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Should I upgrade my Mac mini (2018)?

nearly 8 years old · Not on the current macOS; last is macOS Sequoia

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

Quick look

Quick look: Mac mini against Mac mini M6
FigureMac mini1Mac mini M62
Price£7993launch price£8994Apple UK store
ChipCore i33.6GHz quad-core IntelM6chip
CPU4-coreCPU12-coreCPU
GPUNot available5GPU12-coreGPU
Memory8GBmemory, base16GBunified memory, base
Storage128GBstorage, base256GBstorage, base
Released7 November 20183ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 30 October 2018.22 September 20266ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 25 August 2026.
Security updatesNot available7Security updatesNot available7Security updates

Software support

Security updates
Not available7
macOS
macOS Sequoia, not the current macOSThe Mac mini (2018) is not on the current macOS (macOS 27 Golden Gate); the newest it runs is macOS Sequoia. Apple has historically shipped security updates to the two releases before the newest, which would put the end of its updates around autumn 2027; that is Apple’s past pattern, not a commitment.

Mac mini and the Mac mini M6

The newest base-tier Mac in this line that Apple still sells.

Specifications

Body

Body: Apple Mac mini (2018) against Apple Mac mini (M6)
SpecificationMac mini1Mac mini M62
Dimensions36 x 197 x 197 mm50 x 127 x 127 mm
Weight1.3 kg0.67 kg
ColoursSpace Grey3Silver
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 jackFront: 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) ports
Thunderbolt ports843
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 4
USB-A ports2No USB-A ports.9
HDMIHDMI 2.0 portHDMI port
SD card slotNo SD card slot.10No SD card slot.9
Headphone jackYesYes

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple Mac mini (2018) against Apple Mac mini (M6)
SpecificationMac mini1Mac mini M62
Chip3.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3Apple M6 chip
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.10Yes
CPU cores412
Super coresNot available112
Performance coresNot available114
Efficiency coresNot available116
GPU coresNot available512
GraphicsIntel UHD Graphics 63012-core GPU12
Neural Engine coresNot available13Dual 16-core
Chip options3.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3, 3.0GHz 6-core Intel Core i5, or 3.2GHz 6-core Intel Core i7M6 with 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU
Memory (base)8GB16GB
Memory (maximum)64GB32GB
Memory options8GB, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB16GB, 24GB or 32GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents14No, as Apple documents14
Memory bandwidthNot available15153 GB/s
Storage (base)128GB256GB
Storage (maximum)2TB2TB
Storage options128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB SSD256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB
Media engineNot available13Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decode

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple Mac mini (2018) against Apple Mac mini (M6)
SpecificationMac mini1Mac mini M62
Maximum continuous power150 W155 W

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple Mac mini (2018) against Apple Mac mini (M6)
SpecificationMac mini1Mac mini M62
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-FiWi‑Fi 7 (802.11be)
Bluetooth5.06
Ethernet10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45); configurable to 10Gb Ethernet (Nbase-T: 1Gb, 2.5Gb, 5Gb and 10Gb)2.5Gb Ethernet (100/1000/2500BASE-T Multi-Gigabit Ethernet, configurable to 10Gb Ethernet)
External displays (base)33

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple Mac mini (2018) against Apple Mac mini (M6)
SpecificationMac mini1Mac mini M62
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker16Built-in speaker

Platform

Platform: Apple Mac mini (2018) against Apple Mac mini (M6)
SpecificationMac mini1Mac mini M62
Shipped withmacOS Mojave17Not available18
Newest macOSmacOS Sequoia19macOS 27 Golden Gate20
Model identifierMacmini8,119Mac18,521
Model year2018202622

The rest of the range at the price

Macs from other lines with a price read from Apple’s UK store, released within a year of the Mac mini M6 and priced within a quarter of its £899 at Apple’s UK price as read on 22 September 2026, nearest price first. Each links to its side-by-side table, with your Mac mini (2018) or, where that pair is not one this site indexes, with the Mac mini M6.

Trade-in and used prices

No used or trade-in figures for the Mac mini (2018): we have not matched it to a CeX listing we can confirm is this exact Mac, and we would rather show nothing than a near miss.

The Mac mini M6 is £899 new at Apple’s UK price as read on 22 September 2026; we hold no trade-in figure for the Mac mini (2018) yet.

More

Sources

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

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

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  4. 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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  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. Apple publishes no date for the end of updates, and this site does not guess one. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

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  8. Different Thunderbolt generations. Mac mini: Thunderbolt 3. Mac mini M6: Thunderbolt 4.

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

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

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

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.

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