Mac mini With M6 Review: Apple's First 2nm Chip Tested for Photo and Video Workflows

The newly redesigned Mac mini, featuring Apple's first M6 chip, is a compact desktop measuring 12.7 x 12.7 x 5 centimeters and weighing approximately 0.7 kilograms. As Apple's inaugural 2nm chip, the M6 boasts a 12-core CPU that the company asserts provides the fastest single-threaded performance globally; its multithreaded capabilities are reported to be 1.2 times quicker than the M5 and 2.4 times faster than the M1. The review unit includes a 12-core CPU, a 12-core GPU, 16GB of unified memory, and a 256GB SSD, starting at $899. Upgrading to 32GB of memory and a 512GB SSD raises the price to $1,499. The M5 Pro Mac mini begins at $1,699. The M6 variant offers three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI 2.1, 2.5Gb Ethernet, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, though it lacks Thunderbolt 5 ports and an SD card slot, supporting up to three external displays. In benchmarks from Puget Systems, it excelled in Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro, achieving a GPU Effects score nearly double that of the M5 MacBook Pro, although an unusual result in Sony a1 II JPEG export was likely due to a bug. DaVinci Resolve results were constrained by fewer comparisons, but the M6 Mac mini generally surpassed the M5 MacBook Pro. The reviewer suggests the M5 Pro for photographers and video editors who can afford it, while deeming the base M6 a decent, albeit not exceptional, choice.