Five things you need to know about the Mac Mini

The Mac Mini is the cheapest way to get yourself a brand-new Apple computer by a healthy margin so it’s easy to see why you might put this right at the top of your computer shortlist. 

This year’s 2023 edition costs £649 where the next-cheapest (the 2022 MacBook Air) costs £999 when bought directly from Apple, so if you predominantly work from home and perhaps have a cheap secondary laptop for going out and about, it could be a great choice.

But this desktop has some quirks – good and bad – that you should be aware of before you buy. Here are five things to know about the Mac Mini. 

Want to see more desktops? See our guide to the best desktop PCs in 2023

1. It has a built-in speaker

This is a rare feature among desktop PCs. A few years ago there were several Windows mini desktop PCs on the market that had built-in speakers, but these were few and far between and practically nonexistent these days. Apple bucks that trend by popping a little speaker into the all-metal chassis. However, given APple’s marketing makes no outlandish claims about its quality, this should be a note of caution; it’s unlikely to be very good. We’ve tested the full package in our Mac Mini review, so log in and read on to find out how it fared.

2. It doesn’t come with a keyboard or mouse

Almost all the computers we test – be they towers, mini desktops or all-in-ones – come with a keyboard and mouse in the box. Apple, not known for giving away freebies, meets expectations in this regard. It’s no big problem, but when you do start researching which keyboard to buy, keep in mind that Apple keyboard buttons are different to those you use on Windows, so you should pick one that's designed with Apple devices in mind.

3. You can but the previous-gen model for even less

Want to save even more money? The Mac Mini from 2021, powered by the previous-generation M1 processor, can be bought for as much as £50 less and can still be bought brand-new from various retailers including Argos and Currys. Below you can see the best Mac MIni M1 and M2 deals on the web.

4. It’s as fast as a 13-inch MacBook Pro

In fact, it can be even faster. This is thanks to the speedy M2 processor (the same as in the 13-inch Pro) and the fact that it has more room for cooling, thanks to the Mini’s thicker design. The cooler a processor is, the faster it can go. What’s more, if you want to turn this runabout into a hot hatch Mini, you can opt for the faster M2 Pro processor, which is found in the super high-end 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. This doesn’t come cheap; it more than doubles the price to £1,399.

5. It has no ports at the front

This might seem obvious based on pictures, but you should be aware that if you frequently connect and disconnect accessories such as headphones and USB drives, you’ll find yourself having to either turn the Mac around or do a little guesswork to get things plugged in. Buying a USB adapter that’s always plugged in and sits around the front of your Mac might be a good investment. 

Kit your desktop out with a top-notch monitor: read our guide to the best computer monitors