M6 Mac Mini review: this little guy far exceeds the expectations of its target audience
7/10/2026
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
Pictures: Samuel Buchmann
Apple’s entry-level Mac costs a whopping 50 per cent more than it used to. In return, the new chip offers so much power that many users will struggle to even take full advantage of it. It’s about time we get a Mac Neo.
Apple’s new generation of chips is making its debut in the Mac Mini. The M6 is the first system-on-a-chip (SoC) from the Californian company manufactured using a 2-nanometre process. This reportedly makes it even more energy-efficient. Otherwise, the Mini sports few changes compared to its predecessor. The LAN port on the base model now supports 2.5 Gbit/s instead of 1 Gbit/s. For an additional 100 francs or 110 euros, it can be upgraded to 10 Gbit/s. On the wireless front, Wi-Fi 7 replaces Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 6 replaces Bluetooth 5.3.
But here’s the most significant change: when the M4 Mac Mini was released in 2024, I was still thrilled by its low starting price of 599 francs or 699 euros. Well, no more. Two years on, the most affordable Mini costs 899 francs or 1,049 euros. Apple puts this down to the current memory crisis.
The Californian corporation isn’t alone in this. But the price hike is particularly painful when it comes to the Mac Mini. 300 francs represents a whopping 50 per cent increase. And yet, the most affordable configuration still comes with only 16 gigabytes (GB) of RAM and a 256 GB SSD. Upgrades are pricey too. Let’s say you want 32 GB of RAM instead of 16 GB. Well, you’ll have to pay 400 francs or 440 euros for the pleasure. Yikes. Has the Mini gone from affordable to overpriced?
CPU: the fastest cores yet
It all depends on whether the higher price comes with improved performance. Compared to the M4 and M5, the M6 has two more CPU and GPU cores respectively. According to Apple, this boosts multithreaded performance by 20 per cent. The GPU supposedly delivers 30 per cent more performance for AI. Neural Engine doubles the number of cores and its peak computing power compared to the previous generation.
In the M6, Apple uses all three CPU core types in the same chip for the first time. They’re divided into two super cores, four performance cores and six efficiency cores. Depending on the load, different ones are used. The super cores achieve the highest performance I’ve ever measured in single-core mode (slide two in the chart below). They exceed the M5 generation by nine per cent.
When I stress-test all cores, the M6 achieves scores that are, on average, 19 per cent higher than the M5 and 41 per cent higher than the M4 (slide one in the chart above). This marks yet another significant performance leap for Apple’s entry-level chip within a single generation. To put this in perspective: its CPU is almost as fast as that of the M4 Pro (-14 per cent) and significantly faster than the M3 Pro version (+33 per cent).
GPU: more performance for AI models
Both graphics performance (slide one in the chart below) and Neural Engine performance (slide five) have risen by an average of 27 per cent compared to the M5. The M6’s GPU is significantly faster, particularly in Geekbench’s AI benchmark (slide four). The M6 Mac Mini will likely win popularity for running local language models. With the previous model, high demand toward the end of the product cycle led to supply shortages.
Practical applications: at the previous Pro level
In real-world use cases, the M6’s performance falls somewhere between that of the M3 Pro and the M4 Pro. Compared to its predecessor, the M5 chip, it shows significant performance gains, especially in tasks that place a heavy load on the GPU. This is evident, for example, in my test exports using DaVinci Resolve (slide one in the graphic below) and Blender (slide three). When exporting 200 RAW images from Lightroom (slide two), RAM is the bottleneck. The editing process itself, however, runs much more smoothly. I really notice a difference, especially with AI-powered filters.
Games also benefit from the more powerful GPU. Both of my benchmark titles (Cyberpunk 2077 on slide four, Shadow of the Tomb Raider on slide five) run 36 per cent better than they did with the M5. Compared to the M4, which was in the last Mac Mini, performance has actually doubled. Still, the M6 definitely isn’t a gaming powerhouse in absolute terms. If you really want to enjoy the latest tracks, you’re best off with a Mac Studio or a MacBook Pro with an M5 Max.
Despite its higher performance, the Mac Mini remains quiet and energy-efficient during operation. Its tiny case also hardly takes up space on any desk. For more information on the design and ports, check out this review of the previous model.
In a nutshell
Already faster than necessary for many applications
The Mac Mini costs way more than it used to. In return, the M6 also delivers a significant boost in performance. In most applications, the base chip isn’t even much slower than the M4 Pro in the previous model. It leaves the standard M4 in the dust. The improvements in graphics performance are particularly noteworthy. Even complex image editing with AI functions is no longer an issue with the new chip. You should only opt for the M5 Pro version or a Mac Studio for workflows such as professional video editing.
RAM and SSD upgrades are expensive. As a result, keeping both as small as possible is the smart move. You can easily expand your storage capacity with external SSDs. For many applications, 16 GB of RAM is sufficient.
And given current market conditions surrounding the memory crisis, I’m awarding the M6 Mac Mini full marks despite its higher price. It’s an excellent little computer for just about anything. Strictly speaking, Apple is facing the same problem as with the MacBook Air. An entry-level Mac’s already overkill for many tasks. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a Mac Neo soon.
Pro
- M6 takes a major leap in performance
- Good selection of ports
- Quiet and energy-efficient
- Small size
Contra
- Major price increase
- Tiny base SSD
- Expensive RAM and SSD upgrades
Samuel Buchmann
Senior Editor
Samuel.Buchmann@digitecgalaxus.chMy fingerprint often changes so drastically that my MacBook doesn't recognise it anymore. The reason? If I'm not clinging to a monitor or camera, I'm probably clinging to a rockface by the tips of my fingers.
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