More Power in the Same Tiny Footprint

Apple’s 2026 Mac mini takes an already capable compact desktop and gives it a substantial performance upgrade with the M6 chip.

The familiar five-inch design remains remarkably small, while faster CPU and graphics performance, stronger AI processing and upgraded connectivity expand what the entry-level Mac mini can comfortably handle.

Where the New Mac mini Stands Out

The M6 generation focuses heavily on performance insead of reinventing the Mac mini itself. Apple has upgraded the processing architecture, graphics and AI hardware while giving the machine faster connectivity and enough display support to serve as a surprisingly capable desktop workstation.

M6 Brings a Major Performance Jump
Apple’s new 12-core M6 CPU adds two cores over the previous generation and delivers up to 40% faster CPU performance than the M4 Mac mini. Everyday tasks feel immediate, while heavier creative, productivity and development workloads gain considerably more headroom.

AI Performance Takes Center Stage
Neural Accelerators are now built into every GPU core, alongside a new Dual 16-core Neural Engine. Apple claims up to four times the AI performance of the M4 Mac mini, giving local AI models, generative tools and increasingly AI-heavy creative apps far more processing power.

A Much Stronger GPU
The 12-core GPU delivers up to twice the graphics performance of the M4 model and includes hardware-accelerated ray tracing. That gives the Mac mini more credibility for gaming, 3D work, visual effects and GPU-intensive creative applications without moving into a larger desktop.

Better Connectivity and Display Support
The M6 Mac mini includes three Thunderbolt 4 ports, two front USB-C ports, HDMI and 2.5Gb Ethernet, with 10Gb Ethernet available as an option. It can also drive up to three displays, including configurations reaching 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 240Hz.

A Lot of Mac in Five by Five Inches

The M6 Mac mini strengthens one of Apple’s most versatile computers without disrupting the formula that already worked. Its five-inch footprint remains easy to place almost anywhere, while 16GB of unified memory comes standard and configurations extend to 32GB. Faster memory bandwidth, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and improved Ethernet further modernize the package.

This is a desktop that can cover everything from everyday computing and office work to software development, video editing and increasingly demanding AI workloads.

Users who need substantially more memory or sustained professional performance still have the M5 Pro configuration, but the standard M6 model now covers an unusually broad range of desktop computing.