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iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) vs Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)

iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports)1Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)2

Quick look

Quick look: iMac M3 against Mac mini M2 Pro
FigureiMac M31Mac mini M2 Pro2
Price£1,5993launch price£1,3994launch price
ChipM3chipM2 Prochip
CPU8-coreCPU10-coreCPU
GPU10-coreGPU16-coreGPU
Memory8GBunified memory, base16GBunified memory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base512GBstorage, base
Display24-inchdisplayNot available5No built-in display
Released7 November 20233ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 30 October 2023.24 January 20234ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 17 January 2023.
Security updatesNot available6Security updatesNot available7Security updates
Price
The iMac M3 is £1,599 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the Mac mini M2 Pro is £1,399 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
Kind of Mac
The iMac M3 is an all-in-one; the Mac mini M2 Pro is a desktop. The iMac M3 has a built-in 24-inch display and a camera, whereas the Mac mini M2 Pro has neither.

True to scale

iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) · 547 × 461 mm frontMac mini (M2 Pro, 2023) · 197 × 35.8 mm front

An all-in-one and a desktop are different shapes, so they stand side by side rather than superposed: the front face of one and the front face of the other, from Apple’s published dimensions, at one scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.

Specifications

Each figure is from the source marked by its Mac’s name unless it carries its own small number, which links to where that figure was read.

Body

Body: Apple iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) against Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationiMac M31Mac mini M2 Pro2
Dimensions461 x 547 x 147 mm35.8 x 197 x 197 mm
Weight4.48 kg1.28 kg
ColoursBlue, Green, Pink, Silver, Yellow, Orange, PurpleSilver
PortsTwo Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, two USB 3 ports (up to 10Gb/s), 3.5 mm headphone jack, Gigabit EthernetFour Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s), HDMI port, Gigabit Ethernet port (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet), 3.5mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports824
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 4
USB-A portsNot available92
HDMINo HDMI port.10HDMI port
SD card slotNo SD card slot.10No SD card slot.11
Headphone jackYesYes
KeyboardMagic Keyboard with Touch IDNot available12
Touch IDYesNot available13

Display

Display: Apple iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) against Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationiMac M31Mac mini M2 Pro2
Display size24 inNot available5
Resolution4480 x 2520Not available5
Pixel density218 ppiNot available5
Display type4.5K Retina displayNot available5
Brightness500 nitsNot available5
Wide colour (P3)YesNot available5
Nano-texture optionNo nano-texture display option.10Not available5

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) against Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationiMac M31Mac mini M2 Pro2
ChipApple M3 chipApple M2 Pro chip
Apple siliconYesYes
CPU cores810
Performance cores46
Efficiency cores44
GPU cores1016
Neural Engine cores1616
Chip optionsM3 with 8-core CPU and 10-core GPUM2 Pro with 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU, or M2 Pro with 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU
Memory (base)8GB16GB
Memory (maximum)24GB32GB
Memory options8GB, 16GB or 24GB16GB or 32GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents14No, as Apple documents15
Memory bandwidth100 GB/s200 GB/s
Storage (base)256GB512GB
Storage (maximum)2TB8TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decodeHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engine

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) against Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationiMac M31Mac mini M2 Pro2
Included power adapter143 W16Not available17
Maximum continuous powerNot available9185 W

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) against Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationiMac M31Mac mini M2 Pro2
Wi-FiWi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax)Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth5.35.3
EthernetGigabit EthernetGigabit Ethernet (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet)
External displays (base)13

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) against Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationiMac M31Mac mini M2 Pro2
Camera1080p FaceTime HD cameraNot available18
SpeakersHigh-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofersBuilt-in speaker19
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamformingNot available20

Platform

Platform: Apple iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) against Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationiMac M31Mac mini M2 Pro2
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate21macOS 27 Golden Gate22
Model identifierMac15,523Mac14,1224
Model year20232023

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) against Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationiMac M31Mac mini M2 Pro2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)2,748252,41526
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)11,6712513,80626
Geekbench 7 (Metal)48,0702574,02026

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2023, Four ports) - Tech Specs · Default for iMac M3 · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2023) - Tech Specs · Default for Mac mini M2 Pro · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple supercharges 24-inch iMac with new M3 chip · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro — more powerful, capable, and versatile than ever · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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  5. Doesn’t apply: no built-in display

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  6. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

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  7. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 30 Sep 2026

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  8. Different Thunderbolt generations. iMac M3: Thunderbolt 3. Mac mini M2 Pro: Thunderbolt 4.

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  9. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2023, Four ports) - Tech Specs; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple supercharges 24-inch iMac with new M3 chip. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  10. iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No nano-texture display option. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2023, Four ports) - Tech Specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  11. Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023): No SD card slot. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2023) - Tech Specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  12. Doesn’t apply: no built-in keyboard

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  13. Doesn’t apply: no built-in keyboard, and Touch ID is a keyboard feature

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  14. Apple Support (UK) — Install memory in an iMac · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  15. Apple Support (UK) — Upgrade or install memory in your Mac mini · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  16. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2023, Four ports) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  17. Doesn’t apply: internal power supply, no power adapter in the box

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  18. Doesn’t apply: no built-in camera

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  19. Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2023) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  20. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2023) - Tech Specs; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac mini model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro — more powerful, capable, and versatile than ever. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  21. Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  22. Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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  23. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  24. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac mini model · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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  25. Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) · third-party figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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  26. Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) — Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023) · third-party figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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Not published by Apple

iMac M3. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2023, Four ports) - Tech Specs; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple supercharges 24-inch iMac with new M3 chip, read 9 Oct 2026.

Mac mini M2 Pro. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2023) - Tech Specs; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac mini model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro — more powerful, capable, and versatile than ever, read 9 Oct 2026.

If you own one of them

Whether to move is a different question from which is better. Each Mac has a page on it: what its successor changes (the newest Mac in its line where Apple sells one, otherwise the Mac this site treats as its replacement, which can be in another line), what it fetches and whether it still gets updates. Should I upgrade my iMac M3 (24-inch, 2023, Four ports)? · Should I upgrade my Mac mini M2 Pro (2023)?

The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.