One key spec has prevented me from picking up Apple's best-value Mac, but the new Mac Mini M4 has just fixed the problem
The Mac Mini M4 is thicker than previous iterations, but will take up considerably less space on your desktop(Image credit: Apple / Digital Camera World)
The latest iteration of the Mac Mini has launched and I think it boasts some pretty stellar specs that could make it the best desktop computer for photo editing. Crucially, it fixes my biggest gripe with the Mac Mini M2. It finally comes with 16GB of Unified Memory (RAM) as standard.
It's also skipped a silicon generation, from the 2023 models’ M2 to the M4, and if you plump for the M4 Pro model, you get a set of brand new Thunderbolt 5 ports. That's right, the Mac Mini M4 is Apple's first computer to feature Thunderbolt 5. Honestly, I'm a little surprised Cupertino chose the utilitarian Mini and not a sexier device – like the new M4 iMac or an M4 MacBook that's surely on the horizon – to debut this much-anticipated feature.
The spec upgrades don't stop there. While the 16-core Neural Engine remains across the board, M4 models still include a 10-core GPU, but 2023's 8-core CPU has been upgraded to ten cores. M4 Pro users fare similarly, with a 12-core CPU upgrade (from ten), while retaining 16 cores for the GPU.
A small but welcome quality-of-life upgrade for the M4 models is an additional Thunderbolt 4 port, totaling three over last year's two. But while the M4 Pro boasts that juicy Thunderbolt 5 upgrade, you only get three ports (the M2 Pro model featured four Thunderbolt 4 ports).
The biggest immediate difference is the machine's form factor. Apple is saying the Mac Mini M4's "footprint is less than half the size of the previous design." The Mac Mini M2 was 1.41 x 7.75 x 7.75in (3.58 x 19.70 x 19.70cm), while the M4 clocks in at 2.0 x 5.0 x 5.0in (5.0 x 12.7 x 12.7cm). So, it's thicker, making it look a little like a diddy version of the Mac Studio, but it’ll take up less space on your desk.
(Image credit: Apple)
My biggest gripe with the Mac Mini M2 was the base model's 8GB of Unified Memory. Personally, I thought it was ridiculous that anybody should be offered the opportunity to pick up a brand new 2023 Mac, with just 8GB of RAM and I'm extremely pleased that Apple has rectified this with the M4 release's 16GB as standard. Yes, it's still a shame you have to cough up $200 / £200 just to get a 512GB SSD, but I guess you can't have it all…
So, the Mac Mini M4 is unequivocally better than last year's iteration. And remarkably, it's cheaper, too. It'll set you back $599 / £599 instead of $799 / £649. But I think it's an even better deal when you consider the Unified Memory upgrade.
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You see, what put me off picking up a Mac Mini last year was that its base price tag just didn't tell the whole story. Sure, $799 / £649 was a great price then and still is now. But I considered the 16GB of Unified Memory an essential upgrade, as well as the 512GB SSD, turning what was an affordable little machine into a not-so-affordable little machine. This time around, you can pick up a 16GB Mini for $599 / £599. Even with the 512GB upgrade, it’s still a very palatable $799 / £799.
Digital Camera World review pending, I'm confident the Mac Mini has quietly become Apple's best-value Mac. And that's exactly what it should be. Sure, it doesn't boast the portability of the best MacBooks, and yes, you will need a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. But if you're looking for an affordable Mac that boasts plenty of raw power and don't mind a utilitarian device that lacks that trademark Apple pizazz that iMacs and MacBooks have in spades, then the Mac Mini M4 looks like it could be a very smart buy indeed.
Mike is Digital Camera World's How To Editor. He has over a decade of experience, writing for some of the biggest specialist publications including Digital Camera, Digital Photographer and PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine. Prior to DCW, Mike was Deputy Editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine and Production Editor at Wex Photo Video, where he sharpened his skills in both the stills and videography spheres. While he's an avid motorsport photographer, his skills extend to every genre of photography – making him one of Digital Camera World's top tutors for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters and other imaging equipment – as well as sharing his expertise on shooting everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...
