Apple’s upgraded Mac Mini desktop lineup officially hit shelves in January, and the latest models offer some welcome improvements over the previous generation. It’s equipped with the company’s new M2 and M2 Pro processors, and has a starting price that’s $100 lower than its M1-powered predecessors. The 256GB model starts at $599. Somewhat surprisingly, we’re already starting to see some discounts pop up, with Amazon currently offering up to $49 off. There is also a new upgraded model that features an attachment Professional chip, and starts at $1,299. However, you can get one for $100 less right now, which is the lowest price we’ve seen yet.
You’ll find the new M2 Mac Minis available now at Apple, as well as major retailers. And while Apple no longer sells the M1 version, you can still find a few of these older models floating around out there. And while you can even pick up some of the previous-generation models on sale, between older devices and newer generations at a lower starting price, you’ll probably be better off with the M2.
Amazon is the only retailer offering discounts right now, but there are some benefits that come with paying full price at Apple. Shopping at Apple directly allows you to customize the device and add more RAM or a high-capacity SSD, while models sold on Amazon and other retailers are fixed configurations. And unlike most other desktop computers, the Mac Mini’s RAM cannot be upgraded by the user. The M2 system-on-a-chip from Apple integrates the CPU, GPU, RAM, and other components for more power and efficiency, but the downside to this integration is the lack of DIMM slots that allow you to add additional RAM after purchase.
Apple student discounts and renewals
It is noteworthy that the file The Apple Store offers students an educational discount, where you can save $100 on the price of a new Mac Mini. Some promotions are also discounted. For example, doubling the RAM to 16GB costs $180 with the student discount instead of the usual $200.
Also at Apple, you may find the Mac Mini again at Certified Refurbished Mac, but it’s too early to find an M2 revamp, and we’d caution against buying an older Mac Mini from Intel. And the M1 renewal would need to be priced significantly lower than the new M2 models with lower starting prices. However, it is worth paying attention to, because you can save significant savings. Apple renewals A great way to save some cash, and they are often as good as new.
Keep reading to see the best US prices currently available for Apple’s Mac Mini. We update this page regularly and provide accurate pricing at the time of publication, but note that they fluctuate.
Mac Mini discounts, compared
| The model with CPU, RAM and storage capacity | price list | Best price (current) | Best price (all time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mac Mini w/ M2, 8GB RAM, 256GB HDD | $599 | $580 | $580 |
| Mac Mini w/ M2, 8GB RAM, 512GB HDD | $799 | $749 | $700 |
| Mac Mini w/ M2 Pro, 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD | $1299 | $1199 | $1199 |
Note that “all time” means the best price we’ve seen at an Apple Authorized Reseller for the life of the product.
The baseline Mac Mini features Apple’s new M2 chip, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. It offers two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and a headphone jack. It lists for $599 at Apple, which is already $100 less than the M1 version, and now you can save a few bucks at Amazon and snag it for $580. While it’s not a huge discount, it’s the best price you’ll find on the base model M2 Mini right now.
The high-end Mac Mini bumps up the storage capacity up to 512GB, which is an increased capacity that most people will benefit from, as 512GB is the smallest SSD we’d recommend for any desktop. It already lists for $100 less than the M1 version, and now you can save $50 on Amazon. However, we’ve seen it available for as low as $700, so you might want to wait for another deal if you’re not in a rush to get one.
For the first time, the Mac Mini introduces a Pro chip from Apple’s lineup. The baseline Mac Mini with M2 Pro costs $1,299 and features 16GB of RAM—twice that of the M2 models—and a 512GB solid-state drive (SSD). The M2 Pro chip has 10 CPU cores and 16 GPU cores compared to the M2 chip which has eight CPU cores and 10 GPU cores. The M2 Pro also doubles the number of Thunderbolt 4 ports to four.