Apple unveils new Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro, up to 4x faster AI

Apple has announced a new Mac mini with the all-new M6 chip and the M5 Pro, positioning the compact desktop as a machine for always-on AI agents as much as for everyday work. Pre-orders opened on August 25, and the device reaches customers, Apple Stores and authorized resellers on September 22.

M6: more cores and faster AI

The M6 version gets a 12-core CPU — two more cores than before — and a 12-core GPU that, for the first time in a Mac mini, includes Neural Accelerators in every core. Apple says that adds up to four times the AI performance, twice the graphics and storage speed, and 40 percent more CPU performance than the previous M4 model. A dual 16-core Neural Engine is claimed to be twice as fast as the previous generation. Unified memory starts at 16GB and can be configured up to 32GB, with bandwidth up to 170GB/s. In Apple's own measurements, LLM prompt processing in LM Studio is up to 13.5 times faster than on a Mac mini with M1 and up to 4.8 times faster than M4.

M5 Pro: up to 18 CPU cores and 64GB

The M5 Pro configuration moves to an 18-core CPU and up to a 20-core GPU with enhanced shader cores and third-generation ray tracing, aimed at video production, 3D design and software development. Memory goes up to 64GB with 307GB/s of bandwidth, enough for larger local models, complex 3D scenes and large research datasets. Apple's published comparisons put LLM prompt processing in LM Studio up to 8.5 times faster than a Mac mini with M2 Pro, Blender rendering with ray tracing up to 4.5 times faster, and image processing in Affinity up to 2.1 times faster.

Ports, networking and macOS 27

Both models add Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and upgrade wired networking to 2.5Gb Ethernet with a 10Gb option. The front carries two USB-C ports and a headphone jack with high-impedance support; the back has HDMI, Ethernet and three Thunderbolt ports — version 4 on the M6 model and version 5 on the M5 Pro, which Apple says lets users cluster several Mac minis to run large AI models entirely on device. New genlock support through USB-C synchronises a display with a camera, including iPhone 17 Pro. The systems ship with macOS 27 and the next generation of Apple Intelligence, including Siri AI.

Pricing and materials

Mac mini with M6 starts at $899, or $799 for education; the M5 Pro model starts at $1,699, or $1,599 for education. Apple says the enclosure uses 100 percent recycled aluminium and the magnets 100 percent recycled rare earth elements, while 50 percent of the device by mass is recycled material — part of its plan to be carbon neutral across its footprint by 2030.