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Mac mini (2018) vs Mac mini (Late 2014)

Mac mini (2018)1Mac mini (Late 2014)2

Quick look

Quick look: Mac mini (2018) against Mac mini (Late 2014)
FigureMac mini (2018)1Mac mini (Late 2014)2
Price£7993launch price£3994launch price
ChipCore i33.6GHz quad-core IntelCore i51.4GHz dual-core Intel
CPU4-coreCPU2-coreCPU
Memory8GBmemory, base4GBmemory, base
Storage128GBstorage, base500GBstorage, base
Released7 November 20183ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 30 October 2018.16 October 20145Available online; Apple gave no in-store day
Security updatesNot available6Security updates16 September 20247Security updates ended
Price
The Mac mini (2018) is £799 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the Mac mini (Late 2014) is £399 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

Mac mini (2018) · 197 × 36 mm frontMac mini (Late 2014) · 197 × 36 mm front

Front faces, from Apple’s published dimensions, drawn to one scale and superposed. 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 Mac mini (2018) against Apple Mac mini (Late 2014)
SpecificationMac mini (2018)1Mac mini (Late 2014)2
Dimensions36 x 197 x 197 mm36 x 197 x 197 mm
Weight1.3 kg1.19 kg
ColoursSpace Grey3Not available8
PortsFour Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, two USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s), HDMI 2.0 port, Gigabit Ethernet port (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet), 3.5 mm headphone jackTwo Thunderbolt 2 ports, four USB 3 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet port, audio in port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, IR receiver
Thunderbolt ports942
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 2
USB-A ports24
HDMIHDMI 2.0 portHDMI port
SD card slotNo SD card slot.10Yes
Headphone jackYesYes

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple Mac mini (2018) against Apple Mac mini (Late 2014)
SpecificationMac mini (2018)1Mac mini (Late 2014)2
Chip3.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i31.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.10Intel processor, not Apple silicon.11
CPU cores42
GraphicsIntel UHD Graphics 630Intel HD Graphics 5000
Chip options3.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3, 3.0GHz 6-core Intel Core i5, or 3.2GHz 6-core Intel Core i71.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, 2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, 2.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, or 3.0GHz dual-core Intel Core i7
Memory (base)8GB4GB
Memory (maximum)64GB16GB
Memory options8GB, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB4GB, 8GB or 16GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents12No, as Apple documents12
Storage (base)128GB500GB
Storage (maximum)2TB2TB
Storage options128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB SSD500GB or 1TB hard drive, 1TB or 2TB Fusion Drive, or 256GB, 512GB or 1TB flash storage (SSD)

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple Mac mini (2018) against Apple Mac mini (Late 2014)
SpecificationMac mini (2018)1Mac mini (Late 2014)2
Maximum continuous power150 W85 W

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple Mac mini (2018) against Apple Mac mini (Late 2014)
SpecificationMac mini (2018)1Mac mini (Late 2014)2
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth5.04.0
Ethernet10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45); configurable to 10Gb Ethernet (Nbase-T: 1Gb, 2.5Gb, 5Gb and 10Gb)10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet (RJ-45)
External displays (base)32

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple Mac mini (2018) against Apple Mac mini (Late 2014)
SpecificationMac mini (2018)1Mac mini (Late 2014)2
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker13Built-in speaker14

Platform

Platform: Apple Mac mini (2018) against Apple Mac mini (Late 2014)
SpecificationMac mini (2018)1Mac mini (Late 2014)2
Shipped withmacOS Mojave15OS X Yosemite16
Newest macOSmacOS Sequoia17macOS Monterey17
Model identifierMacmini8,117Macmini7,117
Model year20182014

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2018) - Technical Specifications · Default for Mac mini (2018) · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (Late 2014) - Technical Specifications · Default for Mac mini (Late 2014) · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — New Mac mini packs a huge punch · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates Mac mini · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  5. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates Mac mini · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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

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  7. endoflife.date — Apple macOS · third-party figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  8. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (Late 2014) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac mini model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates Mac mini. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  9. Different Thunderbolt generations. Mac mini (2018): Thunderbolt 3. Mac mini (Late 2014): Thunderbolt 2.

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  10. Mac mini (2018): No SD card slot. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2018) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  11. Mac mini (Late 2014): Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (Late 2014) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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

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  13. Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2018) - Technical Specifications · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  14. Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (Late 2014) - Technical Specifications · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  15. Apple Newsroom (UK) — New Mac mini packs a huge punch · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  16. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates Mac mini · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  17. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac mini model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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Not published by Apple

Mac mini (2018). Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: GPU cores, storage upgradeable by user, microphones. Geekbench 7 Metal: the Mac chart has no Metal score for this Mac (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2018) - Technical Specifications, read 9 Oct 2026.

Mac mini (Late 2014). Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: GPU cores, storage upgradeable by user, microphones. Geekbench 7: the Mac chart has rows for the 2.6GHz and 3.0GHz Mac mini (Late 2014) configurations but not this 1.4GHz base chip, so no figures are shown (chart read 11 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (Late 2014) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac mini model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates Mac mini, 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 Mac mini (2018)? · Should I upgrade my Mac mini (Late 2014)?

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