Pros
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Tiny chassis
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Good for productivity
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Cheapest Mac available
Apple’s Mac Mini M2 isn’t revolutionary, but it’s a good fit for small offices and simple needs.
About the Apple Mac Mini M2
Credit:
Reviewed / Adrien Rameriz
Apple’s Mac Mini M2 leaves enough space on your desk for the decor that matters.
- Processor: Apple M2 processor (8 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores)
- Graphics: Integrated
- RAM: 8GB soldered-in memory
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Ports: 2 x Thunderbolt 4, 2 x USB-A, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Ethernet, 1 x Headphone jack
- Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
- Weight: 2.6 pounds
- Size: 1.41 x 7.75 x 7.75 inches
- Warranty: 1-year limited warranty
The Mac Mini M2 comes in several configuration options. You can choose between the base 8-core M2 processor with a 10-core graphics processor and the upgraded 10-core M2 Pro processor with a 16-core graphics processor.
We tested the base M2 version, which is configurable up to 24GB of memory and 2TB of storage. The M2 Pro version starts with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage, which can be upgraded up to 32GB of memory and 8TB of storage. The base M2 Mac Mini starts at $599 while the M2 Pro Mac Mini starts at $1,299.
What we like
Same base design
Credit:
Reviewed / Adrien Ramirez
The Mac Mini M2 remains lightweight and compact, measuring in at less than three pounds—even with six versatile ports.
As the old adage goes: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The Mac Mini’s chassis design has been a hit for years now. At under three pounds and about sixty square inches of desk real estate, the Mac Mini basically disappears into the background of your space’s decor. It’s also very easy to use, with all the ports and the power button located on the same side.
While there aren’t many of them, the ports the Mac Mini packs are incredibly useful—two USB A ports, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port, and an Ethernet port. Because the M2 doesn’t usually get hot enough to require active cooling, the chassis could be thinner still, but there’s nothing wrong with how thick it actually is.
More configuration options than last generation
One of my major complaints about the M1 Mac Mini was its lack of configuration options. It was only upgradeable to 16GB of memory and didn’t come in an M1 Pro version. This generation, Apple has freed the power of the M2 Pro processors from their MacBook cages, and you can upgrade the memory up to 32GB, to boot.
This flexibility finally puts the Mac Mini on par with the MacBook Pro line, meaning it can find a place as both a humble family PC or as a graphics powerhouse for M2 Pro processor enthusiasts. The base Mac Mini is now $100 cheaper, too! For half the price of a MacBook, you get exactly the same amount of power.
It offers a lot of performance for the money
Credit:
Reviewed / Adrien Ramirez
Even without the M2 Pro processing upgrade, users are still delivered faster processing times and up to 8GB of memory.
The MacBook Pro 13 and MacBook Air are both impressive laptops thanks to their powerful M2 processor, and now that processor’s come to the Mac Mini for just $600. At that price, most laptops aren’t anywhere near as powerful, and neither are most all-in-one PCs. Old-fashioned tower PCs can offer more power or flexibility at this price point, but not in a package this small—tiny prebuilt Windows PCs like the Intel NUC are a dying breed compared to the bigger and flashier workstations and gaming desktops crowding the market.
If you already have an M1 Mac Mini, the performance boost isn’t enough to justify upgrading. It’s about 20% faster in multicore performance and 15% faster in single-core performance. (You can get bigger boosts from switching to a tower PC.) But if you’re deciding between an M2 Mac Mini and a comparable Windows laptop for light computing like web browsing or writing word documents, then the Mac Mini is probably the better choice.
When we benchmarked the M2 processor in our review unit, the Mac Mini scored about 2000 points in Geekbench 5’s single-core test, which is on par with Windows laptop processors we’ve tested such as the Intel Core i9-12900H in the Asus ROG Flow Z13 and the Acer Predator Triton 500SE. The M2 still falls behind the Intel Core i9-13900K and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X desktop processors, which scored around 2250 points each, but that’s not enough to make a meaningful difference in everyday tasks.
The M2 Mac Mini’s multicore processing is still plenty for most productivity tasks and even some light 3D modeling in programs like Blender. It scored about 9050 points in Geekbench 5’s multicore test, which is slightly above what most Windows productivity laptops score. For instance, the Dell XPS 13 Plus scored about 8000 points and the HP Spectre 14 scored about 7000 points—both of these are higher-end productivity laptops that cost well above a thousand dollars.
However, the Mac Mini’s multicore score is less impressive than other desktop PCs. Intel’s midrange desktop processor, the Intel Core i5-13600K, scored 166683 points in Geekbench 5’s multicore test, and the high-end Intel Core i9-13900K and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scored over 24000 and 22000 points, respectively. The Mac Mini’s processor is still a mobile processor with those same limitations, meaning that it’s just not as powerful as what you could get from other desktops.
The upside is that the Mac Mini is incredibly power-efficient compared to most desktop PCs. The M2 processor is rated at 20W, and the Mac Mini itself is designed to use up to 150W for the M2 version and 185W for the M2 Pro version. By comparison, the desktop Intel Core i5-13600K uses up to 125W, more than six times what the M2 processor uses. It even uses less power than the Core i5-13600H mobile chip, which is rated at 45W.
