Request a product

Apple Mac mini (2018) vs Apple Mac mini (M2 or M2 Pro)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleMac mini (2018)AppleMac mini (M2 or M2 Pro)
Overview
ReleasedNovember 2018January 2023
Performance
ProcessorIntel Core i3-8100B, Intel Core i5-8500B or Intel Core i7-8700BApple M2 or Apple M2 Pro
CPU cores4 or 68, 10 or 12
CPU threads4, 6 or 12–
GraphicsIntel UHD Graphics 63010-core GPU, 16-core GPU or 19-core GPU
Memory8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB8 GB, 16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB
Storage128 GB to 2 TB256 GB to 8 TB
CPU3.6 GHz quad-core Core i3 with 6 MB shared L3 cache; 3.0 GHz six-core Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 4.1 GHz and 9 MB cache; configurable to 3.2 GHz six-core Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 4.6 GHz and 12 MB cacheM2: 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores; M2 Pro: 10-core CPU with 6 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, or 12-core CPU
GPUIntel UHD Graphics 630; exact i3-8100B model identified by Tom’s Guide; i5-8500B and i7-8700B identified in Apple’s Common Criteria security targetM2: 10-core GPU; M2 Pro: 16-core or 19-core GPU
AI engine–16-core Neural Engine
Memory bandwidth–M2: 100GB/s; M2 Pro: 200GB/s
Memory type2666 MHz DDR4 SO-DIMM; 8 GB, configurable to 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB–
Storage typePCIe-based SSD; launch Core i3 starts at 128 GB and Core i5 at 256 GB; configurable to 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB; 128 GB Core i7 combinations omitted because their configure-to-order availability is not independently verifiedSSD
Media engine–Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW; video decode engine; video encode engine; ProRes encode and decode engine
Display
ScreenNone built inNone built in
Connections
Ports4 × Thunderbolt 3, 2 × USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, headphone jack2 × Thunderbolt 4, 2 × USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet1 Gb/s1 Gb/s
External displaysUp to 3Up to 2
Wi-FiWi-Fi 5Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth5.05.3
Back portsFour Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports with DisplayPort and Thunderbolt 3 up to 40 Gb/s and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; two USB-A ports up to 5 Gb/s; HDMI 2.0; Gigabit Ethernet, configurable to 10 Gb Ethernet with 1/2.5/5/10 Gb support; 3.5 mm headphone jack2 × Thunderbolt 4 (M2) or 4 × Thunderbolt 4 (M2 Pro), with DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s) and USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s); 2 × USB-A (up to 5Gb/s); HDMI with multichannel audio output; Gigabit Ethernet, configurable to 10Gb Ethernet; 3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones
External displaysTwo displays up to 4096 × 2304 at 60 Hz over Thunderbolt 3 plus one up to 4096 × 2160 at 60 Hz over HDMI 2.0; alternatively, one 5120 × 2880 display at 60 Hz over Thunderbolt 3 plus one 4096 × 2160 display at 60 Hz over HDMI 2.0M2: up to two (one at up to 6K 60Hz over Thunderbolt, plus one at up to 5K 60Hz over Thunderbolt or 4K 60Hz over HDMI); M2 Pro: up to three (two at up to 6K 60Hz over Thunderbolt plus one at up to 4K 60Hz over HDMI), or one at up to 8K 60Hz or 4K 240Hz over HDMI
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker; HDMI 2.0 supports multichannel audio outputBuilt-in speaker
Microphones–None built in
Design and power
TypeCompactCompact
Weight1.3 kg1.18 kg
Width × depth × height197 × 197 × 36 mm197 × 197 × 35.8 mm
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Power supplyBuilt-in; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz; maximum continuous power 150 WBuilt-in; 100–240V AC; 150W (M2) or 185W (M2 Pro) maximum continuous power
Power use–M2 with 24GB and 2TB: 7W idle, 50W CPU maximum; M2 Pro with 32GB and 8TB: 7W idle, 100W CPU maximum
Noise–5 dBA sound pressure at idle (operator position)
Materials100% recycled aluminium enclosure–
ColoursSpace GreySilver
In the boxMac mini, power cordMac mini, power lead

More comparisons