9.3
Review
Mac mini M4 review: the small Mac that does everything
Five inches square, silent in daily use and $599 with 16GB of memory. The best-value Mac ever made.
The redesigned Mac mini is astonishingly small — about the footprint of an Apple TV, just taller. It is also the best-value computer Apple has sold in a long time.
Performance
For everyday work, coding, photo editing and even some video, the base M4 never felt slow. We compiled a mid-sized Xcode project in roughly the time it took on an M1 Pro MacBook Pro. The fan is inaudible unless you push it for minutes at a time.
Ports
Two USB-C ports and a headphone jack are now on the front, which is far more convenient than reaching around the back. The rear has three Thunderbolt ports, HDMI and Gigabit Ethernet. The old USB-A ports are gone, so keep an adapter handy.
The power button
Yes, it is on the bottom. You will press it a few times a year. It is fine.
Which configuration?
The base model is enough for most people. Spend extra on storage only if you cannot use an external SSD. Upgrade to the M4 Pro if you edit high-resolution video or need Thunderbolt 5.
What we like
- Outstanding value
- Front ports
- Silent
What we don’t
- Bottom power button
- Expensive internal storage upgrades
9.3
Verdict. If you already own a display, keyboard and mouse, there is no better-value Mac. Buy the base model and an external SSD.
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