Should I upgrade my Mac mini (M1, 2020)?
nearly 6 years old · Runs macOS 27 Golden Gate, the current macOS
Quick look
| Figure | Mac mini M11 | Mac mini M62 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £6993launch price | £8994Apple UK store |
| Chip | M1chip | M6chip |
| CPU | 8-coreCPU | 12-coreCPU |
| GPU | 8-coreGPU | 12-coreGPU |
| Memory | 8GBunified memory, base | 16GBunified memory, base |
| Storage | 256GBstorage, base | 256GBstorage, base |
| Released | 10 November 20205Available online; Apple gave no in-store day | 22 September 20266ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 25 August 2026. |
| Security updates | Not available7Security updates | Not available7Security updates |
Software support
- Security updates
- Not available7
- macOS
- macOS 27 Golden Gate, the current macOS
Mac mini M1 and the Mac mini M6
The newest base-tier Mac in this line that Apple still sells.
Specifications
Body
| Specification | Mac mini M11 | Mac mini M62 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 36 x 197 x 197 mm | 50 x 127 x 127 mm |
| Weight | 1.2 kg | 0.67 kg |
| Colours | Silver | Silver |
| Ports | Two 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 jack | Front: 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 ports8 | 2 | 3 |
| Thunderbolt version | Thunderbolt 3 | Thunderbolt 4 |
| USB-A ports | 2 | No USB-A ports.9 |
| HDMI | HDMI port | HDMI port |
| SD card slot | No SD card slot.10 | No SD card slot.9 |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
Chip and memory
| Specification | Mac mini M11 | Mac mini M62 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Apple M1 chip | Apple M6 chip |
| Apple silicon | Yes | Yes |
| CPU cores | 8 | 12 |
| Super cores | Not available11 | 2 |
| Performance cores | 4 | 4 |
| Efficiency cores | 4 | 6 |
| GPU cores | 8 | 12 |
| Neural Engine cores | 16 | Dual 16-core |
| Chip options | M1 with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU | M6 with 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU |
| Memory (base) | 8GB | 16GB |
| Memory (maximum) | 16GB | 32GB |
| Memory options | 8GB or 16GB | 16GB, 24GB or 32GB |
| Memory upgradeable by user | No, as Apple documents12 | No, as Apple documents12 |
| Memory bandwidth | Not available13 | 153 GB/s |
| Storage (base) | 256GB | 256GB |
| Storage (maximum) | 2TB | 2TB |
| Storage options | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB |
| Media engine | Not available13 | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decode |
Battery and power
| Specification | Mac mini M11 | Mac mini M62 |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum continuous power | 150 W | 155 W |
Connectivity
| Specification | Mac mini M11 | Mac mini M62 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) | Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be) |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 6 |
| Ethernet | Gigabit Ethernet (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet) | 2.5Gb Ethernet (100/1000/2500BASE-T Multi-Gigabit Ethernet, configurable to 10Gb Ethernet) |
| External displays (base) | 2 | 3 |
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 M1 (2020) or, where that pair is not one this site indexes, with the Mac mini M6.
Trade-in and used prices
- CeX pays, grade A
- £272 cash / £314 voucher21Base configuration
- CeX sells, grade A
- £42521Base configuration, out of stock online and in store when read
- The Mac mini M6 new, less CeX’s cash
- £627£899 new at Apple’s UK price as read on 22 September 2026, less £272 cash CeX was offering on 3 November 2026 for a grade A Mac mini M1 (2020) in its base configuration
More
Sources
Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (M1, 2020) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (M6 or M5 Pro) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Introducing the next generation of Mac ·
↩Apple UK store — Mac mini M6, 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU, 16GB, 256GB — From £899 ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Introducing the next generation of Mac ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils a more powerful Mac mini featuring the all-new M6 and M5 Pro ·
↩Apple publishes no date for the end of updates, and this site does not guess one.
↩Different Thunderbolt generations. Mac mini M1: Thunderbolt 3. Mac mini M6: Thunderbolt 4.
↩Mac mini (M6): No USB-A ports. No SD card slot.
↩Mac mini (M1, 2020): No SD card slot.
↩Doesn’t apply: this chip has no super cores
↩Apple Support (UK) — Upgrade or install memory in your Mac mini ·
↩Not published by Apple.
↩Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (M1, 2020) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Introducing the next generation of Mac ·
↩Not published by Apple.
↩Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac mini model ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac mini model ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac mini model ·
↩CeX — Trade-in, Grade A, cash ·
↩
Not published by Apple
Mac mini M1. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user, microphones. 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.
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 and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc. MacIQ is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by Apple Inc., holds no stock and takes no commission.