GoKawiilThe M6 update for the Mac Mini arrived not a moment too soon. Not only has it been nearly two years since the last Mac Mini was released, but it’s also become increasingly difficult to find an older M4 Mini for purchase in recent months. In the year of the AI agent, Apple’s Mac Mini has enjoyed a surge in popularity to the point of dwindling supplies and long wait times.
The compact, quiet and affordable Mini with its energy-efficient yet powerful Apple silicon and unified memory has become a popular pick for people looking to run OpenClaw and other local AI agents around the clock. Even at its slightly elevated starting price of $899, the M6 Mini is sure to remain en vogue as a tiny, always-on AI server. The core count ticks up for the CPU, GPU and NPU in going from the M4 to the M6, skipping over the M5 in the process.
If you want to pack more power into the Mac Mini for running demanding creative workloads or larger LLMs, Apple offers two M5 Pro processor upgrades and the ability to stuff the Mini with up to 64GB of RAM. Apple sent me a pair of Mac Minis to test, an M6 model with bumps to the memory and storage and a loaded M5 Pro unit whose price places it in Mac Studio territory.
Apple Mac Mini specs (as tested)
Mac Mini M6 Mac Mini M5 Pro Price as reviewed $1,299 $2,899 CPU M6 12-core CPU M5 Pro 18-core CPU Memory 24GB unified memory 48GB unified memory Graphics Integrated M6 12‑core GPU Integrated M5 Pro 20‑core GPU Storage 512GB SSD 1TB SSD Networking Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 Ports Front: USB-C (x2, up to 10Gbps), 3.5mm headphone jack
Rear: USB-C Thunderbolt 4 (x3, up to 40Gb/s), HDMI out, Gigabit Ethernet, power input Front: USB-C (x2, up to 10Gbps), 3.5mm headphone jack
Rear: USB-C Thunderbolt 4 (x3, up to 40Gb/s), HDMI out, Gigabit Ethernet, power input Operating system MacOS 27.0 Golden Gate MacOS 27.0 Golden Gate
Josh Goldman/CNET
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