{"id":874769,"date":"2024-11-13T06:00:37","date_gmt":"2024-11-13T14:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/?p=874769"},"modified":"2024-11-16T09:10:27","modified_gmt":"2024-11-16T17:10:27","slug":"m4-pro-mac-mini-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/reviews\/m4-pro-mac-mini-review","title":{"rendered":"Mac mini with M4 Pro is mightier and mini-er than ever [Review] <span style=\"color: #2a7dac\">&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;<\/span>"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The new Mac mini with M4 Pro chip offers incredible power at an unbelievable price. The diminutive desktop computer reaps the rewards of Apple silicon\u2019s trickle-down performance: It delivers capabilities similar to a Mac Studio (or Mac Pro) with an M2 Ultra, at just a third (or a fifth) of the price of those high-end computers.<\/p>\n<p>We haven\u2019t yet seen what the new M4-series chips will do for the Mac Studio and Mac Pro, but the remarkable Mac mini makes me question how much of a pro user you\u2019d have to be to truly need them. And on top of all that, it\u2019s super-tiny. What\u2019s not to love?<\/p>\n<p>Keep reading or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=B5sthaAD-_Q\" data-lasso-id=\"1641640868\">watch our video review<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>M4 Pro Mac mini review<\/h2>\n<div id=\"lasso-anchor-id-874930-1641640873\" class=\"lasso-container\">\n    <!-- LASSO DISPLAY BOX (https:\/\/getlasso.co) -->\n\t<div class=\"lasso-display lasso-cactus lasso-url-amzn-https-bhpho-to-3yyclrt \">\n\t\t<!-- BADGE -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lasso-badge\">\n\t\t\t\tIncredible power, incredible price\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<!-- LASSO TITLE, PRICE, DESC, AND IMAGE -->\n\t\t<div class=\"lasso-box-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"lasso-title\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/ore\/dp\/B0DLBVHSLD\/?tag=cult087-20\" data-lasso-box-trackable=\"true\" data-lasso-id=\"874930\" data-lasso-name=\"2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\" title=\"2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lasso-stars\" style=\"--rating: 5.0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"lasso-stars-value\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t5.0\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lasso-price\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lasso-price-value\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"discount-price\"><strike>$1,399.00<\/strike><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"latest-price\">$1,319.85<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"lasso-amazon-prime\"><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lasso-description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The new Mac mini is smaller, lighter and 50\u00d7 more adorable. It's super-powerful and by far the best deal in computing right now.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lasso-fields\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<div class=\"lasso-fields-pros lasso-fields-2\">\n\t\t<strong>Pros:<\/strong>\n\t\t<ul><li><span class=\"lasso-check\"><span class=\"lasso-check-content\"><\/span><\/span>Powerful M4 Pro chip<\/li><li><span class=\"lasso-check\"><span class=\"lasso-check-content\"><\/span><\/span>512GB storage<\/li><li><span class=\"lasso-check\"><span class=\"lasso-check-content\"><\/span><\/span>24GB unified memory<\/li><li><span class=\"lasso-check\"><span class=\"lasso-check-content\"><\/span><\/span>Compact desktop design<\/li><\/ul>\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<div class=\"lasso-fields-cons lasso-fields-3\">\n\t\t<strong>Cons:<\/strong>\n\t\t<ul><li><span class=\"lasso-x\"><span class=\"lasso-x-1\"><\/span><span class=\"lasso-x-2\"><\/span><\/span>Headphone jack on front<\/li><li><span class=\"lasso-x\"><span class=\"lasso-x-1\"><\/span><span class=\"lasso-x-2\"><\/span><\/span>BYODKM (bring your own display, keyboard and mouse)<\/li><\/ul>\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"lasso-fields-single\">\n\t<strong>Read our hands-on review:<\/strong>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/reviews\/m4-pro-mac-mini-review\">Mac mini with M4 Pro is mightier and mini-er than ever<\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<div class=\"lasso-box-2\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"lasso-image\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/ore\/dp\/B0DLBVHSLD\/?tag=cult087-20\" data-lasso-box-trackable=\"true\" data-lasso-id=\"874930\" data-lasso-name=\"2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\" title=\"2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lasso-image-no-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/21W9d8RkFOL._SL500_.jpg\" height=\"500\" width=\"500\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\">\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<!-- BUTTONS -->\n\t\t<div class=\"lasso-box-3\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"lasso-button-1\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/ore\/dp\/B0DLBVHSLD\/?tag=cult087-20\" data-lasso-box-trackable=\"true\" data-lasso-id=\"874930\" data-lasso-name=\"2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\" title=\"2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\">\n\t\t\t\tBuy from Amazon\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<div class=\"lasso-box-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"lasso-button-2\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bhpho.to\/3YYclrT\" data-lasso-box-trackable=\"true\" data-lasso-id=\"874930\" data-lasso-name=\"2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\" title=\"2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\" data-lasso-button=\"2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\">\n\t\t\t\t\tBuy from B&H\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<!