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MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) vs Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)

MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023)1Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Pro M3 against Mac mini M2 Pro
FigureMacBook Pro M31Mac mini M2 Pro2
Price£1,6993launch price£1,3994launch price
ChipM3chipM2 Prochip
CPU8-coreCPU10-coreCPU
GPU10-coreGPU16-coreGPU
Memory8GBunified memory, base16GBunified memory, base
Storage512GBstorage, base512GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to22 hrsvideo playback, claimed Not available5No battery
Released7 November 20233ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 30 October 2023.24 January 20234ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 17 January 2023.
Security updatesNot available6Security updatesNot available7Security updates
Price
The MacBook Pro M3 is £1,699 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the Mac mini M2 Pro is £1,399 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
Kind of Mac
The MacBook Pro M3 is a laptop; the Mac mini M2 Pro is a desktop. The MacBook Pro M3 has a built-in 14.2-inch display, a camera and a battery, whereas the Mac mini M2 Pro has none of them.

True to scale

MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) · 312.6 × 221.2 mm footprintMac mini (M2 Pro, 2023) · 197 × 35.8 mm front

A laptop and a desktop are different shapes, so they stand side by side rather than superposed: the footprint of one and the front face 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 MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) against Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M31Mac mini M2 Pro2
Dimensions15.5 x 312.6 x 221.2 mm35.8 x 197 x 197 mm
Weight1.55 kg1.28 kg
ColoursSpace Gray, SilverSilver
PortsTwo Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 port, 3.5mm headphone jackFour Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s), HDMI port, Gigabit Ethernet port (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet), 3.5mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports824
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 4
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.92
HDMIHDMI portHDMI port
SD card slotYesNo SD card slot.10
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeYesNot available11
KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard with Touch IDNot available12
Touch IDYesNot available13
Touch BarNo Touch Bar.14Not available15

Display

Display: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) against Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M31Mac mini M2 Pro2
Display size14.2 inNot available16
Resolution3024 x 1964Not available16
Pixel density254 ppiNot available16
Display typeLiquid Retina XDR displayNot available16
Brightness600 nitsNot available16
Peak brightness (HDR)1,600 nitsNot available16
Refresh rate120 HzNot available16
Wide colour (P3)YesNot available16
Nano-texture optionNo nano-texture display option.14Not available16

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) against Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M31Mac mini M2 Pro2
ChipApple M3 chipApple M2 Pro chip
Apple siliconYesYes
CPU cores810
Performance cores46
Efficiency cores44
GPU cores1016
Neural Engine cores1616
Chip optionsM3 with 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU17M2 Pro with 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU, or M2 Pro with 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU
Memory (base)8GB16GB
Memory (maximum)24GB32GB
Memory options8GB, 16GB or 24GB16GB or 32GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents18No, as Apple documents19
Memory bandwidth100 GB/s200 GB/s
Storage (base)512GB512GB
Storage (maximum)2TB8TB
Storage options512GB, 1TB or 2TB512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decodeHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engine

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) against Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M31Mac mini M2 Pro2
Battery capacity70 WhNot available5
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles20Not available5
Video playback (claimed)22 hNot available5
Wireless web (claimed)15 hNot available5
Included power adapter70 WNot available21
Fast chargingYesNot available5
Maximum continuous powerNot available22185 W

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) against Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M31Mac mini M2 Pro2
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth5.35.3
EthernetNo Ethernet port.14Gigabit Ethernet (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet)
External displays (base)13

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) against Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M31Mac mini M2 Pro2
Camera1080p FaceTime HD cameraNot available23
SpeakersHigh-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofersBuilt-in speaker24
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming25Not available26

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) against Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M31Mac mini M2 Pro2
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate27macOS 27 Golden Gate28
Model identifierMac15,329Mac14,1230
Model year20232023

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) against Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M31Mac mini M2 Pro2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)2,770312,41532
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)11,5463113,80632
Geekbench 7 (Metal)47,7563174,02032

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs · Default for MacBook Pro M3 · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2023) - Tech Specs · Default for Mac mini M2 Pro · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new MacBook Pro featuring M3 chips · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro — more powerful, capable, and versatile than ever · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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  5. Doesn’t apply: no battery

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  6. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 2 Oct 2026

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  7. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 30 Sep 2026

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  8. Different Thunderbolt generations. MacBook Pro M3: Thunderbolt 3. Mac mini M2 Pro: Thunderbolt 4.

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  9. MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023): No USB-A ports. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs. Read 15 Sep 2026

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

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

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

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

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  14. MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023): No Touch Bar. No nano-texture display option. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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

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

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  17. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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  25. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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  26. 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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  27. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  28. Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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

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  30. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac mini model · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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

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  32. Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) — Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023) · third-party figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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Not published by Apple

MacBook Pro M3. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new MacBook Pro featuring M3 chips; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model, read 9 Oct 2026.

Mac mini M2 Pro. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. 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.

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 MacBook Pro M3 (14-inch, Nov 2023)? · Should I upgrade my Mac mini M2 Pro (2023)?

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