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Mac mini (M1, 2020) vs Mac mini (2018)

Mac mini (M1, 2020)1Mac mini (2018)2

Quick look

Quick look: Mac mini M1 against Mac mini
FigureMac mini M11Mac mini2
Price£6993launch price£7994launch price
ChipM1chipCore i33.6GHz quad-core Intel
CPU8-coreCPU4-coreCPU
GPU8-coreGPUNot available5GPU
Memory8GBunified memory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base128GBstorage, base
Released10 November 20206Available online; Apple gave no in-store day7 November 20184ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 30 October 2018.
Security updatesNot available7Security updatesNot available7Security updates
Price
The Mac mini M1 is £699 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the Mac mini is £799 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

Mac mini (M1, 2020) · 197 × 36 mm frontMac mini (2018) · 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 (M1, 2020) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M11Mac mini2
Dimensions36 x 197 x 197 mm36 x 197 x 197 mm
Weight1.2 kg1.3 kg
ColoursSilverSpace Grey4
PortsTwo Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, two USB-A ports (up to 5 Gb/s), HDMI port, Gigabit Ethernet port (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet), 3.5 mm headphone jackFour 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 jack
Thunderbolt ports24
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 3
USB-A ports22
HDMIHDMI portHDMI 2.0 port
SD card slotNo SD card slot.8No SD card slot.9
Headphone jackYesYes

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M11Mac mini2
ChipApple M1 chip3.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3
Apple siliconYesIntel processor, not Apple silicon.9
CPU cores84
Performance cores4Not available10
Efficiency cores4Not available10
GPU cores8Not available5
Graphics8-core GPU11Intel UHD Graphics 630
Neural Engine cores16Not available12
Chip optionsM1 with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU3.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3, 3.0GHz 6-core Intel Core i5, or 3.2GHz 6-core Intel Core i7
Memory (base)8GB8GB
Memory (maximum)16GB64GB
Memory options8GB or 16GB8GB, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents13No, as Apple documents13
Storage (base)256GB128GB
Storage (maximum)2TB2TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB SSD

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M11Mac mini2
Maximum continuous power150 W150 W

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M11Mac mini2
Wi-FiWi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax)802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth5.05.0
EthernetGigabit Ethernet (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet)10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45); configurable to 10Gb Ethernet (Nbase-T: 1Gb, 2.5Gb, 5Gb and 10Gb)
External displays (base)23

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M11Mac mini2
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker11Built-in speaker14

Platform

Platform: Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M11Mac mini2
Shipped withmacOS Big Sur15macOS Mojave16
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate17macOS Sequoia18
Model identifierMacmini9,118Macmini8,118
Model year20202018

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M11Mac mini2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)2,191191,17619
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)8,586193,33919

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (M1, 2020) - Tech Specs · Default for Mac mini M1 · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Introducing the next generation of Mac · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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

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  5. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2018) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  6. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Introducing the next generation of Mac · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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

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  8. Mac mini (M1, 2020): No SD card slot. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (M1, 2020) - Tech Specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  9. 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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  10. Doesn’t apply: this is an Intel processor, and Apple lists a total core count only

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  11. Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (M1, 2020) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  12. Doesn’t apply: Apple silicon feature; this Mac has an Intel processor

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

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

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  15. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Introducing the next generation of Mac · Apple’s figure · read 14 Oct 2026

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

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

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

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

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Not published by Apple

Mac mini M1. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: memory bandwidth, storage upgradeable by user, media engine, microphones. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (M1, 2020) - Tech Specs; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac mini model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Introducing the next generation of Mac, read 9 Oct 2026.

Mac mini. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: 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.

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 M1 (2020)? · Should I upgrade my Mac mini (2018)?

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