M4 Mac mini info: design changes, external display support, more

Apple has officially revealed the redesigned Mac mini powered by M4 and M4 Pro. The new model features a significantly smaller form factor, USB-C ports on the front, 16GB of RAM as the base configuration, and much more.

Here is some additional information about the new M4 Mac mini…

Power button moved

Presumably to accommodate the new form factor, Apple moved the Mac mini’s power button. On previous generation models, the power button was located on the back of the machine with the other ports. On the new Mac mini, however, the power button is located at the bottom of the device.

This means you’ll have to turn your Mac mini over (or reach under it) if you need to turn it on or off. This isn’t a big deal at all, but it’s worth keeping in mind.

External display support

Apple has also improved Mac mini support for external display connectivity. Specifically, the M4 Pro version of the Mac mini supports up to three 6K external displays with a 60Hz refresh rate. The previous generation M2 Pro Mac mini supported two 6K external displays at 60Hz and a 4K screen at 60 Hz.

Mac-mini M4:

• Up to three displays: two displays with up to 6K resolution at 60 Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 5K resolution at 60 Hz over Thunderbolt or 4K resolution at 60 Hz over HDMI
• Up to two displays: one display with up to 5K resolution at 60 Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 8K resolution at 60 Hz or 4K resolution at 240 Hz over Thunderbolt or HDMI

M4 Pro Mac mini:

• Up to three displays: three displays with up to 6K resolution at 60 Hz via Thunderbolt or HDMI
• Up to two displays: one display with up to 6K resolution at 60 Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 8K resolution at 60 Hz or 4K resolution at 240 Hz over Thunderbolt or HDMI

Dimensions

One of the big changes to the M4 Mac mini is its all-new design, considerably smaller than before. Here are some comparisons on the new size.

Mac-mini M4:

• Height: 2.0 inches (5.0 cm)
• Width: 5.0 inches (12.7 cm)
• Depth: 5.0 inches (12.7 cm)
• Weight (M4): 1.5 pounds (0.67 kg)
• Weight (M4 Pro): 1.6 pounds (0.73 kg)

Mac-mini M2:

• Height: 1.41 inches (3.58 cm)
• Width: 7.75 inches (19.70 cm)
• Depth: 7.75 inches (19.70 cm)
• Weight (M2): 2.6 pounds (1.18 kg)
• Weight (M2 Pro):2.8 pounds (1.28 kg)

Apple TV 4K

• Height: 1.2 inches (31mm)
• Width: 3.66 inches (93mm)
• Depth: 3.66 inches (93mm)
• Weight (Wi-Fi model): 7.3 ounces 208 grams (208 g)
• Weight (Wi-Fi + Ethernet model): 7.5 ounces 214 grams (214 g)

Braided power cord

As expected, the M4 Mac mini has an internal power supply despite its smaller design. This means you only have one power cable to connect to an outlet. The difference this time is that the power cable is now braided. A small change, but one that you will definitely appreciate when you first configure your M4 Mac mini.

Pricing and availability

The starting price of the Mac mini remains unchanged at $599 with 256 GB of storage and 16 GB of RAM. The M4 model is configurable with up to 32 GB of RAM and 2 TB of storage. There is also an optional 10 Gigabit Ethernet upgrade.

The M4 Pro Mac mini starts at $1,399 with a 12-core CPU and 16-core GPU, paired with 24GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. It can be configured with a 14-core CPU and a 20-core GPU, up to 64 GB of memory and up to 8 TB of storage.

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