The quality of the metal looks as good as ever, creating a great and minimalistic look.įrom a performance standpoint, the 2018 Mac mini has been compared to last year's iMac. We wouldn't hold it against you if you confused the new mini for the old.Īpple made a big point to note that like the MacBook Air, the Mac mini's enclosure is made from 100-percent recycled aluminum. It has that same stout body, just with a new finish. Initially, the Mac mini looks like a lot of the same. Cupertino seems quite proud about the fact it is using recycled aluminum in its newer computers as AppleInsider's Andrew O'Hara notes in his write-up.
Overall, we're happy Apple beefed up port selection rather than cut back.Īpple has switched to a "100-percent recycled aluminum" chassis, but cosmetically it looks about the same as the 2014 model other than its new "Space Gray" color. An Ethernet port is also available, and it's configurable up to 10Gb Ethernet for super-fast connections. It's the same amount that grace the iMac Pro, and it most certainly has increased the already hefty price tag of this PC.Īlong with USB-C, there are also two USB-A 3 ports, one HDMI 2.0 port, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack. In fact, it might even be too many, if that's even possible. Over on the back is an impressive array of ports including four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, which means you can connect it to 4K or 5K Thunderbolt displays, as well as an external GPU. Digital Trends reviewer Julian Chokkattu thinks the extra connectivity is a welcome albeit expensive addition. Both models come with 10/100/100Base-T Ethernet, but that can be upgraded to the faster Nbase-T Ethernet for $100.Īlso notable is the number of ports available in the new Mac mini. It comes with the same 8GB of RAM as the low-end model, but doubles the storage capacity of the SSD. Apple has a second preconfigured setup for $1099 that bumps the processor up to a 3.0GHz 6-core Intel Core i5. Indeed, the Mac mini has a wide range of options over the $800 base model. Along with the built-in components, which bring benchmark performance levels up to somewhere around that of the last (and admittedly also overdue for an overhaul) Mac Pro, the company's also added more user upgradability - never a given for an Apple product. The price jump, naturally, comes with a notable spec increase, one that puts the diminutive desktop in line with a desktop ecosystem that finds Apple catering once again to its core competency of creative pros. With a $300 price bump, the latest version still represents the lowest cost path into the world of desktop Macs, but arguably removes 'entry' from the equation. The $499 price tag on the 2014 model certainly highlighted this fact. The Mini has long been Apple's entry-level desktop. By jacking up the price 60 percent, Apple is moving away from the entry-level macOS machine that was the Mac mini of old as Brian Heater from TechCrunch points out. The price bump seems to be the primary complaint with most reviewers. This one will run you $799, which is $300 more than the previous iteration's base configuration. The base unit is powered by a 3.6GHz Intel Core i3, 8GB of 2666MHz DDR4, and a 128GB SSD. It has been four years since the tiny desktop unit has seen a refresh so it might not be a surprise that there have been significant hardware upgrades. The entry unit is as powerful as a 2017 iMac but configurable to be just as comfortable "sitting in stacks within a render farm." Other than the significant price increase, most reviewers had good things to say about the overdue refresh of Apple's SFF Mac. Bottom line: Reviews for the 2018 Mac mini are in, and they are mostly positive.