Apple Mac mini (M6) review: Is the mini still great value in 2026?

If you remember our M5 Pro/Max interview, performance cores are a new type of core that is derived from the super core, but uses a unique microarchitecture that is designed for maximising multi-threaded performance while maintaining low power consumption.

The GPU also gets a bump to 12 cores, and each core is paired with a Neural Accelerator. Together with the new dual 16-core Neural Engine, Apple claims the M6 offers 4x the AI performance of a last-generation Mac mini with the M4 chip.

M6 gets 16GB of memory as standard, but users with more memory requirements and deeper pockets can also opt to spec their Mac minis with 24GB or 32GB of memory. The M4 Mac mini only went up to 24GB. What’s more notable is that the M6 chip’s memory bandwidth is 170GB/s, which is a 50GB/s or 40% increase over the M4 chip. If you are keen to dabble in running AI locally, this will help it run LLMs better.

For users who demand more, the Mac mini can also be ordered with the M5 Pro chip. Despite being based on an older architecture, the M5 Pro is a considerably more powerful chip. It has 50% more CPU cores, 60% more GPU cores, and nearly double the memory bandwidth. Furthermore, you can spec an M5 Pro Mac mini with up to 64GB of memory. In that sense, an M5 Pro Mac mini is more like a cut-price Mac Studio.

Performance Analysis

Note: Unfortunately, the last Mac mini we tested came with an M4 Pro chip instead of the M4 chip. So to approximate its performance, we are including results from an M4 iMac. Geekbench 7 and Cinebench 2026 are also relatively new benchmarks we are using, therefore it’s missing results from older Macs. Also, the M6 Mac mini I’m testing has 32GB of memory and 2TB of storage.

On the older Geekbench 6 benchmark, the M6 Mac mini delivered over 30% faster single-core performance and over 50% greater multi-core performance than the M4 iMac. GPU scores nearly doubled. It was significantly faster than an M5 MacBook Pro too, recording over 10% faster single-core scores and 20% better multi-core scores. In fact, its results were more comparable to an M4 Pro Mac mini. On the newer Geekbench 7 benchmark, the M6 Mac mini managed single- and multi-core scores that were 9% and 20% better than an M5 MacBook Pro. And its GPU score was about 20% greater too. 

In real-world benchmarks like our video transcode test, the M6 Mac mini took a little over 7 minutes to complete the task, which was nearly 5.5 minutes and over 40% faster than an M4 iMac. It was over 1.5 minutes or 20% faster than an M5 MacBook Pro. It was only 20 seconds slower than an M4 Pro Mac mini, which has 14 CPU cores and 20 GPU cores.

In games, it comfortably managed playable frame rates on both Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Cyberpunk 2077. On Assassin’s Creed, it was 42% faster than a M5 MacBook Pro and just 5% slower than a M5 Pro MacBook Pro. On Cyberpunk 2077, it was around 30% faster than an M5 MacBook Pro. 

In practice, while using it for web-browsing, emails, and editing photos, I found the new Mac mini to be extremely pleasant. Unsurprisingly, it’s fast and responsive, but I can’t say it’s noticeably faster than an M5 MacBook Pro in most tasks. 

Geekbench 6

Geekbench 7

Cinebench 2026

Video Transcode (time taken to transcode a 1GB, 1080p video)

Assassin’s Creed Shadows (1080p, low graphics settings)

Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, ray-tracing: low)

Final thoughts and buying advice

Even though the Mac mini’s starting price has gone up considerably, it’s still one of the best ways to get into a Mac. Starting at S$1,299, it’s considerably cheaper than a MacBook Air (S$1,899). That price difference is enough to comfortably get you a display, keyboard, and mouse. What’s more, you’ll be buying into the latest Apple Silicon.

But the Mac mini isn’t the cheapest Mac you can buy now; there’s also the MacBook Neo. Launched earlier this year, the Neo must be one of the most significant Macs in Apple’s history. Though its starting price has gone up slightly, it still costs less than a Mac mini and is a full-fledged system on its own. However, there’s no getting around the fact that it’s powered by an iPhone chip and has its limitations. While it’s very capable for its price, it will struggle if you are attempting to do anything beyond light video editing. The Mac mini, then, is a happy middle ground. For most people, it will have more than enough performance while leaving some headroom to explore further.

If you already have an Apple Silicon Mac, there’s probably no need to upgrade unless you are running into the limits of what your current system can handle. And even then, you should ask yourself what it is that you are running that your current system can’t cope with. Chances are, if all you are doing is answering emails, working on spreadsheets, and editing the odd photo and videos, your current Apple Silicon Mac is going to be still up to the task. However, if you are dabbling in more serious stuff like coding and running LLMs, you might actually want to step up to an M5 Pro instead – it may be based on an older architecture, but it’s a much more powerful chip than the M6.

My only complaint is that upgrades, as is always the case with Apple, are pricey. The M6 Mac mini may start at S$1,299, but bumping it up to 24GB of memory is going to cost you an extra S$300. The base storage is just 256GB, but going up to 512GB is an extra S$300, while opting for 1TB is S$750 extra. Once you start upgrading, things get pricey quick. 

As an example, my review unit has 32GB of memory and 2TB of storage, and it costs S$3,399. At that price, I’ll be looking at a base Mac Studio instead. Personally, I think most people can get by with 16GB of memory, but having just 256GB of storage is going to be dicey, particularly if you plan on gaming. An installation of Assassin’s Creed Shadows alone is nearly 190GB. 

If it were me, I would spec my Mac mini with 24GB and 512GB of storage. Though this would bring the price up to S$1,899, I think it’s still great value for money. If you go beyond that, then its value proposition starts to diminish. Overall, the Mac mini remains an impressive system, and a great gateway for anyone who is curious about getting a Mac or experiencing Apple Silicon. Just remember to stay light on the options.

Note: The new Mac mini is available to pre-order now and it goes on sale tomorrow. You can find it on Lazada, Shopee, and the Apple Online Store.