-- DISCLOSURE & DATE -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lasso-box-5\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lasso-disclosure\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"lasso-box-6\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"lasso-date\">\n\t\t\t\t05\/29\/2025 02:27 pm GMT <i class=\"lasso-amazon-info\" data-tooltip=\"Price and availability are accurate as of the date and time indicated and are subject to change.\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<figure id=\"31739\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_31739\" class=\"wp-caption post-body-image alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-Three-Generations.jpg\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637548\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-874843\" title=\"Mac mini Three Generations &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-Three-Generations-1440x1080.jpg\" alt=\"All three Mac mini designs sitting vertically on a table\" width=\"780\" height=\"585\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-Three-Generations-1440x1080.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-Three-Generations-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-Three-Generations-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-Three-Generations-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-Three-Generations-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-Three-Generations-1440x1080@2x.jpg 2880w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-Three-Generations-400x300@2x.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"figcaption_31739\" class=\"wp-caption-text\" style=\"border-color: #5f8129;\">A family portrait.<br \/><span style=\"font-style:italic;font-size:11px\">Photo: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Mac mini has been around a <i>long<\/i> time, almost 20 years. Incredibly, with the addition of the all-new M4 Mac mini, it has only ever had three case designs. Apple introduced the Mac mini, with a white plastic top, in the PowerPC and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/ipod\" data-lasso-id=\"1641640869\">iPod<\/a> era. The first Intel versions shared the same industrial design. It was a good value.<\/p>\n<p>Apple redesigned the Mac mini in 2010 with a sleek aluminum unibody that would last for the next 14 years. This Mac mini struggled for most of its life. To be honest, the Intel models sold between 2014 and 2018 were sluggish and not great. The first Apple silicon models, in what is now something of a tradition, shared the same case as the older models. But with the incredible efficiency of Apple&#8217;s new SoC, a third of the Mac mini&#8217;s case sat completely empty.<\/p>\n<p>With its Apple silicon makeover, the new M4 Mac mini looks like a baby <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/news\/apple-mac-studio\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637474\">Mac Studio<\/a>. It\u2019s just so darn cute.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Table of contents: M4 Pro Mac mini review<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#setup\">What I ordered<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#design\">Design<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#connectivity\">Connectivity<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#performance\">Performance<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#value\">Value<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Apple M4 Pro Mac mini (2024) Review\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/B5sthaAD-_Q?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"setup\">What I ordered<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"31739\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_31739\" class=\"wp-caption post-body-image alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-setup.jpg\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637630\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-874862\" title=\"Mac mini M4 setup &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-setup-1440x1080.jpg\" alt=\"Mac mini setup with display, keyboard, trackpad, external storage, iPhone mount and podcasting microphone.\" width=\"780\" height=\"585\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-setup-1440x1080.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-setup-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-setup-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-setup-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-setup-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-setup-1440x1080@2x.jpg 2880w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-setup-400x300@2x.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"figcaption_31739\" class=\"wp-caption-text\" style=\"border-color: #5f8129;\">My typical setup, with a new Mac mini and Magic Keyboard swapped in.<br \/><span style=\"font-style:italic;font-size:11px\">Photo: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I ordered the high-end Mac mini with the M4 Pro chip, which starts at &#36;1,399 (&#36;1,503.93 after taxes in Ohio). Apple offers three other cheaper Mac mini models with the standard M4 chip.