The Mac Studio could be the best Mac for people who need the most power in the smallest package, but there is another even smaller option. The latest Mac Mini is a real powerhouse for people who don’t need the fastest Apple has to offer. The M2 version comes with plenty of RAM and storage and you have several high-performance configurations to choose from. Plus, you can even get a deal on some of these configurations.
The 256GB model starts at $599, while the more useful 512GB model starts at $799. Both are available at a discounted price right now: $70 off for the base model and $100 off for the 512GB model. The new and improved model features a Professional level chip starts at $1,299. You can save $100 on the upgraded M2 Pro Mac Mini with a 1TB SSD.
B&H is about the only retailer offering discounts right now, but there are some benefits to paying full price at Apple. Shopping from Apple directly allows you to customize the machine and add more RAM or a larger SSD, while models sold on Amazon and other retailers are fixed configurations. Unlike most other desktop computers, the Mac Mini’s RAM is not user upgradeable. Apple’s M2 system-on-a-chip integrates the CPU, GPU, RAM, and other components for increased power and efficiency, but the downside to this integration is the lack of DIMM slots, which would allow you to add additional RAM after purchase.
Apple Student Discounts and Renovations
It should be noted that the The Apple Store offers students an educational discount, where you can save $100 off the price of a new Mac Mini. Some upgrades also receive discounts. For example, doubling the RAM to 16GB costs $180 with the student discount instead of the usual $200 fee.
Also from Apple, you may find a refurbished Mac Mini on the market. Certified Refurbished Mac page, but it’s too early to find a refurbished M2, and we don’t recommend buying an older Intel-based Mac Mini. And a refurbished M1 should be priced significantly lower than the new M2 models at their lower starting prices. It’s still worth keeping your eyes peeled, though, as you can save a lot of money. Apple refurbishes are a great way to save money and are often as good as new.
Keep reading to see the best US prices currently available for Apple’s Mac Mini. We update this page regularly and give accurate prices at the time of publication, but note that they fluctuate.
Mac Mini discounts, compared
Model with CPU, RAM and storage capacity | List of prices | Best price (current) | Best price (ever) |
---|---|---|---|
Mac Mini with M2, 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD | $599 | $479 | $499 |
Mac Mini with M2, 8 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD | $799 | $699 | $679 |
Mac Mini with M2 Pro, 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD | $1,299 | $1,379 | $1,149 |
Note that “all time” means the best price we’ve seen from an Apple authorized retailer over the life of the product.
The base Mac Mini features Apple’s new M2 chip, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. It provides two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, one HDMI port, one Gigabit port Ethernet and a headphone jack. It costs $599 at Apple, already $100 less than the M1 version, and you can currently get it for $120 off at B&H where it’s only $479. We haven’t seen it for less.
The improved Mac Mini increases storage up to 512GB, an increased capacity that most people will benefit from, since 512GB is about the smallest SSD we recommend for any desktop. It’s already $100 less than the M1 version, and you can currently save $100 at B&H – although we’ve seen it as much as $120 off in the past.
For the first time, the Mac Mini offers a Pro chip from the Apple range. The base Mac Mini with the M2 Pro costs $1,299 and has 16GB of RAM – double that of the M2 models – and a 512GB SSD. The upgraded model with a 1TB SSD costs 1,499 $ at Apple.
The M2 Pro chip has 10 CPU cores and 16 GPU cores compared to the M2 chip with eight CPU cores and 10 GPU cores. The M2 Pro model also doubles the number of Thunderbolt 4 ports to four. We don’t see any discounts for the base M2 Pro model, but you can save $120 on the 1TB model at B&H.