Apple's Mac lineup has never been better and since the release of its latest MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops, portable Macs are now an even better buy than before. There have also been recent updates to the Mac desktop lineup featuring improved performance and more. The all-new M4 and M4 Pro Mac mini is surprisingly small yet powerful enough to play the latest games and run all the most resource-hungry apps. And while a new M4 version of the iMac also debuted recently, the Mac mini is where it's at for those looking to save space or use their own monitor.
The M4 model starts at $599, while the M4 Pro is going for $1,399 when bought directly from Apple. Compared with the previous-generation Mac Minis, these models are much smaller at just 5 by 5 inches and also comes with easy-to-access ports on the front of the device. This is the first upgrade to the device in nearly two years with the last update being in early 2023.
Apple's student discounts and refurbs
It's worth noting that the Apple Store offers students an educational discount, where you can save $100 on the price of a new Mac Mini. Some upgrades are discounted, too. For example, doubling the RAM to 16GB costs $180 with the student discount instead of the usual $200 charge.
Also at Apple, you might find a refurbished Mac Mini on the Certified Refurbished Mac page, but it's too early to find an M4 refurb, and we'd caution against buying an older Intel-based Mac Mini. And an M2 refurb would need to be priced substantially less than the new M4 models or comparable M2 models in new condition. Still, it's worth keeping an eye out, because you can lock in substantial savings. Apple refurbs are a great way to save some cash and are often just as good as new.
Keep reading to see the best US prices currently available for Apple's Mac Mini. We update this page regularly and give prices that are accurate at the time of publication, but note that they fluctuate.
Mac Mini discounts, compared
| Model w/ CPU, RAM and storage capacity | List price | Best price (current) | Best price (all time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mac Mini w/ M2, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD | $599 | $499 | $499 |
| Mac Mini w/ M2, 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD | $799 | $690 | $679 |
| Mac Mini w/ M2 Pro, 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD | $1,499 | $1,349 | $1,149 |
Note that "all time" means the best price we've seen at an Apple-authorized retailer in the product's lifetime.
There are three different options when it comes to the M4 Mac Mini. They all have 10-Core CPU and 10-Core GPU, but the difference is in the storage options. Storage ranges from 16 to 24GB of unified memory and 256 to 512GB of SSD storage. Amazon is offering a slim $20 discount on a Mac that hasn't been around all that long.
The Mac Mini also offers a Pro chip option from Apple's lineup. The baseline Mac Mini with the M2 Pro costs $1,299 and features 16GB of RAM -- double that of the M2 models -- and a 512GB SSD. The step-up model with a 1TB SSD costs $1,499 from Apple, and right now, you can save $150 on it at B&H.
The M2 Pro chip has 10 CPU cores and 16 GPU cores compared with the eight-CPU core, 10-GPU core M2 chip. The M2 Pro model also doubles the number of Thunderbolt 4 ports to four.
*All information about the Apple Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.