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MacIQ

Mac mini (M6) vs Mac mini (2018)

Mac mini (M6)1Mac mini (2018)2

Quick look

Quick look: Mac mini M6 against Mac mini
FigureMac mini M61Mac mini2
Price£8993Apple UK store£7994launch price
ChipM6chipCore i33.6GHz quad-core Intel
CPU12-coreCPU4-coreCPU
GPU12-coreGPUNot available5GPU
Memory16GBunified memory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base128GBstorage, base
Released22 September 20266ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 25 August 2026.7 November 20184ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 30 October 2018.
Security updatesNot available7Security updatesNot available7Security updates
Price
The Mac mini M6 is £899 on Apple’s UK store; the Mac mini is £799 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

Mac mini (M6) · 127 × 50 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 (M6) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M61Mac mini2
Dimensions50 x 127 x 127 mm36 x 197 x 197 mm
Weight0.67 kg1.3 kg
ColoursSilverSpace Grey4
PortsFront: two USB-C ports with support for USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s), 3.5mm headphone jack. Back (M6): 2.5Gb Ethernet port (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet), HDMI port, three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) 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 jack
Thunderbolt ports834
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 4Thunderbolt 3
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.92
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 (M6) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M61Mac mini2
ChipApple M6 chip3.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3
Apple siliconYesIntel processor, not Apple silicon.10
CPU cores124
Super cores2Not available11
Performance cores4Not available11
Efficiency cores6Not available11
GPU cores12Not available5
Graphics12-core GPU12Intel UHD Graphics 630
Neural Engine coresDual 16-coreNot available13
Chip optionsM6 with 12-core CPU and 12-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)16GB8GB
Memory (maximum)32GB64GB
Memory options16GB, 24GB or 32GB8GB, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents14No, as Apple documents14
Memory bandwidth153 GB/sNot available15
Storage (base)256GB128GB
Storage (maximum)2TB2TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB SSD
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decodeNot available13

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple Mac mini (M6) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M61Mac mini2
Maximum continuous power155 W150 W

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple Mac mini (M6) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M61Mac mini2
Wi-FiWi‑Fi 7 (802.11be)802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth65.0
Ethernet2.5Gb Ethernet (100/1000/2500BASE-T Multi-Gigabit 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)33

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple Mac mini (M6) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M61Mac mini2
SpeakersBuilt-in speakerBuilt-in speaker16

Platform

Platform: Apple Mac mini (M6) against Apple Mac mini (2018)
SpecificationMac mini M61Mac mini2
Shipped withNot available17macOS Mojave18
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate19macOS Sequoia20
Model identifierMac18,521Macmini8,120
Model year2026222018

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (M6 or M5 Pro) - Tech Specs · Default for Mac mini M6 · Apple’s figure · read 11 Oct 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 UK store — Mac mini M6, 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU, 16GB, 256GB — From £899 · Apple’s figure · read 22 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) — Apple unveils a more powerful Mac mini featuring the all-new M6 and M5 Pro · Apple’s figure · read 15 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. Different Thunderbolt generations. Mac mini M6: Thunderbolt 4. Mac mini: Thunderbolt 3.

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  9. Mac mini (M6): No USB-A ports. No SD card slot. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (M6 or M5 Pro) - Tech Specs. Read 11 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 (M6 or M5 Pro) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 14 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 (M6 or M5 Pro) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils a more powerful Mac mini featuring the all-new M6 and M5 Pro. 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. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac mini model · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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Not published by Apple

Mac mini M6. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user, microphones. Geekbench 7: the Mac chart has no entry for this Mac, so no figures are shown (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (M6 or M5 Pro) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils a more powerful Mac mini featuring the all-new M6 and M5 Pro, 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 M6? · 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.