We’ve heard similar before, but it was widely assumed that the Mac Studio might have made such models redundant - although the firmware of the Studio Display seems to reference new models, so perhaps not.Īrtist Ian Zelbo's render mock-up of what the next Mac mini might look like, based on leaks by Jon Prosser (Image credit: Jon Prosser & Ian Zelbo)Īs far as what it might look like, the most reliable rumors come from established leaker Jon Prosser, who claimed back in May that the next Mac mini might be smaller and would sport more ports.
Previously, Bloomberg mentioned that Apple was testing yet another Mac mini with the current-generation M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. So we should still get a choice of chips.Īs with last year’s equivalent M1 silicon, M2 chips appear destined for 14-inch and 16-inch versions of the MacBook Pro (J414 and J416 respectively), but there’s also an M2 Pro-powered Mac mini (J474) being put through its paces. Instead, we will see the refreshed mini arrive with the M2 and M2 Pro chips. This is corroborated by another rumor that claims Apple will abandon the M1 Pro and M1 Max versions of the Mac mini since the Mac Studio now exists. The latter is still very much a rumor, but considering how the Mac Mini doesn't have to conform to the same power restrictions as a laptop like the MacBook Air 2022, it's reasonable to assume it could pack a more powerful (and power-demanding) chip.
Speaking of internals, rumors suggest that the diminutive computer will sport either an M2 chip or an M2 Pro chip. Pushing the price of the entry-level model up past $700 seems like a big risk for Apple, though we'll have to wait and see what the Mac Mini 2022 offers in terms of features before we can rule out a price hike.įor the small contingent of media creators that love the Mac mini design over the MacBook Pro laptop or Mac Pro desktop, the compact Mac mini could be offered with these more powerful configurations for significantly more.
Since we presume any Mac mini will be an incremental upgrade over the current version with beefier internals and a revamped design, we have good reason to believe it will be sold for the same starting price as its predecessor: $699. The entry-level M1 Mac Mini is now just $649 (Image credit: Tom's Guide)