Apple unveils a more powerful Mac mini featuring the all-new M6 and M5 Pro

Apple Unveils New Mac Mini With M6 and M5 Pro Chips, Up to 4x Faster AI Performance Apple announced the new Mac mini on August 25, 2026, featuring the all-new M6 and M5 Pro chips that deliver up to 4x faster AI performance and 2x faster graphics and storage in the same ultracompact design. Specifications The Mac mini with M6 includes a 12-core CPU (up from 10), 12-core GPU with Neural Accelerators in each core, a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, 16GB unified memory standard (configurable to 32GB), and 170GB/s memory bandwidth. The M5 Pro model scales up to an 18-core CPU, 20-core GPU with third-generation ray tracing, up to 64GB unified memory, and 307GB/s memory bandwidth. Both models feature Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, 2.5Gb Ethernet (10Gb optional), front-facing dual USB-C ports with USB 3, and a headphone jack with high-impedance support. The M6 offers three Thunderbolt 4 ports; the M5 Pro upgrades to three Thunderbolt 5 ports, plus HDMI and genlock support via USB-C for camera synchronization. Features The M6 Mac mini achieves up to 4x faster AI performance and 2x faster graphics versus the M4 model, with 40% faster CPU performance. It processes LLM prompts in LM Studio up to 13.5x faster than M1 and 4.8x faster than M4, runs spreadsheet calculations in Excel 2.3x faster than M1, and delivers 2x faster ray-traced gaming in Cyberpunk 2077. The M5 Pro reaches up to 8.5x faster LLM processing than M2 Pro (4x vs M4 Pro), 4.5x faster Blender ray-trace rendering than M2 Pro, and 2.1x faster image processing in Affinity Photo than M2 Pro. macOS 27 Golden Gate introduces Siri AI with personal context awareness, Visual Intelligence, systemwide writing tools, and enhanced Apple Intelligence across Safari, Shortcuts, and Photos, plus Liquid Glass UI refinements. Price and Availability Pre-orders begin August 25, 2026, on apple.com/store and the Apple Store app in 30 countries. General availability starts September 22. The M6 model starts at $899 ($799 education); the M5 Pro starts at $1,699 ($1,599 education). Trade-in credit, 0% APR Apple Card Monthly Installments with 3% Daily Cash, AppleCare+, and free Personal Setup sessions are available. macOS 27 public beta is accessible now at beta.apple.com, with a free fall release. Verdict The new Mac mini is the best choice for users who need a compact, always-on desktop for AI workloads, creative pro tasks, or server-style deployments. The M6 model suits mainstream users and developers adopting agentic AI workflows, while the M5 Pro targets video editors, 3D artists, and researchers running large local models. With industry-leading performance per watt, expanded Thunderbolt 5 clustering, and macOS 27's Siri AI integration, it's a versatile upgrade for both new and existing Mac owners.