<\/p>\n<p>The M4 Pro Mac mini offers the following specs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>512 GB storage<\/li>\n<li>24 GB unified memory<\/li>\n<li>M4 Pro chip with a 12-core CPU (8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores) and 16-core GPU.<\/li>\n<li>Three Thunderbolt 5 ports, two USB-C ports<\/li>\n<li>Gigabit Ethernet<\/li>\n<li>Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.3<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And for reference, the peripherals I\u2019m using are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0D6C6F2L8\/?tag=cult087-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637475\" data-lasso-name=\"Asus ProArt PA27JCV 5K 27-inch display\">Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV<\/a>. If you haven\u2019t heard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/news\/asus-5k-display\" data-lasso-id=\"1641636795\">the good news<\/a>, it\u2019s comparable in specs to the Apple Studio Display at nearly half the cost.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0DL6L189W\/?tag=cult087-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637476\" data-lasso-name=\"Magic Keyboard with Touch ID (Black, Full-size)\">The new Magic Keyboard with Touch ID<\/a>. The keys are nice, and Touch ID is a real joy \u2014 but I don\u2019t like how the black color is only available on the full-size layout. Aside from the Mac mini itself, this is the only other change from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/reviews\/model-f-keyboard-review\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637631\">my daily keyboard<\/a>. A full review of this is coming soon.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0DL6L6HPG\/?tag=cult087-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637477\" data-lasso-name=\"Apple Magic Trackpad (Black)\">The new Magic Trackpad with USB-C<\/a>. This is basically the perfect input device. A full review is coming as well.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0942YC7Z3?tag=cult087-20\" data-lasso-id=\"1641636796\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-lasso-name=\"OWC ThunderBay 4 enclosure\">The OWC ThunderBay 4<\/a>. This hosts my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/news\/apple-video-explains-how-to-use-time-machine-to-backup-your-mac\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637478\">Time Machine backups<\/a>, Apple archive, backup photo library and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.plex.tv\/your-media\/\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637479\">Plex library<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0BRPMP8W9?tag=cult087-20\" data-lasso-id=\"1641636797\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-lasso-name=\"Rode XDM-100 USB Dynamic Microphone &amp; PSA1+ Desk-Mounted Broadcast Microphone Boom Arm\">The R\u00f8de XDM-100 microphone and PSA 1+ boom arm<\/a> with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B09NCNQCY1?tag=cult087-20\" data-lasso-id=\"1641636798\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-lasso-name=\"R\u00d8DE NTH-100 Professional Over-ear Headphones For Content Creation, Music Production, Mixing and Audio Editing, Podcasting, Location Recording,Black\">R\u00f8de NTH-100 headphones<\/a>. For podcasting, this is a wonderfully simple setup that still has professional quality sound.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/reviews\/kuxiu-x36-boom-mic-arm-review\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637480\">The Kuxiu X36 Boom Mic Arm<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/reviews\/moment-lenses-review#cage\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637481\">the Moment Filmmaker cage<\/a> sit behind my display for me to mount my iPhone for recording videos and live-streaming <em>The CultCast<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"design\">Design<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"31739\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_31739\" class=\"wp-caption post-body-image alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-front.jpg\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637632\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-874867\" title=\"Mac mini M4 front &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-front-1440x1080.jpg\" alt=\"Mac mini M4 pictured from the front, on a table\" width=\"780\" height=\"585\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-front-1440x1080.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-front-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-front-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-front-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-front-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-front-1440x1080@2x.jpg 2880w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-front-400x300@2x.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"figcaption_31739\" class=\"wp-caption-text\" style=\"border-color: #5f8129;\">Happy little Mac.<br \/><span style=\"font-style:italic;font-size:11px\">Photo: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The new Mac mini is smaller, lighter, a little taller and 50\u00d7 more adorable than its predecessors. Not that the Mac mini has <em>ever<\/em> been big compared to a standard PC tower, but the smaller footprint has a big impact on your desk space. It\u2019s only 5 inches by 5 inches. It\u2019s actually too small for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dxDuSxmQVHs\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637482\">the Timex clock<\/a> I normally keep sitting on top of it, which I had to move on top of the ThunderBay.