M4 Mac mini overview three months later: specs, options, worth

Apple’s Mac mini with M4 can match into lots of use circumstances, particularly due to its new, smaller dimension, and three months later, it is confirmed to be probably the most versatile Macs but.

Redesigns might be enjoyable and crowd pleasing, however they do not at all times result in elementary adjustments in what’s attainable or desired from a platform. The Mac mini with M4 is an exception, as it’s now sufficiently small to fit into some distinctive use circumstances.

It isn’t that the earlier Mac mini was massive by any stretch, and there are definitely smaller desktop-class PCs on the market, so a Mac being this small should not be a giant deal. Besides, portability in Macs is extra essential than ever thanks to at least one product specifically — Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional.

On this three-month overview, I will cowl the standard stuff like specs and utilizing the Mac mini, however I am additionally going to dive deep into how I take advantage of it with Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional. It isn’t essentially the most standard use case, however I am not precisely a standard laptop consumer right here with my iPad Professional desk setup — seen right here.

That is proper. For me, the Mac has change into extra of an adjunct or equipment in my setup. Let’s dive into how that works, why I trouble working this manner, and what I’ve discovered from utilizing a Mac mini as a modular headless desktop.

M4 Mac mini overview: design

Beforehand, I used the 14-inch MacBook Professional, and for some time, it was my major machine for work. As Stage Supervisor improved and Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional was launched, the Mac took a again seat in my workflows.

White square device with rounded corners, featuring a black apple logo on top, connected by a braided cable looped upwards.
M4 Mac mini overview: a tiny sq. laptop that is simply transportable with an connected battery

The MacBook Professional sat on a shelf in clamshell for months till the M4 Mac mini arrived. I noticed I used to be losing that stunning show and determined to swap for the miniature Mac mini and what it may present.

In fact, I am conscious {that a} MacBook with its built-in keyboard, trackpad, and battery is likely to be a greater companion to the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, however these aren’t the elements I need to use. I need to convey my very own mouse and keyboard since I want Apple’s Magic Trackpad and a mechanical keyboard, and the show was going to waste both means.

So, enter the Mac mini with M4 and its new, smaller design. It prompted me to strive discovering a tiny exterior battery to make it transportable and act as a tiny headless Mac I may pair with Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional’s digital show mode.

Shedding a full 2.7 inches on both sides and gaining solely a squat 0.6 inches of peak made the M4 Mac mini far more backpack-friendly. I discovered a square-ish battery with an AC outlet that lets the Mac mini be transportable if wanted, although it does not have energy passthrough, sadly.

Wooden shelf with a small grey computer, possibly a Mac Mini, and large over-ear headphones on a stand.
M4 Mac mini overview: a headless Mac on a shelf

Exterior of portability, the Mac mini excels at becoming into tiny little areas. It now occupies the bookshelf the MacBook Professional beforehand lived on, however with much more house round it.

I am excited by seeing what sort of equipment firms could make just like Satechi’s Stand & Hub. If an organization may embody an built-in AC figure-8 cable and a battery that lasted about an hour with pass-through choices, it might be the killer Mac mini accent.

Actually, the shape issue is ideal by itself. The 2 front-facing USB-C ports make connecting equipment straightforward, and the three Thunderbolt ports enable for unbelievable enlargement.

Close-up of a black circular Mac Mini with vented edges, featuring a power button icon in the upper right corner.
M4 Mac mini overview: energy button placement is not an issue

Oh, and I do not care in regards to the energy button placement. I’ve used it a handful of occasions with out even interested by it.

M4 Mac mini overview: specs

There’s not a lot to say in regards to the Mac mini’s efficiency and specs that have not already been mentioned. The M4 is yet one more unbelievable piece of Apple Silicon, and whereas it is not a gamer’s paradise, it permits some fascinating use circumstances.

A black gaming controller with multicolored backlit buttons in front of a small, grey Apple device on a dark surface.
M4 Mac mini overview: good for gaming, however not fairly a ‘gaming PC’

For reference, the M4 CPU scored 3,899 single and 15,012 multi-core versus the M2 scoring 2,642 single and 9,799 multi-core on Geekbench. The Steel benchmark reveals a 57,914 for M4 versus 46,246 for M2.

The M4 is highly effective by itself and has further options like hardware-accelerated ray tracing. It does nicely with video games supplied on the App Retailer and a few from Steam, however there’s nonetheless room for enchancment.

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Since I primarily use the M4 Mac mini from the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, I’ve taken to testing it for gaming by way of the Digital Show. This is not significantly helpful for video games discovered on the App Retailer, however it’s unbelievable for one type of gaming — emulators.

Apple will not approve emulators that require entry to simply in time compilation (JIT), so Gamecube, PlayStation 2, and others aren’t out there for iPhone and iPad to run, even when fashionable chips can deal with them. Nevertheless, there isn’t any such restriction on Mac the place I can obtain software program from the online.

Cartoon character with green tunic and sword stands on a beach in a video game scene with a blue sky and ship.
M4 Mac mini overview: a full display emulator within Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional utilizing Digital Show

The Nintendo Gamecube emulator Dolphin permits customers to run a recreation with lots of upscaling choices enabled. The M4 Mac mini did simply fantastic operating The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker at 5K decision, with options like anti-aliasing turned on.

It will get much more fascinating when paired with Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional. By enabling a software program hack in Dolphin’s settings, it may power the sport to render into any side ratio.

It might probably stretch the sport’s UI, so use it with warning, nevertheless it labored nice bringing a full-screened expertise to my digital Mac show. There is a hair of latency current, however I am not a aggressive gamer so millisecond-timing on set off presses is not needed. The sport audio is completely in sync on the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional audio system, and that latency is barely noticeable.

