M4 Mac Mini review: Turbo speed for 'Apple Intelligence' AI features

Apple's new M4 chips have reached two more Mac product lines: the MacBook Pro workhorse and the small Mac Mini desktop computer.

While the changes remain hidden inside the MacBook Pro, the newest Mac mini stands out, above all, with a far more compact design.

A portable desktop computer

It's hard to overstate just how much more mobile the smallest Mac now is. With a width and depth of 12.7 centimetres each, it takes up significantly less space than the previous model (19.7 cm on the sides).

The weight has shrunk from around 1.2 kilos to just under 700 grams – a noticeable difference, especially if you want to take it with you on the road. The Mac mini now looks like a slightly larger Apple TV with an aluminium case and is easy to slip into a bag.

The tiny desktop computer also got a new thermal architecture with ventilation slots on the bottom of the device. In everyday use, it is not that easy to require enough processing power that the device's fan will start.

To ensure that the new Apple Intelligence AI software runs smoothly, the new Mac models come with at least 16 GB of RAM instead of the previous 8 GB. As a side effect, this also benefits other applications.

More ports – and a hidden power button

One surprising little bonus is the number of ports on the front of the device: two USB-C 3.0 ports, plus a headphone jack (3.5-millimetre). On the back, there are another three Thunderbolt ports, a HDMI port and an Ethernet port.

But Apple has taken a rather interesting approach with the placement of the power button in a corner below the device. So you sometimes have to pick up the Mac mini, for example when setting up Touch ID on the keyboard, because the computer first asks for a double-click on the power button. Beyond that, you should rarely need the button because the Mac can remain in standby mode.

What does the M4 chip do?

If you're an average user whose Mac with Apple's own M chips is used for everyday tasks, you won't be feeling the need for a new processor.

And yet, the M4 still makes a difference here, if only because it makes for a more compact Mac mini compared to the previous generation with the M2 chip (Apple skipped the M3 processor in the Mac Mini).

What's more, the basic version of the M4 chip allows you to connect up to three external displays: two with 6K resolution and one with 5K. With the more powerful – and more expensive – M4 Pro, it's three 6K monitors.

The MacBook Pro, meanwhile, with its M4 processors is identical to the M3 version on the outside – and the vast majority of users are unlikely to notice any difference in performance in their day-to-day work for the time being.

Apple itself also tends to compare performance with the two older chip generations and the last models with Intel processors from years ago.

Among other things, the M4 chips are characterised by more processor cores. At least 10 for CPU tasks, at least 10 for graphics and 16 in the neural engine for AI applications.

Apple Intelligence brings AI editing

MacOS Sequoia 15.1 is ushering in AI features of what Apple is calling Apple Intelligence. The company wants to use this to tailor the current capabilities of AI to everyday use.

In one of the new features, Apple is adding tools for text editing in English. Apple Mail can be used to check texts for spelling mistakes and to reformulate them.

You can tweak the writing styles and switch between a more relaxed tone in "Friendly", more serious in "Professional" and a version reduced to the essentials in "Consise". The software can also create short summaries of texts and convert them into lists or tables.

All of this works pretty well and quickly. The text is transformed in about a second.

The "Concise" edits are particularly impressive, since you can quickly make a paragraph one or two lines shorter without losing much meaning. The option to summarize an email is also helpful. Instead of just the first few lines of an email, it displays a short version of the content.

Note: Users in the European Union have to wait until April 2025 to use Apple Intelligence. With some new features, such as the ability to access an iPhone in your pocket directly on the Mac display, it is still unclear whether and when they might come to Europe.

All in all, the new compact form makes the Mac mini a truly portable desktop computer. With the M4 chip and 16 GB of RAM, Apple is making the Mac range ready for its AI software.