Before Apple switched to ARM, I sneered at the Intel-core Mac mini at the time.

Last year, I got the 8+256GB M2 Mac mini at an educational discount price. It was a good choice and had a good value for money.

In 2024, the M4 Mac mini with 16GB of memory as standard, I would say it is a ridiculous computer. There is no doubt that the basic version of the M4 Mac mini with an educational discount is the most cost-effective product sold by Apple.

Design

The new Mac mini finally replaced the mold that had been used for fourteen years. The previous Mac mini forced the high-efficiency M series chip into the mold of the old Intel Mac, and there was actually a lot of space inside that was completely empty. So strictly speaking, this M4 Mac mini is truly the first-generation Mac mini designed for the M chip.

The new mold not only brings a new appearance design, but also brings a size that is only slightly larger than Apple TV. No matter which visual angle you put it on the desktop, you can see the Mac Mini with an all-aluminum body. With Apple's iconic continuous R angle, it significantly enhances the visual sophistication.

The weight of only 660g actually has some portable properties. I think the only obstacle to the new Mac mini in carrying is that it has no built-in battery.

Ports

Even the entry-level Mac Mini provides 3 Thunderbolt 4 interfaces that support 40Gbps data transmission and DP1.4 video output, and even a full-blooded HDMI 2.1 interface that supports up to 8K 60 frames.

The front panel also has two 10Gbps USB-C ports for connecting devices with low speed requirements, and there is also a 3.5mm interface that supports high-impedance headphones.

The only shortcoming is that there is no longer a USB-A interface, which may cause inconvenience to users who still use traditional devices.

There is a small change in the design of the Mac mini this time that many people complained about it - the power button was moved to the bottom of the device. This may be a bit troublesome for many users who are used to pressing the power button directly. 

At the same time, this gives third-party accessory merchants a huge opportunity. OTOFLY has launched a super thin and light M4 Mac Mini case, which can perfectly protect your Mac Mini from scratches.

 

M4 Chip

If there is anything that Apple M series chips have that is far ahead of the competition, it must be the terrifying single-core performance, which has increased by 55% compared to the M1 chip, even stronger than the i9-14900K, and is one of the strongest single-cores currently available.

In terms of multi-core, M4 is stronger than M1 Max. Of course, it is limited by the number of cores of 4P+6E, and its multi-core performance cannot be compared with 14900K.

However, it is obvious that power consumption is the killer of the M4 chip. The M4 chip only needs half the power consumption to achieve the same performance as the M2 chip; compared with the latest chips in thin and light PC laptops, the M4 chip only needs 1/4 of the power consumption to achieve the same performance.

Comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of M4 Mac Mini:

Advantages:

• Excellent performance: Equipped with the latest generation of M4 chip, the CPU performance is 1.8 times higher than that of M1, and the GPU performance is 2.2 times higher, which truly meets the multi-tasking needs from daily office to light video editing.
• Compact design and portability: Smaller in size, only 5 x 5 x 2 inches, it is very suitable for small desks or home use, and also realizes the possibility of mobile office.
• Higher cost performance: starting at $599, the educational discount price can be lower, and the long-term maintenance cost is low.
• Strong expandability: supports up to three external displays (2 6K and 1 5K resolution displays), equipped with 2 front USB-C ports and 3 rear Thunderbolt 4 ports, as well as an upgradeable 10 Gigabit network port and HDMI, supporting high-speed data transmission and a variety of peripherals.
• Good heat dissipation and quiet: The fanless design makes the device almost noiseless when running, and improves the air outlet design.

Disadvantages:

• Storage and memory are not expandable: The memory and storage are soldered directly to the motherboard and cannot be upgraded later.
• Lack of USB-A port: The USB-A port has been completely removed, which may cause inconvenience to users who still use traditional devices.
• Inconvenient power button design: The power button is hidden (bottom) and the operation is not intuitive enough.
• Limited gaming performance: The integrated graphics card cannot match the high-performance discrete graphics card, which is not suitable for gamers.

Who is the Mac Mini M4 suitable for?

Students and entry-level creators:

Budget-sensitive users who need to smoothly handle daily tasks, such as text editing, web browsing, and lightweight multimedia editing.

Home and office users:

Users who need a compact, low-noise desktop to complete productivity tasks (such as video conferencing, document processing).

Developers and designers:

Users who need a macOS environment, especially small and medium-sized projects for programming development (such as Xcode) or graphic design.

Multimedia enthusiasts:

As a home entertainment center, the Mac Mini can be connected to a TV for high-quality video playback or lightweight games.

Buying Guide

The M4 Mac Mini 16+256G configuration is a very cost-effective choice in Apple's product line. Whether you are a student, a creative person, or a small studio, this device can basically meet your needs. After all, it is rare to find such a small device that combines performance and portability in Apple's product line, and the cost performance is indeed very high.

For users with high data transmission and storage capacity requirements, an external Thunderbolt or USB 4 hard drive is the best solution.