Apple unveils new Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro

Apple has announced a new generation of its compact Mac mini desktop, with the company focusing heavily on AI performance and creative workflows.

The new Mac mini is available with either the M6 or M5 Pro chip, with Apple claiming up to four times faster AI performance and twice the graphics and storage performance compared with the previous M4 model. CPU performance is also up to 40 per cent faster.

For photographers, the M5 Pro version is the more interesting option. It can be configured with up to 64GB of unified memory and 307GB/s of memory bandwidth, and Apple says it is designed to handle demanding tasks including image processing, video editing and large local AI models.

Apple quotes up to 2.1 times faster image processing in Affinity compared with the previous-generation Mac mini with M2 Pro, and up to 1.5 times faster than the M4 Pro model.

The standard M6 model has a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU, with Neural Accelerators built into each GPU core. It comes with 16GB of unified memory as standard and can be configured with up to 32GB. Apple claims up to four times faster AI performance and twice the graphics performance compared with the M4 Mac mini.

Connectivity has also been updated, with both models gaining Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and 2.5Gb Ethernet, with a 10Gb Ethernet option. The M6 model has three Thunderbolt 4 ports, while the M5 Pro moves to three Thunderbolt 5 ports. Both also include HDMI and front-mounted USB-C ports.

The M5 Pro's Thunderbolt 5 support also allows multiple Mac mini systems to be connected for larger AI workloads. Apple has added genlock support through USB-C, allowing precise synchronisation between a display and camera, including the iPhone 17 Pro.

The new Mac mini will also run Apple's upcoming macOS 27, which introduces further Apple Intelligence features, including AI-assisted functions in Photos and other apps.

The new Mac mini is available to pre-order now, with deliveries and retail availability beginning 22 September. In Australia, the M6 model starts at A$1,449, while the M5 Pro starts at A$2,699, including GST.