Apple has significantly enhanced the Mac mini's performance with the M6 chip, along with a substantial increase in pricing.

      Apple has given the Mac mini a significant upgrade. The compact desktop now features two chip choices: the new M6 and the professional-grade M5 Pro, both of which offer a substantial enhancement in AI performance while retaining the beloved small form factor.

      Apple has unveiled the updated Mac mini, starting at $899 for the M6 version and $1,699 for the M5 Pro model. Here’s a brief overview of what you need to know: pic.twitter.com/nD0HScS9Vf— Digital Trends (@DigitalTrends) August 25, 2026

      How much more powerful is the new Mac mini?

      The base model features the M6 chip, which includes a 12-core CPU, two additional cores compared to the previous chip, alongside a 12-core GPU equipped with Neural Accelerators in each core. With a revamped Neural Engine, Apple claims this results in 4x faster AI performance and 2x quicker graphics and storage compared to the M4 Mac mini, as well as a 40 percent increase in overall CPU speed. Unified memory starts at 16GB and can be expanded to 32GB, with enhanced bandwidth.

      If you seek additional power, you can upgrade to the M5 Pro version. This version is designed for demanding tasks such as video editing, 3D rendering, or running larger AI models locally. It can be configured with an 18-core CPU, a 20-core GPU, and up to 64GB of unified memory, ensuring it manages intensive workloads with ease.

      Both models now feature support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, alongside 2.5Gb Ethernet, with an optional 10Gb upgrade available. There are also Thunderbolt ports: the M6 model has three Thunderbolt 4 ports, while the M5 Pro has three Thunderbolt 5 ports, plus an HDMI port. At the front, there are two USB-C ports and a headphone jack.

      What do the performance figures reveal?

      Apple provided several real-world comparisons that are notable if you’re considering an upgrade. For the M6:

      - LLM prompt processing in LM Studio is up to 13.5x faster than the original M1 mini, and up to 4.8x faster than the M4.

      - Excel spreadsheet calculations can be up to 2.3x quicker than the M1 and 1.5x faster than the M4.

      - Ray-traced gaming in Cyberpunk 2077 runs up to 2x faster than the M4 model.

      The M5 Pro results are equally impressive. When compared to the M2 Pro, it shows improvements of up to 8.5x in LLM prompt processing, 4.5x in Blender rendering, and 2.1x in image processing with Affinity. Even against last year’s M4 Pro, substantial gains are evident across various metrics.

      Should you make a purchase?

      This is the expected yet slightly disheartening part. The M4 Mac mini began at $599, but the new M6 model's price starts at $899, marking a $300 increase for the entry-level version. The M5 Pro starts at $1,699, which is again a $300 jump from the M4 Pro Mac mini's introductory price of $1,399.

      So, while you are indeed receiving a significant performance enhancement, the cost has noticeably risen. If the improvements in AI and speed are crucial for your tasks, it may be worthwhile. However, if you require a basic desktop, it might be sensible to continue using your current mini for a while longer. Pre-orders are now open, with units expected to arrive on September 22.