Apple launches Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro, starting at $899

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Apple has launched a new Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro, its first update to the compact desktop in nearly two years. Pre-orders are open now, and deliveries begin September 22.

The five-by-five-inch design has not changed. The meaningful upgrades are inside: faster chips, more AI hardware, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, 2.5Gb Ethernet, and storage Apple says is up to twice as fast.

M6 powers the base Mac mini

The entry model skips M5 and moves directly from M4 to M6. It has a 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU, Neural Accelerators in every GPU core, and Apple’s first Dual 16-core Neural Engine.

Apple claims up to 40 percent faster CPU performance, twice the graphics performance, and four times the AI performance of the M4 model in its test configurations. Those are Apple’s own benchmark figures, so real-world gains will depend on the app and workload.

The M6 model starts with 16GB of unified memory and 256GB of storage. Memory can be configured up to 32GB, with bandwidth reaching 170GB/s on higher-memory versions.

M5 Pro is the more capable option

The higher-end Mac mini uses M5 Pro rather than M6. The older generation number is a little confusing, but the Pro chip has far more headroom for sustained creative, development, and local AI work.

It starts with a 15-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 24GB of memory, and 512GB of storage. Buyers can configure it with up to an 18-core CPU, 20-core GPU, 64GB of memory, and 8TB of storage. Memory bandwidth is 307GB/s.

M5 Pro first appeared in Apple’s 2026 MacBook Pro lineup, and our Mac processor history shows how it fits into the broader Apple silicon range.

Connectivity gets a useful upgrade

Both models use Apple’s N1 networking chip and support Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Wired Ethernet now runs at 2.5Gb by default, with 10Gb available as an option.

The front still has two USB-C ports and a headphone jack. On the back, the M6 model has three Thunderbolt 4 ports, while M5 Pro gets three Thunderbolt 5 ports. Both include HDMI and Ethernet.

The new Mac mini can drive up to three external displays. Apple also added genlock over USB-C for synchronizing a display with professional camera capture.

Pricing is $100 higher this time

Mac mini with M6 starts at $899 in the U.S., while the M5 Pro version starts at $1,699. Each base configuration costs $100 more than the M4 model it replaces.

That price increase stings, especially after months of Mac mini and Mac Studio shortages. At least the base model still includes 16GB of memory, though 256GB of storage is tight for a desktop starting close to $900.

Apple is taking pre-orders in 30 countries and regions. The new models reach customers, Apple Stores, and authorized resellers on September 22.

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