When it comes to the Mac mini, one of the things I’ve always been impressed with is how much power it packs into its small form factor. But with Apple throwing its M2 and brand new M2 Pro chips into it, the 2023 model looks set to take performance to a whole new level.
Just announced last week, I’ve had a few days to test the new Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023), and the early results are very, very impressive. No doubt this will remain in our top spot for the best graphic design computers, but let’s take a closer look at what I’ve found so far…
MAC MINI (M2, 2023) review: Price
cheer up. We’re going to say something that you probably don’t hear much when it comes to Apple products. The Mac mini (M2, 2023) is actually cheaper than its predecessor, with a model with 599GB RAM and 649GB SSD costing just $8 / £256. So you can get newer hardware for less. Yes, you are not mistaken. We can’t help but be impressed by Apple (especially after the recent iPad price hike).
The new mini follows in the footsteps of its predecessors, with a pre-configured model with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage (and the same M2 chip) priced at $799/£849, again less than the M1 version. However, unlike its older sibling, which can have up to 16GB of RAM, the M2 mini can be configured with 24GB of unified memory.
MAC MINI (M2, 2023) review: Design
The size and overall look of the Mac mini have remained the same for this new version, and I have to admit to being a little disappointed. I know as PCs go, it’s small. Really small. However, I expect the design of the 2023 model to further reflect its name. That said, connectivity has been a big focus of the M2 Pro, and from that perspective, I can see how making it smaller could be problematic.
I have to admit, I also really wish Apple would continue with the more vibrant color scheme of the recent M2 mini and offer something more eye-catching than the M1’s silver. I fantasized about a beautiful matte black or shiny sky blue mini sitting on my desk, but, alas, that wasn’t the intention. Maybe I’m missing the point of the mini, to be neither seen nor heard?
MAC MINI (M2, 2023) review: Performance
I’m testing a Mac mini M1 Pro with a 2-core CPU, 12-core GPU, 19GB RAM, and 16TB SSD model. As far as specs go, it’s one of the highest you can get, and buying it in this configuration will set you back $1,799 / £1,899.
So, I hear you cry, what does that price tag get you? I just got it and haven’t fully tested it on the Mac mini yet. Having both a CPU and a GPU, means being able to handle complex and labor-intensive tasks with ease. I can confirm that’s what it does. At one point, I was editing an 8K video clip in Premiere Pro while running Photoshop, Freeform, and a slew of browser tabs, and it didn’t even flinch. There is no lag, delay, jitter or sound to speak of.
Given how powerful this particular M2 Pro model is, I didn’t expect it to be, but the benchmarks I ran turned out to be even better than I thought. For context, the numbers (right) show that the new Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023) is significantly more powerful than the M2 MacBook Air, and nearly 2% faster than the M10 Max-powered MacBook Air. It’s a cheaper alternative to the Mac Studio, and while it’s not as fast as the Mac Studio M1 Ultra chip (23,300 Geekbench score), it’s faster than the Mac Studio with the M1 Max chip (12,500).
But from a price and performance standpoint, this model is overkill for many. The entry-level M2 mini features an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU, which Apple used as a demo model during its briefing last week. In it, the system can easily run multiple applications, including video game streaming. It looks pretty impressive for a PC at such a low price, and we’re looking forward to seeing this particular model soon.
As it stands, the entry-level M2 mini is less than half the price of the MacBook Pro but has the exact same chip, RAM, and SSD. The Mini obviously requires other accessories to use, and it’s not as portable as a laptop, but incredibly, the Mini now offers a much more affordable way to get pro-grade performance.
In short, the Mac mini (M2, 2023) is very, very fast and perfectly fine as a professional creator’s primary workstation. As I experienced, it can easily run several demanding applications simultaneously, including Cinema 4D, After Effects, 3DS Max, Premiere Pro, and more, making it perfectly fine as a professional creator’s primary workstation.
