Should I upgrade my Mac mini (M4 Pro, 2024)?
nearly 2 years old · Runs macOS 27 Golden Gate, the current macOS
Quick look
| Figure | Mac mini M4 Pro1 | Mac mini M5 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,3993launch price | £1,6994Apple UK store |
| Chip | M4 Prochip | M5 Prochip |
| CPU | 12-coreCPU | 15-coreCPU |
| GPU | 16-coreGPU | 16-coreGPU |
| Memory | 24GBunified memory, base | 24GBunified memory, base |
| Storage | 512GBstorage, base | 512GBstorage, base |
| Released | 8 November 20243ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 29 October 2024. | 22 September 20265ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 25 August 2026. |
| Security updates | Not available6Security updates | Not available6Security updates |
Software support
- Security updates
- Not available6
- macOS
- macOS 27 Golden Gate, the current macOS
Mac mini M4 Pro and the Mac mini M5 Pro
The newest Pro-tier Mac in this line that Apple still sells.
Specifications
Body
| Specification | Mac mini M4 Pro1 | Mac mini M5 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 50 x 127 x 127 mm | 50 x 127 x 127 mm |
| Weight | 0.73 kg | 0.73 kg |
| Colours | Silver | Silver |
| Ports | Front: two USB-C ports with support for USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s), 3.5mm headphone jack. Back (M4 Pro): Gigabit Ethernet port (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet), HDMI port, three Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) ports | Front: two USB-C ports with support for USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s), 3.5mm headphone jack. Back (M5 Pro): 2.5Gb Ethernet port (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet), HDMI port, three Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) ports |
| Thunderbolt ports | 3 | 3 |
| Thunderbolt version | Thunderbolt 5 | Thunderbolt 5 |
| USB-A ports | No USB-A ports.7 | No USB-A ports.8 |
| HDMI | HDMI port | HDMI port |
| SD card slot | No SD card slot.9 | No SD card slot.10 |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
Chip and memory
| Specification | Mac mini M4 Pro1 | Mac mini M5 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Apple M4 Pro chip | Apple M5 Pro chip |
| Apple silicon | Yes | Yes |
| CPU cores | 12 | 15 |
| Super cores | Not available11 | 512 |
| Performance cores | 8 | 1012 |
| Efficiency cores | 4 | Not available13 |
| GPU cores | 16 | 16 |
| Neural Engine cores | 16 | 16 |
| Chip options | M4 Pro with 12-core CPU and 16-core GPU, or M4 Pro with 14-core CPU and 20-core GPU | M5 Pro with 15-core CPU and 16-core GPU, or M5 Pro with 18-core CPU and 20-core GPU |
| Memory (base) | 24GB | 24GB |
| Memory (maximum) | 64GB | 64GB |
| Memory options | 24GB, 48GB or 64GB | 24GB, 48GB or 64GB |
| Memory upgradeable by user | No, as Apple documents14 | No, as Apple documents14 |
| Memory bandwidth | 273 GB/s | 307 GB/s |
| Storage (base) | 512GB | 512GB |
| Storage (maximum) | 8TB | 8TB |
| Storage options | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB |
| Media engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decode | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decode |
Battery and power
| Specification | Mac mini M4 Pro1 | Mac mini M5 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum continuous power | 155 W | 155 W |
Connectivity
| Specification | Mac mini M4 Pro1 | Mac mini M5 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) | Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be) |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 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) | 3 | 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 M5 Pro and priced within a quarter of its £1,699 at Apple’s UK price as read on 2 October 2026, nearest price first. Each links to its side-by-side table, with your Mac mini M4 Pro (2024) or, where that pair is not one this site indexes, with the Mac mini M5 Pro.
- MacBook Air M5 (15-inch) vs Mac mini M5 ProMacBook Air M5 (15-inch) is £1,499 at Apple’s UK price as read on 22 September 2026The MacBook Air M5 (15-inch) is a laptop; the Mac mini M5 Pro is a desktop. The MacBook Air M5 (15-inch) has a built-in 15.3-inch display, a camera and a battery, whereas the Mac mini M5 Pro has none of them.
- MacBook Air M5 (13-inch) vs Mac mini M5 ProMacBook Air M5 (13-inch) is £1,299 at Apple’s UK price as read on 22 September 2026The MacBook Air M5 (13-inch) is a laptop; the Mac mini M5 Pro is a desktop. The MacBook Air M5 (13-inch) has a built-in 13.6-inch display, a camera and a battery, whereas the Mac mini M5 Pro has none of them.
Trade-in and used prices
- CeX pays, grade A
- £928 cash / £1,073 voucher20Base configuration
- CeX sells, grade A
- £1,45020Base configuration
- The Mac mini M5 Pro new, less CeX’s cash
- £771£1,699 new at Apple’s UK price as read on 2 October 2026, less £928 cash CeX was offering on 3 November 2026 for a grade A Mac mini M4 Pro (2024) in its base configuration
More
Sources
Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2024) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (M6 or M5 Pro) - Tech Specs ·
↩- ↩
Apple UK store — Mac mini M5 Pro, 15-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 24GB, 512GB — From £1,699 ·
↩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.
↩Mac mini (M4 Pro, 2024): No USB-A ports.
↩Mac mini (M5 Pro): No USB-A ports.
↩Mac mini (M4 Pro, 2024): No SD card slot.
↩Mac mini (M5 Pro): No SD card slot.
↩Doesn’t apply: this chip has no super cores
↩Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (M6 or M5 Pro) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple lists this chip’s cores as 5 super cores, 10 performance cores, with no efficiency cores
↩Apple Support (UK) — Upgrade or install memory in your Mac mini ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2024) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (M6 or M5 Pro) - Tech Specs ·
↩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 ·
↩CeX — Trade-in, Grade A, cash ·
↩
Not published by Apple
Mac mini M4 Pro. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user, microphones, the macOS it shipped with. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (2024) - Tech Specs; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac mini model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple’s new Mac mini is more mighty, more mini, and built for Apple Intelligence, read 9 Oct 2026.
Mac mini M5 Pro. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user, microphones, the macOS it shipped with. 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 Support (UK) — Identify your Mac mini model; 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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