<\/p>\n<p>But more surprising than that is the weight. The Mac mini used to be surprisingly heavy. The new Mac mini is the lightest Mac ever. Yes, even lighter than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/news\/new-macbook-isnt-future\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637483\">the 12-inch MacBook<\/a> \u2014 2 pounds versus 1.6 pounds.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"31739\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_31739\" class=\"wp-caption post-body-image alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-rear-ports.jpg\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637633\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-874868\" title=\"Mac mini M4 rear ports &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-rear-ports-1440x1080.jpg\" alt=\"Mac mini M4 pictured from the rear, on a table\" width=\"780\" height=\"585\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-rear-ports-1440x1080.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-rear-ports-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-rear-ports-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-rear-ports-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-rear-ports-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-rear-ports-1440x1080@2x.jpg 2880w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-rear-ports-400x300@2x.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"figcaption_31739\" class=\"wp-caption-text\" style=\"border-color: #5f8129;\">Beautifully designed ports.<br \/><span style=\"font-style:italic;font-size:11px\">Photo: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It wears the same aluminum dressing, but it now wraps all the way around to the back \u2014 there\u2019s no big plastic backplate. The ports look <i>really<\/i> nice like this. I can\u2019t get over that gorgeous perfectly rectangular Ethernet jack.<\/p>\n<h3>What about the controversial power button?<\/h3>\n<p>The hubbub around this design is the power button on the bottom. Although the Mac mini doesn\u2019t sit flat on the desk, the lip is <i>just<\/i> too short to be able to squeeze your finger under there \u2014 you have to lift it a little bit. It\u2019s really not that big of a deal \u2014 I can\u2019t remember the last time I had to manually press the button. (Go to\u00a0<strong>System Settings &gt; Energy<\/strong> and enable\u00a0<strong>Start up automatically after power failure<\/strong> and that\u2019ll solve 90% of it.)<\/p>\n<p>Even if you\u2019re old-fashioned and turn off your computer every day, I still don\u2019t think it\u2019ll bother you much. Because it\u2019s so light, so it\u2019s easy to lift it and press. In fact, this power button is much more concave than the old one, which sat flat against the back. So although it\u2019s in a slightly less convenient spot, it\u2019s actually <em>easier<\/em> to find without looking.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"connectivity\">Connectivity<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"31739\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_31739\" class=\"wp-caption post-body-image alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-cables.jpg\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637634\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-874865\" title=\"Mac mini M4 cables &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-cables-1440x1080.jpg\" alt=\"Mac mini M4 pictured from above, with various things plugged into the back.\" width=\"780\" height=\"585\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-cables-1440x1080.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-cables-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-cables-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-cables-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-cables-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-cables-1440x1080@2x.jpg 2880w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-cables-400x300@2x.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"figcaption_31739\" class=\"wp-caption-text\" style=\"border-color: #5f8129;\">I quickly filled up all the rear ports.<br \/><span style=\"font-style:italic;font-size:11px\">Photo: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you have an older entry-level Mac mini, you\u2019re in for a big upgrade. You go from two Thunderbolt 4 ports and two USB-A ports to three Thunderbolt 4 ports and two USB-C ports, a net gain of one.<\/p>\n<p>If you have an M2 Pro Mac mini, you previously had four Thunderbolt 4 ports and two USB-A ports; now you have three Thunderbolt 5 ports and two USB-C ports. It\u2019s a net loss of one, but the capabilities are much greater. Thunderbolt 5 offers twice the data bandwidth for external storage, up to 80 Gb\/s. It has an asymmetrical mode for driving super high-resolution displays at high refresh rates:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>One 8K display at 60 Hz and one 6K display at 60 Hz<\/li>\n<li>One 4K display at 240 Hz and one 6K display at 60 Hz<\/li>\n<li>Three 6K displays at 60 Hz<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I haven\u2019t been able to push Thunderbolt 5 to the limits, because this is one area where Apple is broadly ahead of the curve. There aren\u2019t a lot of Thunderbolt 5 peripherals yet. But if you need more ports, including a USB-A port, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/news\/owc-thunderbolt-5-hub-release-date\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637484\">OWC\u2019s first Thunderbolt 5 dock<\/a> has you covered.