M4 Mac mini tidbits: Design changes, external display support, more

Apple toady officially unveiled the redesigned Mac mini powered by M4 and M4 Pro. The new model features a drastically smaller form factor, USB-C ports on the front, 16GB of RAM as the base configuration, and more.

Here are a few more tidbits about the new M4 Mac mini…

Relocated power button

Presumably to accommodate for the new design form factor, Apple has relocated the Mac mini’s power button. On previous generation models, the power button was located on the back of the machine with the other ports. On the new Mac mini, however, the power button is located on the bottom of the device.

This means you’ll have to flip your Mac mini over (or reach underneath it) should you need turn it on or off. Not a big deal whatsoever, but worth keeping in mind.

External display support

Apple has also made an improvement to the Mac mini’s support for external display connectivity. Specifically, the M4 Pro version of the Mac mini supports up to three external 6K displays with a 60Hz refresh rate. The previous generation M2 Pro Mac mini supported two external 6K displays at 60Hz and one 4K 60Hz display.

M4 Mac mini:

• Up to three displays: Two displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 5K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt or 4K resolution at 60Hz over HDMI
• Up to two displays: One display with up to 5K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or 4K resolution at 240Hz over Thunderbolt or HDMI

M4 Pro Mac mini:

• Up to three displays: Three displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt or HDMI
• Up to two displays: One display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or 4K resolution at 240Hz over Thunderbolt or HDMI

Dimensions

One of the big changes with the M4 Mac mini is its all-new design, which is drastically smaller than before. Here are some comparisons on the new size.

M4 Mac mini:

• Height: 2.0 inches (5.0 cm)
• Width: 5.0 inches (12.7 cm)
• Depth: 5.0 inches (12.7 cm)
• Weight (M4): 1.5 pounds (0.67 kg)
• Weight (M4 Pro): 1.6 pounds (0.73 kg)

M2 Mac mini:

• Height: 1.41 inches (3.58 cm)
• Width: 7.75 inches (19.70 cm)
• Depth: 7.75 inches (19.70 cm)
• Weight (M2): 2.6 pounds (1.18 kg)
• Weight (M2 Pro):2.8 pounds (1.28 kg)

Apple TV 4K

• Height: 1.2 inches (31 mm)
• Width: 3.66 inches (93 mm)
• Depth: 3.66 inches (93 mm)
• Weight (Wi-Fi model): 7.3 ounces 208 grams (208 g)
• Weight (Wi-Fi + Ethernet model): 7.5 ounces 214 grams (214 g)

Braided power cord

As expected, the M4 Mac mini features an internal power supply despite its smaller design. This means you just have a single power cable to connect to an outlet. The difference this time around, however, is that the power cable is now braided. A small change, but one that you’ll inevitably appreciate when you set your M4 Mac mini up for the first time.

Pricing and availability

The Mac mini starting price remains unchanged at $599 with 256GB of storage and 16GB of RAM. The M4 model is configurable with up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. There’s also an optional 10 gigabit ethernet upgrade as well.

The M4 Pro Mac mini starts at $1,399 with a 12-core CPU and 16-core GPU, paired with 24GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. It can be configured with a 14-core CPU and 20-core GPU, up to 64GB of memory, and up to 8TB of storage.

You can follow along with all of this week’s news in our dedicated roundup. 

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