Apple has finally taken the wraps off a long-awaited Mac mini update, announcing a new generation of its smallest desktop featuring the all-new M6 chip and a more powerful M5 Pro variant aimed at professional workflows.
The new models were unveiled on 25 August 2026 and are available to pre-order now, with deliveries and in-store availability beginning on 22 September. Mac mini with M6 starts at £899 (£799 for education) in the UK, and Mac mini with M5 Pro starts at £1,699 (£1,599 for education).
Apple is positioning the M6 Mac mini as a “pint-sized AI powerhouse” for both everyday users and for what it describes as “always-on, deskside agentic computing.”
The M6 chip features a 12-core CPU and a 12-core GPU — two more cores on each than the previous M4 generation. Each GPU core now includes Neural Accelerators for the first time on Mac mini. According to Apple, that combination delivers up to 4x faster AI performance, 2x faster graphics, and 40 percent faster CPU performance compared to the M4 Mac mini.
An all-new Dual 16-core Neural Engine is claimed to be up to 2x faster than the previous generation. Standard unified memory is 16GB, configurable up to 32GB, with memory bandwidth of up to 170GB/s.
Apple’s own benchmark figures for the M6 model include:
- Up to 13.5x faster LLM prompt processing in LM Studio compared with the M1 Mac mini, and up to 4.8x faster than M4.
- Up to 2.3x faster spreadsheet calculations in Microsoft Excel compared with M1, and up to 1.5x faster than M4.
- Up to 2x faster gaming performance with ray tracing in Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition compared with M4.
Mac mini with M5 Pro is aimed at professional users running demanding workloads such as app development, video rendering, and scientific simulation. It offers up to an 18-core CPU and up to a 20-core GPU with an enhanced shader core and third-generation ray tracing.
Neural Accelerators sit in each GPU core, which Apple says delivers significant gains in AI compute over the previous Mac mini generation — enabling tasks such as photo and video upscaling and running large diffusion models locally. The M5 Pro configuration supports up to 64GB of unified memory with 307GB/s of memory bandwidth.
Apple’s headline comparisons for M5 Pro, measured against the M2 Pro Mac mini, include:
- Up to 8.5x faster LLM prompt processing in LM Studio, and up to 4x faster than M4 Pro.
- Up to 4.5x faster rendering with ray tracing in Blender, and up to 1.4x faster than M4 Pro.
- Up to 2.1x faster image processing in Affinity, and up to 1.5x faster than M4 Pro.
Apple also notes that Thunderbolt 5 allows users to cluster multiple Mac mini systems together to run large AI models entirely on device.
Both new Mac mini models include Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and upgraded 2.5Gb Ethernet as standard, with a 10Gb option available. Two front-facing USB-C ports support USB 3, alongside a headphone jack with high-impedance headphone support.
On the back, the M6 model carries three Thunderbolt 4 ports, while the M5 Pro model has three Thunderbolt 5 ports, together with HDMI and Ethernet. Apple has also added genlock support through USB-C for precise synchronisation between a display and a camera, including the iPhone 17 Pro.
“Mac mini has always been our most versatile Mac. Whether it’s being used as a home computer, powering a professional studio, or as an always-on agentic device, it’s the little Mac that can do it all,” said Johny Srouji, Apple’s chief hardware officer.
“Today, we’re taking this versatility even further. With a more powerful CPU and graphics, Neural Accelerators in the GPU, and higher memory bandwidth, Mac mini with M6 delivers a whole new level of AI performance. And with up to an 18-core CPU and 20-core GPU, Mac mini with M5 Pro is an ultracompact powerhouse for complex pro workflows. We can’t wait to see all the incredible ways people will use it next.”
macOS 27 and Apple Intelligence
The new Mac mini ships alongside macOS 27 Golden Gate, which brings Siri AI and a broader set of Apple Intelligence features. Siri AI, currently available for testing through the Apple Beta Software Program, is integrated into Spotlight and systemwide context menus and can draw on personal context from messages, emails, and photos.
Apple Intelligence features are being rolled out in a range of languages including English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese, with more to follow. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages at launch.
Refinements to Liquid Glass in macOS 27 improve readability and add uniform toolbars, edge-to-edge sidebars, and updated window shapes and menu bar icons.
Apple says the new Mac mini is made with 50 percent recycled material overall, including 100 percent recycled aluminium in the enclosure and 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets. The electricity used to manufacture the device is sourced from renewable energy across the supply chain, and Apple has invested in enough renewable energy globally to match all of the electricity customers use to power the machine.
- Pre-orders opened on 25 August 2026 via apple.com/store and the Apple Store app in 30 countries and regions, with general availability from 22 September.
- Mac mini with M6: from £899 (£799 education).
- Mac mini with M5 Pro: from £1,699 (£1,599 education).
Additional technical specifications and configure-to-order options are available at
