The M4 Mac mini has been out for a week now, and so it's time to review roundup the new mini! The sources are: The Verge, Wired, Engadget, and TechCrunch!
First, the design. The new, smaller design is a giant, 2x smaller move forward from the previous design, which was "designed around the Intel platform" (according to The Verge), and the current design is "not quite as tiny as an Apple TV 4K" (which Wired agrees on), but still "the most striking example yet of what Apple can achieve with hardware that's purpose-built for its M-series chips". Also, The Verge thinks that the weird bottom placement of the power button "hasn't negatively affected my experience in any material way" and is "more of a strange quirk than an annoyance" (TechCrunch agrees, thinking that it's not as annoying as the Magic Mouse's upside-down charging (uh-oh, give me a few minutes; my Magic Mouse's battery ran out!), although Wired thinks that it "isn't intuitive" and is "just weird", and Engadget thinks that you have to do some "awkward finger gymnastics" to turn it off), though those with Touch ID-inclusive Magic Keyboards and those in some power-button-needing scenarios might still think of it as a "hassle", according to The Verge. Again according to The Verge, "there are always workarounds" (including one that I found, Hot Corners, so you can for example put your Mac to bed just by moving your mouse to the bottom-left corner). TechCrunch also mentions that the fan venting is different, something that no opinions are given on.
Onto ports. The Verge (it's ALWAYS The Verge!!) thinks that it's a "welcome change" to have some ports on the front so you don't have to turn around the mini to plug things in (which Wired and TechCrunch agrees on), and doesn't mind the absence of aging USB-A (while missing the SD card slot, along with Engadget), although as it points out, "everyone has a different accessory situation". If you're wondering about Thunderbolt 5, no one gives real opinions about it (maybe partly because, as Engadget mentions, it's only for the M4 Pro model). TechCrunch also says it's "worth noting just how quickly the price creeps up", and says that "once the price hits those heights, you begin to wonder precisely where the Mini sits in the line".
Next, the new amount of displays able to be connected to the Mac mini. The ability to connect to up to 3 displays at one time (two 6K, one 5K, Wired specifies) means, according to The Verge, that "you've got a ton of runway for creative, versatile desk setups", and that "if you've perfected your work-from-home office, you can just add the Mini to whatever's already there without having to rearrange everything".
After that, the chip which powers the above feature. Wired says that it's "nice to see that Apple expanded this capability to both processors [M4 and M4 Pro]". The Verge thinks that in general performance, the base M4 mini "has rarely missed a step, no matter what I throw at it" (except in Lightroom photo editing), too, and even in the Lightroom example managed to keep the fan off (something which Engadget echoed, however adding that the Cinebench benchmark brought the fan up to "high gear", even though the fan sound is more white noise than aircraft engine). Wired agrees on this, saying that the M4 has never "struggled to handle any of it [it including article writing, video calls, email sending, and multiple background apps running at the same time]", and that "performance felt quick and smooth at all times", even though the source never noticed "much of a difference" over the M2 model. Engadget thinks that the M4 Pro chip is "dramatically more powerful" than the base M4, is "the fastest computer I've reviewed this year, at least when it comes to CPU benchmarks", is "a bigger leap ahead than I expected", and impresses in video games like Lies of P, No Man's Sky and Resident Evil 4 (it still managed to run at 60fps in all these games even when graphics were maxed out and resolution was at 1440p). Engadget was also the only one to review the AI capabilities by using Whisper Transcription, saying that it's faster than the base M4 or M3 by a significant margin.
Onto RAM and storage, Wired and Engadget celebrate that the M4 Mac mini now has a 16GB RAM base, which, according to Wired, "will prove to be helpful when you have lots of applications and browser tabs open, or if you're heavily relying on Apple Intelligence features". Don't go crazy on RAM and storage upgrades, though, because the price will go up just as crazily (1TB storage and 32GB RAM will bring you up to the price of the base M4 Pro model, The Verge points out, and Wired adds that if you max the configuration for the M4 Pro, "you'll pay a pretty penny"). Engadget echoes this and says just use external SSD storage instead of upgrading with Apple's prices.
In summary, The Verge thinks that "every time I glance over at the new Mac Mini on my desk, it feels like the Mini's ideal form", that "the 2024 Mini should remain a zippy, reliable computer for years to come" and that "it's never been more mighty" (except for the M4 Pro upgrade). Even the source's review title is "Apple Mac Mini M4 review: a tiny wonder". Wired agrees, however adding that people with M-series Mac minis "shouldn't feel the need to upgrade" unless they're "feeling a performance drag". Devindra Hardawar at Engadget's daughter apparently so "couldn't believe her eyes" when the box was opened that she exclaimed "'That's a computer?!'", and the reviewer herself said that the new mini is "incredibly compelling" even if "you don't need one". Engadget also says in summary that the base mini "will likely be all you [if you just want a "basic" and "adorably small" desk computer] need". However, TechCrunch says that "the new Mac Mini is a case of a (mostly) well-designed machine without an entirely clear market segment", and that "if true portability is what you're after, buy a MacBook", but that "its sweet spot [along with those who want a "quick, easy, and (relatively) cheap desktop" to add to their monitor of choice without wanting a portable setup and businesses] is those who already have a monitor or monitors and are just looking to upgrade their system with the newest entry-level Mac".
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