So, is the M2 Mac Mini competitive with traditional desktop PCs for performance? No, but it wasn’t meant to be. It’s still more powerful than what you will get with most productivity laptops, and it’s enough to do most tasks seamlessly. It’s about as powerful as you can get for just $600.
What we don’t like
Same base design
Credit:
Reviewed / Adrien Ramirez
The Apple Mac Mini M2’s design hasn’t been upgraded since the last generation, but there’s definitely room for small improvements when it comes to things like sound quality.
I know what you’re thinking—I just praised the M2 Mac Mini for having the same design as the M1 Mac Mini, but the same upsides also come with the same downsides. The integrated speakers still sound hollow and tinny, and the base model still only has two Thunderbolt ports. (At least the upgraded M2 Pro model has four Thunderbolt ports.)
The other major issue is that despite being a standalone desktop with space for modular parts, every chip is integrated into the main board. That means you are stuck with the same PC specs until the next time you get a PC, and each upgrade will burn a hole in your pocket. Upgrading storage from 256GB to 512GB should not cost $200 when a good 512GB drive costs around $50, albeit on sale. If you get an M2 Mac Mini with a 512GB storage drive and 16GB of memory, you will pay $1,000. At that point, the Mac Mini’s size is its only major advantage over much more customizable (and just as easy to use) Windows and Linux desktops.
Its storage drive is a downgrade from last gen
Like the M2 MacBook Air and the M2 MacBook Pro 13 before it, the M2 Mac Mini’s SSD is notably slower than the SSD on the M1 processor from 2020. The M2 Mac Mini hits about 1500 MB/s for both read and write speeds in the DaVinci Blackmagic disk speed test, whereas the M1 MacBook Air hit over 2100 MB/s for write speeds and 2800 MB/s for read speeds. Similar read/write speeds have been observed on the Mac Mini M2 Pro, as well.
If you’re looking for a general PC that can handle occasional heavier processing like photo editing an album in Lightroom or producing a short video in Premiere, the M2 Mac Mini is still fast enough to get the job done. Even though it’s slower than its predecessor in this area, there isn’t a major loading time increase on the M2.
However, if you do plan to use the Mac Mini to edit photos and videos or for 3D modeling, then the M2 Pro’s extra two performance cores make enough of a difference even with slower read/write speeds to justify the expense.
It’s still a bare-bones package
Credit:
Reviewed / Adrien Ramirez
Like many others, this mini computer is a standalone purchase with no additional upgrades when it comes to Apple accessories.
The Mac Mini might be the least expensive Apple computer, but you don’t get a lot of the usual creature comforts.
When you buy the Mac Mini, you only get the PC and a power cord. You’re on your own for mice, keyboards, monitors, and any other peripherals. The 24-inch iMac is an all-in-one system with the PC built into the 4.5K monitor, and it comes with an Apple Mouse and Keyboard for $1,300—buying a Mac Mini with a comparable 4K monitor and peripherals won’t necessarily be cheaper, so you will have to be conscientious about what you’re buying.
That said, there are many great 27-inch 4K monitors these days that cost $400 or less, and a good 1080p monitor can cost under $200. A good wireless mouse and keyboard can easily be found for less than $100 combined if bought new. If you expand your search to pre-owned and refurbished goods, that will bring the price down even more (and always remember to ask your friends, family, and coworkers if they have any old mice or keyboards they’ve been meaning to get rid of). For those fortunate enough to live in areas full of offices or other tech-heavy spaces, a lot of businesses will give away older peripherals for free or very cheap.
Should you buy the Apple Mac Mini M2?
Credit:
Reviewed / Adrien Ramirez
The impressive processing times, coupled with its compact design makes the Apple Mac Mini M2 a winner.
Yes, it’s still the best-value Mac
The M2 Mac Mini is a great desktop for daily productivity and takes up almost no desk space.
Its M2 mobile processor is much faster than most laptops for $600, and it consumes very little power. If you need a Mac with a bit more juice, for $1,299 you can upgrade to the M2 Pro processor, which has extra video encoding engines for those looking for a multimedia production powerhouse.
The Mac Mini’s value falls by the wayside once you start adding extra memory and storage. A Mac Mini with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage is about $1,000. That kind of money can get you a much more powerful desktop computer that’s also upgradeable in the future (although you will have trouble finding one as small as the Mac Mini). This HP Pavilion desktop is about the size of a shoebox and offers a more powerful processor, more memory, and more storage space for just $850.
This Dell Inspiron PC is another great choice for $800, and it has a DVD drive too. If you’re more of a laptop person, the MacBook Air M2 and MacBook Pro 14 M2 Pro will offer the same performance as the Mac Mini M2 and Mac Mini M2 Pro, respectively. The downside is that the MacBook Air M2 starts at $1,149 and the MacBook Pro 14 M2 Pro starts at $1,999.
While there isn’t a lack of options for small form factor Windows desktop PCs, none can compete with the combined power and size of the Mac Mini M2. It trounces most productivity laptops under a thousand dollars, and as an unobtrusive productivity PC for those who don’t game or travel much, it’s hard to beat the simplicity of the Mac Mini.
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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
Meet the tester
Adrien is a staff writer for Reviewed, mainly focused on reviewing laptops and other consumer tech. During his free time, he’s usually wandering around Hyrule.
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