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Mac mini (M2, 2023) vs Mac mini (2018)

Mac mini (M2, 2023)1Mac mini (2018)2

Quick look

Quick look: Mac mini M2 against Mac mini
FigureMac mini M21Mac mini2
Price£6493launch price£7994launch price
ChipM2chipCore i33.6GHz quad-core Intel
CPU8-coreCPU4-coreCPU
GPU10-coreGPUNot available5GPU
Memory8GBunified memory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base128GBstorage, base
Released24 January 20233ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 17 January 2023.7 November 20184ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 30 October 2018.
Security updatesNot available6Security updatesNot available6Security updates
Price
The Mac mini M2 is £649 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the Mac mini is £799 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

Mac mini (M2, 2023) · 197 × 35.8 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 (M2, 2023) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M21Mac mini2
Dimensions35.8 x 197 x 197 mm36 x 197 x 197 mm
Weight1.18 kg1.3 kg
ColoursSilverSpace Grey4
PortsTwo Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s), HDMI port, Gigabit Ethernet port (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet), 3.5mm headphone jack7Four 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 ports824
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 4Thunderbolt 3
USB-A ports22
HDMIHDMI portHDMI 2.0 port
SD card slotNo SD card slot.9No SD card slot.10
Headphone jackYesYes

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple Mac mini (M2, 2023) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M21Mac mini2
ChipApple M2 chip3.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3
Apple siliconYesIntel processor, not Apple silicon.10
CPU cores84
Performance cores4Not available11
Efficiency cores4Not available11
GPU cores10Not available5
Graphics10-core GPU12Intel UHD Graphics 630
Neural Engine cores16Not available13
Chip optionsM2 with 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU73.6GHz 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)24GB764GB
Memory options8GB, 16GB or 24GB78GB, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents14No, as Apple documents14
Memory bandwidth100 GB/sNot available15
Storage (base)256GB128GB
Storage (maximum)2TB72TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB7128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB SSD
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineNot available13

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple Mac mini (M2, 2023) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M21Mac mini2
Maximum continuous power150 W150 W

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple Mac mini (M2, 2023) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M21Mac mini2
Wi-FiWi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax)802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth5.35.0
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 (M2, 2023) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M21Mac mini2
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker12Built-in speaker16

Platform

Platform: Apple Mac mini (M2, 2023) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M21Mac mini2
Shipped withNot available17macOS Mojave18
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate19macOS Sequoia20
Model identifierMac14,321Macmini8,120
Model year20232018

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple Mac mini (M2, 2023) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M21Mac mini2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)2,400221,17622
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)9,755223,33922

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2023) - Tech Specs · Default for Mac mini M2 · 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) — Apple introduces new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro — more powerful, capable, and versatile than ever · 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. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

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  7. Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2023) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  8. Different Thunderbolt generations. Mac mini M2: Thunderbolt 4. Mac mini: Thunderbolt 3.

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

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

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

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

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

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  15. Doesn’t apply: Apple publishes it only for Apple silicon

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

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

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

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

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  21. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac mini model · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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

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Not published by Apple

Mac mini M2. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user, microphones. 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.

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 M2 (2023)? · 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.