Apple last week announced two new Mac mini models, one with the all-new M6 chip and one with the M5 Pro chip that debuted in the MacBook Pro earlier this year. Somewhat like the MacBook Pro last year, Apple has again placed its newest silicon in the entry-level machine and a previous-generation Pro chip in the high-end machine, so the more expensive Mac mini is not simply a faster version of the cheaper one. The M6 model starts at $899 with a 12-core CPU, 16GB of unified memory, and 256GB of storage. The M5 Pro model starts at $1,699 with a 15-core CPU, 24GB of memory, and 512GB of storage, and it can be configured with up to an 18-core CPU and a 20-core GPU.

Both are the highest starting prices Apple has ever set for the Mac mini, which makes the $800 gap between the two models more consequential than in previous generations. Our guide helps to answer the question of how to decide which of these two Mac mini models is best for you.

Both models are available to pre-order now and launch on Tuesday, September 22. The two machines are physically identical and share the majority of their hardware. The shared features include the same 5.0 by 5.0 inch aluminum enclosure in silver, Neural Accelerators in every GPU core, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 via the N1 chip, 2.5Gb Ethernet as standard, two front USB-C ports, a headphone jack, an HDMI port, native support for up to three external displays, Genlock over USB-C, and macOS 27 with Apple Intelligence and Siri AI.

Everything that differs between the two models is set out below: The M6 chip is built with TSMC's 2nm process, has a 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU, dual 16-core Neural Engine, up to 170GB/s memory bandwidth, 16GB to 32GB of unified memory, 256GB to 2TB of storage, and three Thunderbolt 4 ports. The M5 Pro chip is built with TSMC's 3nm process, has a 15-core or 18-core CPU, 16-core or 20-core GPU, single 16-core Neural Engine, 307GB/s memory bandwidth, 24GB to 64GB of unified memory, 512GB to 8TB of storage, and three Thunderbolt 5 ports. The M6 model weighs 1.5 pounds, while the M5 Pro weighs 1.6 pounds.

For the majority of buyers, the M6 model is the right choice, and not only because it is $800 cheaper. It is the newer chip, built on a 2nm process, and Apple says it contains the world's fastest CPU core. It is also the only Mac mini with the Dual 16-core Neural Engine, which Apple says delivers up to twice the peak compute of the single Neural Engine used in the M5 Pro. If your workload is dominated by everyday productivity, web work, photo editing, coding, or light on-device AI, the M6 should feel marginally faster in day-to-day use, especially for single-core tasks.