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Marques Brownlee - The M4 Mac Mini is Incredible!

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Author: Marques Brownlee
Categories: Education
Tags: education
Views: 2 · Last viewed: 2026-10-16 08:09 UTC

Short Summary

Main recommendation: the base M4 Mac Mini at $599 is one of the best deals in tech right now, and the reviewer suggests most buyers should avoid paying for storage or networking upgrades. The new Mac Mini is also a remarkably small desktop (5 by 5 by 2 inches) that delivers strong everyday and medium-grade performance. For anyone wanting a compact, powerful machine, the M4 Pro configuration is presented as a practical "portable workstation" option, a niche use case the reviewer says doesn't apply to everybody.

Key Points

  • The base M4 Mac Mini at $599 now has 16 GB of unified memory, doubled from 8 GB in the previous model, making it especially good value.
  • Apple's "price ladder" pushes buyers to upgrade; storage upgrades to 1 TB add $400, and 10 Gigabit Ethernet adds $100, so these can add up quickly.
  • The M4 Pro Mac Mini (starting at $1,399) offers Thunderbolt 5 ports that support three 6K displays instead of two, and the reviewer tested it with 48 GB of memory.
  • Its tiny size and quiet single-fan cooling make it easy to carry and place on a desk, though the power button's placement on the bottom back corner is criticized.
  • Compared with the M4 iMac starting at $1,299, the base Mac Mini leaves about $700 to spend on an external display of your choice.

Details Worth Noting

  • Concrete instructions: Choose the base M4 Mac Mini ($599, or $499 with an eligible .edu student discount) unless you specifically need more storage, networking, or GPU power. Decide on upgrades before purchase, because memory and storage cannot be upgraded later. If you need heavy storage, budget for the 1 TB upgrade ($400 extra); if you need wired networking at 10 Gb speed, add $100. For portable workstation use, consider the M4 Pro configuration at $1,399 and pair it with Thunderbolt 5 displays for three 6K screens.
  • Ports on the base model include gigabit Ethernet, a full-size HDMI port, three Thunderbolt ports on the back, two USB-C 3 ports on the front, and a headphone jack; there is no SD card reader and no USB-A.
  • The base M4 chip handles web browsing, music streaming, multitasking with many browser tabs, coding, and photo editing (the reviewer cites Pixelmator) well, but is not suited to heavy gaming or heavy video editing.
  • The reviewer notes the fan is audible under heavy load but otherwise quiet on a desk; the battery and speaker limitations matter little for a desktop.
  • Apple recently purchased Pixelmator, a fact the reviewer mentions in passing.

Bottom Line

The base M4 Mac Mini is an exceptional value for most users, while the M4 Pro model is the standout for those who want desktop-class power in an extremely small, portable package.