I am not a lot of a Steam gamer, however the identical method may very well be taken with Steam video games. Arrange a recreation to play, put it within the Digital Show on the Mac natively, or out of your PC with just a few choices we’ll be speaking about quickly, and sit again to recreation in Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional.

A silver electronic device sits atop a black base with USB ports and a green indicator light in a softly lit room.
M4 Mac mini overview: utilizing an exterior battery is not exhausting so long as it has an AC outlet

One other spec that is not mentioned a lot is the Mac mini’s energy draw. It might probably run on a minimal of 4W and peaks at 65W. There was a mean of 14W to 22W throughout common use — I famous 15W whereas taking part in Windwaker.

Realizing this data is essential when discovering an acceptable exterior battery pack for making it transportable. For comparability, the Intel Mac mini wanted a minimal of 20W and maxed out at 122W for a fraction of the computational energy.

The battery pack I used for testing had a 100W output, in order that left me loads of overhead from the 65W most draw. Whereas the battery itself was a little bit of a dud, it made me excited on the prospect of an organization constructing one thing extra bespoke to be used with the Mac mini.

M4 Mac mini overview: meet Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional

I maintain speaking about it, however critically, my Mac mini time could be nearer to zero if it weren’t for Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional and the occasional monitor overview. I like that I can pull an ultra-wide desktop into my immersive view and make the most of macOS as wanted throughout the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional.

A sleek virtual reality headset rests against a compact silver computer on a dark base, set against a light brick wall background.
M4 Mac mini overview: a greater Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional companion

My makes use of for the Mac aren’t too far-reaching. The iPad Professional is succesful sufficient to care for most of my wants, particularly when paired with the Studio Show, nonetheless, there are some issues higher left to macOS right now.

As I discussed earlier than, I like utilizing the Mac mini for emulation and choose video games. Most of my gaming is on a PS5 console, however sometimes nostalgia units in, and I need to play a Gamecube emulator — one thing that may’t be carried out on iPad but.

Work-wise, I am on the M4 Mac mini for podcast recording. The AppleInsider Podcast is recorded with the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional on and the Mac digital show in use.

With regards to the HomeKit Insider Podcast, I file utilizing the Continuity Digicam characteristic on my iPhone. I’ve received a conveyable show helpful to assist arrange that podcast, however past the precise recording, the Mac mini stays on its shelf. An iPad mini is stored close by for reference to notes.

Open black backpack with orange interior containing a small silver computer against a white brick wall background.
M4 Mac mini overview: sufficiently small to slot in the tiniest locations

I labored to make the Mac mini transportable with a battery pack so I may simply transfer it to totally different places to be used with the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional. In contrast to with Sidecar, you do not want a linked show or spoofing dongle — the Mac mini will simply hook up with the digital show so long as it’s awake and on the identical community.

When not in transportable type, I can entry the Mac mini from throughout the workplace on the shelf by merely waking it with the Magic Mouse on the desk. So long as it hasn’t been too lengthy because the final wake, my Apple Watch unlocks the Mac, and I can tackle it throughout the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional with out subject.

It lets me use the facility of M4 when needed with out having to fret about what chipset is within the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional. I count on it will change into extra essential going ahead.

It is a mini world

Apple’s redesigned Mac mini with M4 opens up lots of potential use circumstances for the desktop. It is a smaller footprint for the desk, simpler to hold in a backpack, and higher suited to use in additional compact areas like a shelf or rack.

A sleek silver computer next to a monitor stand on a black and wood-textured desk surface.
M4 Mac mini overview: a desktop that may slot in wherever

I’ve actually loved the brand new Mac mini and the function it has taken as a substitute to my 14-inch MacBook Professional. It is my podcast machine, recreation emulator, and it’s what supplies me entry to Apple Intelligence whereas utilizing Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional.

Our managing editor Mike Wuerthele who’s doing the long-term overview of the M4 Professional Mac mini quickly would possibly rethink my employment right here once I say this, however each time I purchase a Mac, I ponder if it will be the final one. This is not as a result of they’re dangerous, however is as a result of they do not symbolize a lot of my workflow.

I consider there will probably be some extent the place my iPad or Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional will probably be sufficient on their very own. That is not right now, although.

The Mac mini with M4 might be the right companion to my major computer systems for the following few years. Then I will determine but once more if I can go with out a Mac or if it is time for an additional improve.

M4 Mac mini overview — execs

  • Smaller design makes it extra versatile
  • M4 environment friendly sufficient to run on a conveyable battery for hours
  • An ideal headless companion to Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional
  • The very best desktop Mac for most individuals

M4 Mac mini overview — cons

  • Some individuals dislike the facility button placement
  • Worth drops rapidly with SSD and RAM upgrades

Score: 4.5 out of 5

Just a few months into the brand new Mac mini’s life, I consider it’s close to good. I can not assist however want it have been a bit smaller or capable of be powered by USB-C, however I count on Apple will proceed to iterate on this mannequin for years to return.

The place to purchase Apple’s M4 Mac mini

Each Mac mini configuration is discounted now in our M4 Mac mini Worth Information, with immediate and unique coupon reductions in impact at fashionable Apple resellers.

With coupon code APINSIDER, it can save you on both retail and configure-to-order (CTO) fashions at Apple Licensed Reseller Adorama. A 3-year AppleCare plan can be $20 off with the APINSIDER code when added to the system at checkout at Adorama.

These in search of the retail configs also can save up to $60 at Amazon, though stock is restricted on the time of this overview.

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