New Mac Mini: A macOS Pioneer in Space Gray Armor

The All-New Mac Mini Has Evolved All Around

But Apple Still Hopes the Mac Mini

Will Be Your First Step Into the macOS Ecosystem

However, This Time It’s Better

The First Step You Take Can Meet

Your Greater Productivity Needs and Creative Desires

Phoenix Technology Yan Shuo Liang Chengyuan

At Apple’s New York launch event this fall, if the iPad Pro was a long-awaited wish for fans, then the Mac Mini, updated after four years, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them. Many users who bought the old Mac Mini long ago likely let it gather dust, having already upgraded to better-performing iMacs or MacBook Pros. However, this is precisely the mission of the Mac Mini: to pull you into the macOS ecosystem at a relatively low price and keep you there, much like the early iPod Touch and later iPhone SE in the iOS ecosystem.

Steve Jobs once said, “If you have your own display, keyboard, and mouse, you can buy a Mac Mini.” This is indeed the case; most PC users, whether they assemble their own or buy OEM desktops, come with a complete set of host, keyboard, and display. When the host’s performance is inadequate, the peripherals often remain robust. In this case, purchasing a Mac Mini allows you to continue using your well-functioning peripherals while experiencing macOS at a lower price. Overall, it’s a worthwhile investment.

The Mac Mini lives up to its name, with its compact size being its most striking feature. This generation of the Mac Mini maintains its dimensions, still measuring 19.7 cm wide, 3.6 cm high, and weighing 1.3 kg, comparable to a 13-inch MacBook Pro. Some have even claimed they would commute with a Mac Mini on their back. The most significant change in appearance this generation is undoubtedly its color. Just like many anime and superhero movies, it has donned a new outfit while evolving, with the Mac Mini now dressed in space gray, symbolizing performance within the Mac desktop lineup. Correspondingly, with the enhancement of performance, its usage scenarios have also expanded. Besides serving as a desktop computer for ordinary users, it can also be used by professionals as a server or for video editing, software development, and it supports Ethernet connections for multiple Mac Minis to work together, further enhancing performance. The system intelligently distributes tasks to different hosts, improving processing capacity and efficiency.

Compared to the external changes, the internal changes are revolutionary. This time, the official offers multiple configurations of the Mac Mini, including a 3.6GHz quad-core Core i3 and a 3.0GHz six-core Core i5, with an optional 3.2GHz six-core Core i7, all of which are eighth-generation Core processors. Compared to the previous dual-core lineup, this is a significant leap, and the improvement in multi-threading performance is evident. To intuitively gauge the performance increase, we ran Geekbench 4 on our Mac Mini, which is configured with a 3.6 GHz Intel Core i3 and 8 GB 2667 MHz DDR4. Its single-core score hovers around 4707, while the multi-core score is around 14016. Compared to the 2014 model equipped with a dual-core i7, which scored 3705 in single-core and 7062 in multi-core, the improvement is quite noticeable.

When compared with other Mac series computers, its single-core performance lies between the 2017 MacBook Pro and the 2015 iMac, while the multi-core performance is above the 2015 i7-4870HQ MacBook Pro.

It is important to note that many developers and designers still use these machines as their primary workstations. This means that even the entry-level configuration of the new Mac Mini can provide the basic performance needed for your work, not to mention the availability of six-core i5 and i7 versions.

The memory is standard at 8GB DDR4 SO-DIMM, with options for 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. The flash speed has been upgraded fourfold compared to the previous generation. The hard drive has also undergone a qualitative upgrade, with all models now featuring PCIe solid-state drives, eliminating mechanical and hybrid drives, significantly improving storage and response speeds. We conducted a software test on the solid-state drive of this machine, which is 128GB in size. The speed test showed that the read and write speeds have improved significantly compared to the previous mechanical drives, allowing for fast transfers of 1080P videos, raw format photos, and quick loading of FCP resource libraries during daily use.

Additionally, following the other new products in the Mac lineup, it is equipped with the T2 security chip, further enhancing security features by providing encrypted storage and secure boot capabilities. To accommodate the significant performance improvements, Apple has also redesigned the cooling system to handle the increased heat, including switching to all flash storage, enlarging the fan size, expanding ventilation openings, and redesigning the power supply. The new cooling system is designed based on the highest configuration, supporting CPU overclocking. So if you purchase a standard Mac Mini, its cooling performance will be more than sufficient. Overall, the internal changes can be described as a complete transformation; all core hardware has undergone significant upgrades. It’s no wonder the Mac Mini is now dressed in space gray armor.

As a device that can serve as both a home desktop computer and a productivity powerhouse, the richness of its interfaces directly affects the user experience. Surprisingly, Apple, which has been obsessed with Thunderbolt 3 interfaces lately, has provided the Mac Mini with a comprehensive expansion interface matrix: one 10GB Ethernet port, four Thunderbolt 3 ports, one HDMI 2.0 port, two USB 3.0 ports, one 3.5mm headphone jack, and one AC power port. With these interfaces, regardless of your user classification, you’re likely to find it straightforward to use right out of the box. For creators with multi-screen needs, the Mac Mini supports connecting three 4K displays (two via Thunderbolt 3 and one via HDMI) or one 5K display. If you have deeper needs, it also supports connecting eGPUs for enhanced graphics processing capabilities.

At this launch event, Apple not only introduced the user experience brought by the Mac Mini but also emphasized its environmental efforts: every Mac Mini is made using recycled plastics and 100% recycled aluminum, with a 40% reduction in carbon footprint during production. Apple often expresses pride when discussing environmental topics, as these initiatives not only enhance brand value but also provide users with a sense of personal contribution to environmental protection. Just like electric vehicle owners feel they are contributing to a better future, this undoubtedly adds another potential consumer motivation and reason for choice, resulting in a non-zero-sum game where both consumers and Apple can benefit.

Returning to the beginning, we have discussed many evolutionary aspects of the Mac Mini, yet Apple has not altered its fundamental positioning within the Mac product line. The price starting at 6499 yuan in China indicates that Apple still hopes the Mac Mini will be your first step into the macOS ecosystem. However, this time, the first step can indeed satisfy your greater productivity needs and creative desires.