The next Mac mini will have Apple Silicon M2 and M2 Pro variants

 

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A new source suggests that Apple’s next iteration of the Mac mini will be significantly improved: the Apple M2 line with Apple Silicon chips.

On Tuesday, Apple announced its all-new Mac Studio, a mini-desktop Mac designed for creative professionals who can take advantage of significantly more powerful hardware. Mac Studio is the first in Apple’s lineup to receive the M1 Ultra, an all-new chip consisting of two M1 Max processors connected by an UltraFusion connector.

However, a new report from 9to5Mac suggests that the Mac mini could be the first Mac to see Apple’s next line of Silicon chips, the M2 and M2 Pro.

According to the report, the M2 Mac mini (codenamed J473) will be powered by the next-generation M2 chip. The M2 chip will be based on the A15 chip and is said to have the same octa-core processor as the M1, but with a more powerful 10-core GPU.

The M2 Pro Mac mini (codenamed J474) will be equipped with the M2 Pro chip. This chip will reportedly contain four performance cores and eight performance cores, resulting in a 12-core processor. By comparison, the current M1 Pro has a 10-core processor.

While this is the first report to definitively say that the Mac mini will have an M2 chip, it’s also an obvious addition to the next generation. The existing Mac mini has an M1, and given the heat the Mac Studio is apparently putting out, the lower end of the M2 line makes sense for the next iteration.

Other previously mentioned additions to the lineup include more Thunderbolt ports, possible use of a magnetic power cord like the M1 iMac, and a potentially smaller body.