Apple Mac Mini (2022) – news, rumors and speculation

Apple Mac Mini (2022) – news, rumors and speculation

The Apple Mac Mini (2022) is one of our most anticipated devices here at TechRadar, and hopefully we won't have to wait too long.

The mini PC, which could be announced during the Apple March event on March 8, 2022, would be the sequel to the fan-favorite Mac Mini (M1), powered by the Apple M1 chip and launched alongside the Apple MacBook Air. (M1, 2020) and Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020).

The Mini PC definitely impressed us when we reviewed it in 2020, and the M1 chip that powers it proved to be quite competent overall. Still, a home PC is a pretty big piece of equipment, so can a Mac Mini win conversions beyond the device's fan base?

One of the main advantages of the Mac Mini is its size, which is perfect for those who need a home PC but don't want a large PC case or all-in-one like the latest iMac. Others, however, might worry that a mini PC isn't powerful enough for their needs.

The long-awaited announcement of a new processor, the Apple M2, could allay those concerns, and could help the Mac Mini (2022) make a lot more of an impact this year.

Apple Mac Mini (2022): straight to the point

Apple Mac Mini (2022): release date and price

mini mac

(Image credit: future)

The Apple Mac Mini (2022) hasn't been announced yet, so we can't confirm an official release date, but we expect it to be among several devices announced at Apple's March 8, 2022 event (although not all or even most of them like Mac).

The latest Mac Mini (M1) was released in late 2020, so outside of Apple's typical product release cadence of 18-24, March 2022 is right at the beginning of that release window. There were also a lot of rumors about a 13-inch MacBook Pro launching at Apple's March event, and it's expected to feature the new M2 chip, so it makes a lot of sense that a Mac Mini would also get an upgrade.

The 2020 models of both products were announced at the same time and both feature the M1 chip. There are also many rumors that the 13-inch MacBook Pro won't see a major redesign, which could be reserved for a new MacBook Air to be revealed later this year.

If that's true, it might make sense for the Mac Mini with M2 to be announced alongside the 13-inch MacBook Pro, since there's far less enthusiasm for a Mac Mini redesign than for a MacBook.

After all, announcing two new M2-powered devices that don't feature major redesigns is better than announcing just one, and if the Mini were to only get internal upgrades, replacing the M1 with the M2 would make mass production much easier.

MacBook Air (2022): Design

Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020)

(Image credit: future)

Much has been said about Apple's possible MacBook Air (2022) redesign, as well as the lack of a 13-inch MacBook Pro redesign, so which side do we expect the Mac Mini to fall on?

That's a tough question to answer, unfortunately, since there's less interest in seeing a Mac Mini redesign, there's less incentive for Apple to redesign the Mac Mini. However, one reason the lack of a 13-inch MacBook Pro redesign makes a lot of sense is that the 13-inch MacBook Pro could be discontinued after this year in favor of the 14-inch MacBook Pro. (2021). . .

If you keep releasing a product and we don't expect the Mac Mini to be discontinued anytime soon, it will almost certainly need a redesign (albeit nothing major) to fit in with other Mac products that do, namely the iMac and Mac Mini. presumably the 14. MacBook Air and 16-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Apple Mac Mini (2022): specifications and performance

We can't say much about the Mac Mini's specs without knowing the Apple chip that runs it, but we expect it to have the same 8GB/16GB unified memory configuration options, ranging from a 256GB SSD to a 2TB SSD.

We also expect the number and types of ports to stay more or less the same, but we expect an upgrade to USB-C Thunderbolt 4 from the existing Thunderbolt 3. The same goes for upgrades like HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort. 1.4, but with Thunderbolt 4 those ports might not be necessary anyway, so they might have the ax with a newer Mac Mini.

That might change our list of the best Mac Mini monitors, but something tells us it's not really a problem for Apple.

As for the chips that power the new device, this is where things can get interesting.

There are rumors that not only will we see an M2-powered Mac Mini, but we could also see an M1 Pro and even a remote possibility of an M1 Max-powered Mac Mini.

The latter two might be aimed more at professionals than home PCs, but the possibility could give the Mac Mini much broader appeal, especially as it could allow consumers of all stripes to access the performance of an M1 Pro and M1 Max. at a more affordable price. point you'd get with a MacBook Pro.

Today's best Apple Mac Mini deals