Deciding to buy a Mac is usually simple because they are such good computers that they are almost always a good choice.
On the other hand, if you already have a Mac and want to buy a new one, it is always recommended that you wait at least two years from the launch date of the model you own, because updates to year to year are generally not very drastic.
These updates usually include a processor upgrade. In the case of the last few years, the change has been total since Macs have moved from Intel to Apple’s own processors, as is the case with the MacBook Air M2.
However, with the Mac mini it’s a bit different. The current M1 model is about to be two years old, and based on the recent arrival of the M2 chip, it clearly needs an update.
This new, ongoing update could be a major one, not only providing more processing power, but it could inherently change Apple’s smallest desktop and make the older model much worse.
So if you’re about to buy one of the current Mac minis that Apple sells, we strongly recommend that you wait. Here we explain why.
An M2 processor is on the way
When Apple launched the M1 processor in November 2020, the company released three Macs with: the MacBook Air, the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and the Mac mini. The 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air M2 have just been released, which means the Mac mini will soon get the M2.
We have verified that with Geekbench 5, a reference which tests the overall speed of a processor, the M2 is about 16% faster than the M1. It’s a nice speed boost, but the real gains are on the GPU side. With two additional cores, the M2 is 35% faster than the M1 in our tests.
If you use the Mac mini as an affordable video production system, you’ll love what sets the performance of the M2 apart from that of the M1. The M2 has a new media engine that speeds up ProRes video, and we saw dramatic performance increases when rendering ProRes video, with results more than twice as fast as the M1. If time is money, the M2 offers great benefits.
Apple offers a $799 Mac mini and a $1,029 Mac mini that have the same processor, but the higher price comes with a larger SSD. Apple will likely replace the M1 in these models with an M2. It’s worth the wait, which shouldn’t last more than two months
The top model will finally get an update
Apple still sells a third standard configuration model in its Mac mini lineup: a $1,029 version that still features an Intel processor that hasn’t been updated since 2018. This model is expected to get an update major in the coming months.
One of those drastic changes includes the long-awaited switch of the processor from Intel’s 8th generation chip to an Apple M2 Pro, according to multiple reports. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says the M2 Pro could feature a 12-core CPU, with 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, and a 16-core GPU. It could also come with 16 GB of unified memory.
It’s a powerful machine, with a lot of processor power in such a small size. But it gets better, because the M2 Pro will also integrate the M2’s multimedia engine, so hardware acceleration of ProRes video will be even faster.
This makes us wonder how it will compare to the Mac Studio and its M1 Max and M1 Ultra chips: a Mac mini M2 Pro might not be as fast, but it could be a really good price-performance option for around $1,499. .
We don’t expect the new Mac mini to offer a customization option for an M2 Max, as these chips require more active cooling, provided by Mac Studio’s large thermal management system. However, a Mac mini M2 Pro would be Apple’s first desktop computer with the high-end chip and would be a great option for professionals.
A redesign could be in the works
The Mac mini is known to be Apple’s smallest Mac, and it could get even smaller. It’s long been reported that the smaller model will be around an inch tall and could come in a new color and with a perspex lid instead of aluminum.
Apple will likely increase the number of Thunderbolt ports from two to four on the high-end model and implement a magnetic power connector similar to that found on the iMac.
However, it’s unclear whether the M2 and M2 Pro models of the Mac mini will have the new design. It’s possible that Apple will follow the lead of the 13-inch MacBook Pro and keep the current design for the M2 models, and only redesign the Mac mini M2 Pro, or wait for the M3 model to arrive.
A terrible time to buy
In short, there’s never been a worse time to buy a Mac mini. Even when it languished without an update between 2014 and 2018, there was no indication that any major updates were on the way. But now we know that there are two M2 models on the way and possibly also a facelift on the way.
Official word on when the new Mac mini will arrive hasn’t been released, of course, but based on when the current model started shipping (November 2020 for the M1 and October 2018 for the Intel model). ) and the recent release of the MacBook Air M2 and the 13-inch MacBook Pro, chances are a Mac mini M2 is coming this year, perhaps in a fall event after the iPhone 14 announcement. We might also see other Macs revealed around this time, like a new Apple Silicon-based Mac Pro or iMac.
While these Macs are certainly more expensive than the Mac mini, they may be attractive enough for you to opt for these machines instead. Or you can just buy an M2 mini. But either way, even with sale prices $150 below the price of a Mac mini M1, we think it’s best to wait and see what Apple has in store for its most popular Mac. small and the cheapest to date.
Original article published in English on our sister site igamesnews.com.
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