Apple have just dropped the new M4 Mac Mini, it’s smaller, faster, shinier, and all-around awesome. With all of the new releases from Apple this week, I think this was the most exciting.
But, should you really be racing to upgrade if you already own an M1 Mac Mini? I’m going to give you 5 reasons to stay loyal to your trusty M1. I’ll also be looking into the flashy M4 Mac mini features just so you know what you’re potentially missing out on.
The M1 is still incredibly powerful
The M1 Mac Mini is a powerhouse, when Apple launched the M1 chip, it changed the game. The transition to Apple silicon completely reshaped expectations for performance, efficiency, and integration in computers, especially in compact devices like the Mac Mini and MacBook’s.
Before the Apple Silicon, Macs used Intel chips, which were fast but that speed came with limitations in energy efficiency, heat management, and integration with other Apple hardware.
The Mac mini was one of Apple’s first computer products released to the feature Apple Silicon. If you got the M1 Mac Mini, do you remember the first time you fired it up and realised it could handle multiple apps, editing, and streaming all at once, without a fuss almost instantly? To this day, I’d say most apps are still efficiently opening straightaway.
Sure, the M4 is faster, with a 10-core CPU instead of 8 on the M1 and a 10-Core GPU instead of 8 on the M1, up to 32GB of unified memory instead of the up to 16GB on the M1 (which starts at 16GB as standard instead of 8GB).
But, with all that power and efficiency that comes with M4, unless you’re out here trying to solve complex issues with simulations or processing 3D renders with high demands, then the M1, most likely has still got you covered.
With all of the talk in the tech sphere about Apple Intelligence, all of the Apple Silicon Macs with M1 and newer, including this Mac mini will be compatible with it.
It’s got plenty of ports (well, almost)
Apple has finally given us front USB-C ports and a headphone jack with the M4 Mac mini, which is definitely a good design improvement. Until you remember, you’ve probably already got a cable system that works because you’ve had to adapt to ports at the back, and with adapters and hubs, you can already handle anything from extra monitors to external drives.
I’m sure, we’ve all lived with that one awkward reach to the back (of the Mac Mini) and survived in most cases. So is it worth shelling out for front-facing ports and a power button on the bottom? Probably not.
As well as giving extra ports, its smaller size has also removed ports, those USB-A ports, which is actually one of the ports that is permenantly in use on my Mac mini.
The M1 is STILL energy-efficient (and affordable!)
The M1 was built to be crazy efficient, which means less power consumption and less heat. I’ve had, my Mac Mini, for almost four years, and while it doesn’t see the usage that it once did, due to me having an M2 MacBook Air, which now does everything, from editing to admin, taking over from the Mac mini, the Mac mini still runs almost as silent as it did when it was brand new.
It’s still rock-solid in performance per watt. Yes, the M4 is smaller and a bit more efficient, but we’re talking about improvements that might seem a lot on paper and on graphs but in reality, the average user is going to find those improvements barely noticeable. Plus, sticking with your M1 means you’re saving hundreds of dollars by not upgrading. More money in your pocket means less buyer’s remorse.
Software updates keep you in the game!
Apple is giving everyone macOS Sequoia, even the M1. This update brings in all of the cool Apple Intelligence features, meaning you can still enjoy the latest without the latest hardware. Plus, macOS, as we know, has always been super optimised for Apple silicon.
The Carbon-Neutral Buzz
One of the big selling points of the M4 Mac Mini is that it’s Apple’s first carbon-neutral Mac. Which is good is this age of manufacturing and companies trying to be more environmentally conscious. Which is cool?
But, here’s a wild idea, the greenest computer is the one you already own. Holding onto your M1 is a pretty sustainable choice, especially since it still performs like a champ. So, congratulations, by sticking with the M1, you’re saving cash and helping the planet at the same time.
M4 Mac Mini — Is worth upgrading to?
‘Is there any reason to consider upgrading?’ Well, yes, the M4 Mac mini has some awesome perks.
The M4 packs more power with its updated M4 chip, and the M4 Pro option gets up to 14 CPU cores, 20 GPU cores and up to 64GB of unified memory. So, if you’re a pro user needing insane performance, the upgrade might be very tempting.
The M1 Mac mini, only came with the entry level chip, so Pro users had to wait for the M2 version until they were offered to Pro iteration with pro like performance.
The M4 Mac Mini design change, with it being smaller, has brought the Mac Mini into the modern era because the design just hadn’t changed, now this properly looks like a mini Mac Studio.
In the design process, Apple have obviously stripped this back and said, how small can this go without making any compromises and incorporating a new thermal architecture. It’s now at a great, functional size, the size that it should be, considering the amount of space inside this.
I’m somewhat hoping that Apple, in line with their design approach to their desktop computers, makes the Mac Pro, if they decide to continue with it, with the same design language as the Mac mini and Mac Studio.
While I mentioned earlier about the removal of the USB-A ports, in favour of more USB-C ports, we are of course living in the tech age where fewer accessories are anything other than USB-C. So, from the original transfer speeds of the thunderbolt ports, these have now been upgraded to thunderbolt 4 ports with thunderbolt 5 ports featuring on the M4 Pro versions, so data transfer speeds and additional monitor setups, up to three displays, are going to be next level for those power users.
I’m not too fussed about the power button being on the bottom of the Mac mini, I’ve heard a lot of arguments on both sides this week, where people have side it was a poor design choice and others who have said they never turn their Mac mini off, so it’s irrelevant where it is.
If you’ve got an Intel Mac mini, you’ll experience the greatest all round experience in both hardware and software, as not only will you get that new design but with that transition to Apple Silicon that so many of us who got the M1 generation and have also got newer iterations since, are already familiar with, just with the M4 chip you’ll experience a chip that has up to 20x faster performance, higher bandwidth ports, faster wireless speeds and something that is built for Apple Intelligence. If you do, make the switch, you’re in for a treat.
The same goes for the PC users, who Apple are still targeting to make that switch.
The best thing about the new entry level M4 Mac mini, is that it still starts at £599. If you’ll a pro user, then there is that staggered upgrade of the Mac mini to the M4 Pro before you get to the realms of where a Mac Studio would be better for you.
But for most M1 users, all that extra performance is probably going to sit unused. The M1 Mac Mini was a total game-changer, and it still is. Unless you’re someone who needs cutting-edge specs for serious work or just has to have the latest tech, the M1 Mac Mini remains a beast.
Let me know in the comments below if you’re sticking with the M1 or if you’re eyeing the M4.
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