<\/p>\n<h3>One thing I don&#8217;t like: The headphone jack<\/h3>\n<p>My biggest quibble is the headphone jack moving to the front. It makes perfect sense because I can imagine most people plug in headphones or use Studio Display speakers. However, <em>my<\/em> sound system is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.roland.com\/us\/products\/cube-30x\/\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637748\">Roland Cube 30X amplifier<\/a> that sits underneath my desk (and makes for an excellent footrest). I had a headphone cable run up from behind the desk and plug into the headphone jack.<\/p>\n<p>Now, I would have to either run the cable up and around to the front of the Mac \u2014 an ugly sight, even if the cable <em>were<\/em> long enough \u2014 or run it through the headphone jack on my display, which is what I settled on. But that presents its own issues. Lots of people have cheap displays that don\u2019t have passthrough audio, like me, until just a few weeks ago. And if you use your display over HDMI, because you want to reserve the Thunderbolt ports for peripherals, you might lose the ability to adjust the volume from your Mac.<\/p>\n<p>But I have to concede that I\u2019m in the minority. Most people use headphones instead of desktop speakers, much less guitar amplifiers. The ability to see the headphone jack rather than dig around in the back through your mess of cables is a big step up.<\/p>\n<p>I suppose I should mention here that the built-in speaker still sounds like absolute trash, but hopefully, no one is actually using it.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"performance\">Performance<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"31739\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_31739\" class=\"wp-caption post-body-image alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/M2-Pro-vs-M4-vs-M4-Pro-Speed-Test.jpg\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637485\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-874695\" title=\"M2 Pro vs M4 vs M4 Pro Speed Test &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/M2-Pro-vs-M4-vs-M4-Pro-Speed-Test-1440x1152.jpg\" alt=\"Speed test graph comparing M2 Pro, M4 and M4 Pro\" width=\"780\" height=\"624\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/M2-Pro-vs-M4-vs-M4-Pro-Speed-Test-1440x1152.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/M2-Pro-vs-M4-vs-M4-Pro-Speed-Test-400x320.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/M2-Pro-vs-M4-vs-M4-Pro-Speed-Test-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/M2-Pro-vs-M4-vs-M4-Pro-Speed-Test-350x280.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/M2-Pro-vs-M4-vs-M4-Pro-Speed-Test.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/M2-Pro-vs-M4-vs-M4-Pro-Speed-Test-400x320@2x.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"figcaption_31739\" class=\"wp-caption-text\" style=\"border-color: #5f8129;\">M4 chips offer some noticeable improvements \u2026 but when everything happens so fast, does it really matter?<br \/><span style=\"font-style:italic;font-size:11px\">Image: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Apple silicon&#8217;s M3 generation of chips was the first to use a new 3-nanometer process in semiconductor manufacturing. According to reports, 3 nanometer was hard to manufacture. Performance tests showed that it wasn\u2019t a significant leap from the previous 5nm process. It was about a similar jump as M1 to M2 was. The M3 Pro chip was also nerfed, with six performance cores and six efficiency cores, bringing its performance closer to the entry-level M3.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/news\/m4-pro-and-m4-max-chips\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637749\">The M4 family<\/a> is made with a next-generation <em>enhanced<\/em> 3-nanometer process. Apple bumped up the M4 Pro to eight performance cores and two efficiency cores. And for an extra &#36;200, you can get two more performance cores.<\/p>\n<p>Trickle-down performance is real. In most situations, an entry-level M4 chip outperforms my M2 Pro Mac mini. The M4 Pro is noticeably zippier; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/news\/m4-pro-and-m4-max-benchmarks\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637750\">benchmarks show it outperforms the M2 Ultra<\/a>, which was previously the best money could buy. That means, for the time being, this &#36;1,400 mini can outperform, in some areas, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/news\/mac-pro-finally-gets-updated-to-apple-silicon-is-3x-faster\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637486\">&#36;7,000 Mac Pro<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Real-world performance tests<\/h3>\n<p>In my tests for this review, I timed the M4 Mac mini executing some of the tasks I do on a regular basis. Apple usually cherry-picks its stats from the best possible theoretical improvement. Benchmarks don\u2019t tell the whole story, either. Even in these real-world tests, the M4 Pro was noticeably faster.<\/p>\n<p>Rendering a video was 22% faster. Exporting an episode of <em>The CultCast<\/em> was a huge 49% faster. Upscaling a 48 MP RAW image in Pixelmator was 35% faster \u2014 that\u2019s all in the Neural Engine, so you can expect a lot of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/apple-intelligence\" data-lasso-id=\"1641640870\">Apple Intelligence<\/a> features to run about that much better, too. Compiling some apps in Xcode and running some Python scripts came in 6% and 22% faster respectively.<\/p>\n<p>Those are big improvements for two short years.