than the Apple M1 in our benchmarks, despite only testing the former in a fanless system.

Presumably, a similar performance gap will exist between Apple M2 and Apple M2 Pro as its Apple M1 and Apple M1 Pro. According to our database, the Apple M1 falls approximately 15% short of the Apple M1 Pro. A release date for the new Mac mini remains unknown, although Gurman mentioned it in the context of new MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16 models, which are expected to land in early 2023.

Alex Alderson – Senior Tech Writer – 7080 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2018

Prior to writing and translating for Notebookcheck, I worked for various companies including Apple and Neowin. I have a BA in International History and Politics from the University of Leeds, which I have since converted to a Law Degree. Happy to chat on Twitter or Notebookchat.