The Mac mini received a major update in August 2026, so for most people this is a good time to buy. Apple announced the new M6 and M5 Pro Mac mini on August 25, 2026, with sales beginning September 22. With the next significant update unlikely for some time, there is little reason to wait for newer hardware if you need a compact desktop Mac now.
For most buyers, we recommend the M6 Mac mini. Starting at $899/£899, it is considerably more expensive than the M4 generation, which launched at $599, but it offers improved performance for everyday work, office tasks, coding, photo and video editing, and general creative use. It is particularly appealing if you already own a monitor, keyboard and mouse, or if you’re replacing an older Intel Mac or early Apple silicon model.
The M5 Pro Mac mini is better suited to more demanding users. Its additional CPU and GPU performance, Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, higher memory bandwidth and support for up to 64GB of unified memory make it a stronger choice for professional creative work, development and larger local AI models. However, with prices starting at $1,699/£1,699 and rising quickly with upgrades, most people won’t need to spend that much.
This guide explains whether to buy a Mac mini now, which M6 or M5 Pro model suits different users, what to pay, alternatives, refurbished options, drawbacks, and where to buy.
There are reasons to wait. Discounts are likely to improve in the months after launch, particularly around Prime Day in October and Black Friday in November, and more refurbished or discounted M4 models may appear as buyers upgrade. If you’re happy with your current Mac, want to see independent benchmarks first or simply want the lowest possible price, there is no need to rush.
On the other hand, buyers who want a new Mac mini at launch may prefer to pre-order. A global memory shortage contributed to long delivery times and limited availability for the previous generation, and similar supply constraints could affect the new models. The higher cost of memory and other components has also contributed to the Mac mini’s substantial price increase.
The Mac mini lineup has changed significantly in 2026, with Apple introducing the M6 and M5 Pro models in August. The choice between them comes down to your workload and budget, as they serve very different audiences despite sharing the same compact design.
Apple sells two Mac mini models, both announced on August 25 and shipping from September 22, 2026:
Despite the “M5” name being a generation older than “M6,” the M5 Pro is the more powerful chip — it has more CPU and GPU cores, nearly double the memory bandwidth (307GB/s vs 170GB/s), and supports far more unified memory.
Since the August 2026 update, the Mac mini is no longer the budget Mac it once was. The M6 model starts at $899, $300 more than the $599 starting price of the M4 generation.
For most people, the $899 M6 Mac mini is the model to buy. It offers more than enough performance for everyday work, browsing, media and general productivity, although the standard 16GB of unified memory and 256GB SSD may feel limiting if you plan to keep it for several years.
If you need more demanding performance for creative work, development or running local AI models, the M5 Pro Mac mini starts at $1,699. Configurations with more memory and storage can quickly push the price towards $3,000, so it only makes sense if you genuinely need that extra performance.
Be cautious about spending heavily on Apple’s storage upgrades. External SSDs and Mac mini hubs with NVMe storage can provide considerably more capacity for less money.
For most buyers, we recommend spending around $899 on the M6 Mac mini. Move up to the M5 Pro only if you need its extra processing power or significantly more memory.
Discounts are likely to appear at Amazon and other resellers over time, particularly around Prime Day in October and Black Friday in November. For now, the best bargain may be a discounted M4 Mac mini, although remaining stock is likely to be limited.