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"value\">Mac mini value<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"31739\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_31739\" class=\"wp-caption post-body-image alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-on-desk-plugged-in.jpg\" data-lasso-id=\"1641637635\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-874864\" title=\"Mac mini M4 on desk plugged in &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-on-desk-plugged-in-1440x1080.jpg\" alt=\"Mac mini M4 sitting on a desk with various cables plugged into the back\" width=\"780\" height=\"585\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-on-desk-plugged-in-1440x1080.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-on-desk-plugged-in-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-on-desk-plugged-in-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-on-desk-plugged-in-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-on-desk-plugged-in-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-on-desk-plugged-in-1440x1080@2x.jpg 2880w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mac-mini-M4-on-desk-plugged-in-400x300@2x.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"figcaption_31739\" class=\"wp-caption-text\" style=\"border-color: #5f8129;\">Mini effect on the wallet, too.<br \/><span style=\"font-style:italic;font-size:11px\">Photo: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I\u2019m proud to report that the Mac mini retains the bang-for-buck crown. It was an incredible value before &#8212; now it\u2019s a steal.<\/p>\n<p>The new M4 Mac mini is making a lot of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/mac-studio\" data-lasso-id=\"1641640871\">Mac Studio<\/a> owners realize they can downsize. An optioned-out Mac mini approaches a Mac Studio in pricing, but if you\u2019d rather splurge on more internal storage rather than a Max chip, you\u2019ll be better off with a mini.<\/p>\n<p>In the Apple silicon age, desktops and laptops perform identically when they have identical specs, due to how Apple handles a process called binning.Not every processor is made the same coming out of the fabrication lab; some chips come out a little bit slow. Intel would sell those slow chips at slightly lower prices or put them in laptops. Apple takes the opposite approach, putting their slower chips in a desktop computer, because you can juice them up with more power to get the expected performance back. Laptops need to be energy efficient; wattage doesn\u2019t matter as much on the desktop.<\/p>\n<style>table { width: 100%; border: 1px solid #000; } table th, table td { padding: 1em; } table tr { text-align: left; } table tr.equal { background: #fee; } table tr.better { background: #2a7dac; color: #fff; }<\/style>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">Mac mini<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">MacBook Pro 14-inch<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>10-core M4<br \/>\n16 GB memory<br \/>\n512 GB SSD<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">&#36;799<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">&#36;1,599<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>12-core M4 Pro<br \/>\n24 GB memory<br \/>\n512 GB SSD<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">&#36;1,399<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">&#36;1,999<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>12-core M4 Pro<br \/>\n48 GB memory<br \/>\n1 TB SSD<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">&#36;1,999<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">&#36;2,999<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3>M4 Pro Mac mini review: Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p>Buying a base-model Mac mini is half the cost of a base-model MacBook Pro (&#36;799 versus &#36;1,599). If you bump it up to the M4 Pro Mac mini, the price gap lowers to &#36;600, but if you option it out with more memory and storage (which I recommend for power users), you save a whopping &#36;1,000.<\/p>\n<p>The best value computer for creative professionals just got even better.<\/p>\n<p><span title=\"Cult of Mac Rating: 5 stars out of 5\"><span style=\"font-size: 2em; background: #fff; color: #2a7dac\">&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy from:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/ore\/dp\/B0DLBVHSLD\/?tag=cult087-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"1641640872\" data-lasso-name=\"2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\">Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"lasso-anchor-id-874930-1641640874\" class=\"lasso-container\">\n    <!-- LASSO DISPLAY BOX (https:\/\/getlasso.co) -->\n\t<div class=\"lasso-display lasso-cactus lasso-url-amzn-https-bhpho-to-3yyclrt \">\n\t\t<!-- BADGE -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lasso-badge\">\n\t\t\t\tIncredible power, incredible price\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<!-- LASSO TITLE, PRICE, DESC, AND IMAGE -->\n\t\t<div class=\"lasso-box-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"lasso-title\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/ore\/dp\/B0DLBVHSLD\/?tag=cult087-20\" data-lasso-box-trackable=\"true\" data-lasso-id=\"874930\" data-lasso-name=\"2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\" title=\"2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lasso-stars\" style=\"--rating: 5.0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"lasso-stars-value\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t5.0\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lasso-price\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lasso-price-value\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"discount-price\"><strike>$1,399.00<\/strike><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"latest-price\">$1,319.85<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"lasso-amazon-prime\"><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lasso-description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The new Mac mini is smaller, lighter and 50\u00d7 more adorable. It's super-powerful and by far the best deal in computing right now.