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Mac mini (M1, 2020) vs MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)

Mac mini (M1, 2020)1MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)2

Quick look

Quick look: Mac mini M1 against MacBook Pro
FigureMac mini M11MacBook Pro2
Price£6993launch price£1,2994launch price
ChipM1chipCore i51.4GHz quad-core 8th-generation Intel
CPU8-coreCPU4-coreCPU
GPU8-coreGPUNot available5GPU
Memory8GBunified memory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base256GBstorage, base
Battery life Not available6No batteryUp to10 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released10 November 20207Available online; Apple gave no in-store day4 May 20208Available online; Apple gave no in-store day
Security updatesNot available9Security updatesNot available9Security updates
Price
The Mac mini M1 is £699 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Pro is £1,299 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
Kind of Mac
The Mac mini M1 is a desktop; the MacBook Pro is a laptop. The MacBook Pro has a built-in 13.3-inch display, a camera and a battery, whereas the Mac mini M1 has none of them.

True to scale

Mac mini (M1, 2020) · 197 × 36 mm frontMacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) · 304.1 × 212.4 mm footprint

A desktop and a laptop are different shapes, so they stand side by side rather than superposed: the front face of one and the footprint 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 Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationMac mini M11MacBook Pro2
Dimensions36 x 197 x 197 mm15.6 x 304.1 x 212.4 mm
Weight1.2 kg1.4 kg
ColoursSilverSilver, Space Gray
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 jackTwo Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports22
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 3
USB-A ports2No USB-A ports.10
HDMIHDMI portNo HDMI port.11
SD card slotNo SD card slot.12No SD card slot.11
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeNot available13No MagSafe port.10
KeyboardNot available14Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch Bar and Touch ID
Touch IDNot available15Yes
Touch BarNot available16Yes

Display

Display: Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationMac mini M11MacBook Pro2
Display sizeNot available1713.3 in
ResolutionNot available172560 x 1600
Pixel densityNot available17227 ppi
Display typeNot available17Retina display
BrightnessNot available17500 nits
Wide colour (P3)Not available17Yes

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationMac mini M11MacBook Pro2
ChipApple M1 chip1.4GHz quad-core 8th-generation Intel Core i5
Apple siliconYesIntel processor, not Apple silicon.10
CPU cores84
Performance cores4Not available18
Efficiency cores4Not available18
GPU cores8Not available5
Graphics8-core GPU19Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645
Neural Engine cores16Not available20
Chip optionsM1 with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU1.4GHz quad-core 8th-generation Intel Core i5 or 1.7GHz quad-core 8th-generation Intel Core i7
Memory (base)8GB8GB
Memory (maximum)16GB16GB
Memory options8GB or 16GB8GB or 16GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents21No, as Apple documents22
Storage (base)256GB256GB
Storage (maximum)2TB2TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationMac mini M11MacBook Pro2
Battery capacityNot available658.2 Wh
Rated charge cyclesNot available61,000 cycles23
Video playback (claimed)Not available610 h
Wireless web (claimed)Not available610 h
Included power adapterNot available2461 W
Fast chargingNot available6No fast charging.25
Maximum continuous power150 WNot available26

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationMac mini M11MacBook Pro2
Wi-FiWi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax)802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth5.05.0
EthernetGigabit Ethernet (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet)No Ethernet port.11
External displays (base)22

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationMac mini M11MacBook Pro2
CameraNot available27720p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker19Stereo speakers with high dynamic range
MicrophonesNot available28Three-mic array with directional beamforming

Platform

Platform: Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationMac mini M11MacBook Pro2
Shipped withmacOS Big Sur29macOS Catalina30
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate31macOS Sequoia32
Model identifierMacmini9,133MacBookPro16,332
Model year20202020

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationMac mini M11MacBook Pro2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)2,191341,13134
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)8,586343,60034

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) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Pro · 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) — Apple updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Magic Keyboard, double the storage, and faster performance · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  5. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Magic Keyboard, double the storage, and faster performance; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  6. Doesn’t apply: no battery

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

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  8. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Magic Keyboard, double the storage, and faster performance · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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

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  10. MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports): No USB-A ports. No MagSafe port. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  11. MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  12. 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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  13. Doesn’t apply: MagSafe is a notebook charging port

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

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

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  16. Doesn’t apply: the Touch Bar was only fitted to MacBook Pro

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

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

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

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

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

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  22. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  23. Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops · Apple’s figure · read 15 Oct 2026

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

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  25. MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports): No fast charging. Checked: Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  26. Doesn’t apply: a notebook lists its power adapter, not a maximum continuous power

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

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  28. Not published by Apple. 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

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

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  30. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Magic Keyboard, double the storage, and faster performance · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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

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  32. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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

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  34. 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. 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.

MacBook Pro. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, nano-texture option, storage upgradeable by user. Geekbench 7 Metal: the Mac chart has no Metal score for this Mac (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Magic Keyboard, double the storage, and faster performance; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model, 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 MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)?

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