Mac Mini M2 vs. Mac Mini M1: what's new?
Apple recently announced a 2023 update to its Mac Mini lineup with the Mac Mini M2. The biggest upgrade this time around is a jump from the company's M1 chip to its new M2 and M2 Pro.
But what does that mean for the Mac Mini, and what's changed since the 1 Mac Mini M2020?
We've put the two Apple desktops head-to-head so you can decide whether your Mac is worth upgrading, as well as which model to choose if you're looking for your first Mini.
In this section:
The Mac Mini M2 has a new chip
The biggest difference between the Mac Mini M1 and the Mac Mini M2 is in the name – the Mac Mini M2 is powered by the M2 or M2 Pro SoC, while the Mac Mini M1 comes with the slightly older M1.
The M1 features an 8-core processor with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, an 8-core GPU, and a 16-core neural engine. It has a multimedia engine with video encoding and decoding engines and supports hardware-accelerated H.264 and HEVC.
The M2 has a similar configuration with an 8-core processor with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores and a 16-core neural engine, but it also comes with a 10-core GPU. The media engine also supports Apple ProRes and ProRes RAW.
The M2 Pro, on the other hand, takes things a step further with an up to 12-core CPU made up of 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, an up to 19-core GPU, and a 16-core neural engine of up to 40% faster than that. in M1. The multimedia engine offers the same support as that of the M2.
The above means that Mac Mini equipped with M2 and M2 Pro can offer faster performance and more powerful media engine than Mac Mini M1.
The Mac Mini M2 has more memory
Another difference worth noting is that the Mac Mini M2 offers larger memory options and more bandwidth than its predecessor.
Where the Mac Mini M1 is available in 8GB and 16GB configurations, the Mac Mini M2 offers up to 24GB of unified memory with 100GB/s memory bandwidth, while the M2 Pro tops out at 32GB and a memory bandwidth of 200 GB/s.
According to Apple, this makes editing images in Adobe Photoshop up to 50% faster on the M2-powered Mac Mini.
The Mac Mini M2 has bigger storage options
The new Mac Mini also comes with more storage, but only if you opt for the M2 Pro model.
SSD configurations for the Mac Mini M1 and Mac Mini M2 range from 256GB to 2TB, while the Mac Mini M2 Pro starts at 512GB and goes up to 8TB.
The Mac Mini M2 offers more Thunderbolt ports
If you need Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, the new Mac Mini has twice as many as its predecessor. However, again, you'll need to upgrade to the M2 Pro-powered Mini to take advantage of this addition.
The Mac Mini M1 and Mac Mini M2 come with two Thunderbolt ports, two USB-A, one HDMI, and one Ethernet port. The Mac Mini M2 Pro, on the other hand, gives you four Thunderbolt ports, two USB-A, one HDMI, and one Ethernet port.
Additionally, the M2 model can 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 at the same time. This is compared to the support for a 6K display and a 4K supported by the Mac Mini M1.
The M2 Pro, on the other hand, can support up to three displays, including up to five 8K ProRes 422 streams at 30 fps or up to 23 4K ProRes 422 streams at 30 fps.
First verdict
When it comes to price, the Mac Mini M2 is actually cheaper than its predecessor, with prices ranging from $599/£649 to $699/£699 for the M1. The more premium Mac Mini M2 Pro, meanwhile, starts at more than double that price at $1299/£1399.
This makes the new Mac Mini M2 an easy upgrade over the Mac Mini M1.
Of course, if you want the most powerful Mac Mini around, you'll have to go for the Mac Mini M2 Pro. This is where most upgrades come in. However, at twice the price of the Mac Mini M2, you'll have to decide if the differences are worth it to you.