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lasso-fields\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<div class=\"lasso-fields-pros lasso-fields-2\">\n\t\t<strong>Pros:<\/strong>\n\t\t<ul><li><span class=\"lasso-check\"><span class=\"lasso-check-content\"><\/span><\/span>Powerful M4 Pro chip<\/li><li><span class=\"lasso-check\"><span class=\"lasso-check-content\"><\/span><\/span>512GB storage<\/li><li><span class=\"lasso-check\"><span class=\"lasso-check-content\"><\/span><\/span>24GB unified memory<\/li><li><span class=\"lasso-check\"><span class=\"lasso-check-content\"><\/span><\/span>Compact desktop design<\/li><\/ul>\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<div class=\"lasso-fields-cons lasso-fields-3\">\n\t\t<strong>Cons:<\/strong>\n\t\t<ul><li><span class=\"lasso-x\"><span class=\"lasso-x-1\"><\/span><span class=\"lasso-x-2\"><\/span><\/span>Headphone jack on front<\/li><li><span class=\"lasso-x\"><span class=\"lasso-x-1\"><\/span><span class=\"lasso-x-2\"><\/span><\/span>BYODKM (bring your own display, keyboard and mouse)<\/li><\/ul>\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"lasso-fields-single\">\n\t<strong>Read our hands-on review:<\/strong>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/reviews\/m4-pro-mac-mini-review\">Mac mini with M4 Pro is mightier and mini-er than ever<\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<div class=\"lasso-box-2\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"lasso-image\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/ore\/dp\/B0DLBVHSLD\/?tag=cult087-20\" data-lasso-box-trackable=\"true\" data-lasso-id=\"874930\" data-lasso-name=\"2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\" title=\"2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lasso-image-no-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/21W9d8RkFOL._SL500_.jpg\" height=\"500\" width=\"500\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\">\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<!-- BUTTONS -->\n\t\t<div class=\"lasso-box-3\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"lasso-button-1\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/ore\/dp\/B0DLBVHSLD\/?tag=cult087-20\" data-lasso-box-trackable=\"true\" data-lasso-id=\"874930\" data-lasso-name=\"2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\" title=\"2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\">\n\t\t\t\tBuy from Amazon\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<div class=\"lasso-box-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"lasso-button-2\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bhpho.to\/3YYclrT\" data-lasso-box-trackable=\"true\" data-lasso-id=\"874930\" data-lasso-name=\"2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\" title=\"2024 Mac mini with M4 Pro chip\" data-lasso-button=\"2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\">\n\t\t\t\t\tBuy from B&H\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<!-- DISCLOSURE & DATE -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lasso-box-5\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lasso-disclosure\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"lasso-box-6\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"lasso-date\">\n\t\t\t\t05\/29\/2025 02:27 pm GMT <i class=\"lasso-amazon-info\" data-tooltip=\"Price and availability are accurate as of the date and time indicated and are subject to change.\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><em>Apple did not provide <\/em>Cult of Mac<em>\u00a0with a review unit for this article. See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/415900\/cult-of-macs-reviews-policy\/\" data-lasso-id=\"1641636799\">our reviews policy<\/a>, and check out\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/category\/reviews\/\" data-lasso-id=\"1641636800\">other in-depth reviews of Apple-related items<\/a>.<\/em><\/p><div><p class=\"affiliate-disclosure-notice\">This post contains <a href=\"\/cult-of-mac-reviews-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\">affiliate links<\/a>. <em>Cult of Mac<\/em> may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>M4 Pro Mac mini review: Incredible power in a truly unbelievable value \u2014 and it\u2019s super tiny. What\u2019s not to love? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30102,"featured_media":874861,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31739,352670],"tags":[352542,352732,352726,50,2444],"class_list":["post-874769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","category-top-stories","tag-m4-chip","tag-m4-pro","tag-m4-pro-chip","tag-mac","tag-mac-mini"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.2 (Yoast SEO v25.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>M4 Pro Mac mini review: Unbelievably good value | Cult of Mac<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"M4 Pro Mac mini review: Incredible power in a truly unbelievable value \u2014 and it\u2019s super tiny. 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