Macs have always been priced on the premium side, but Apple does offer a model that is both powerful and affordable. No, it’s not a MacBook Air, rather it is the Mac mini which is a full-blown desktop computer housed inside a small compact aluminium box. With the Mac mini getting updated with the M2 and M2 Pro chips, the entry-level Mac got a big power boost this week. But who should really buy the Mac mini in 2023? More importantly, does it make sense to invest in a desktop computer anymore?
With Apple now offering Macs at various price points, it’s worth taking a few minutes to ask yourself a handful of questions to make sure you are prepared to invest in the new Mac. Here are five questions to ask before buying the new M2-powered Mac mini.
This may be one of the most important questions to ask before you buy a new Mac because deciding on the right form factor could benefit you in the long run. One is a do-it-yourself (DIY) desktop computer and another is a 13-inch ultra-compact mainstream notebook. The MacBook Air (the one with the M2 chip) is a portable computer with a refreshed design, a 13-inch immersive display, a 1080p webcam, a convenient MagSafe charger, a great battery life and a full keyboard. The Air is a more personal computer that you can carry and work on anywhere you go.
Meanwhile, the Mac mini, is a small desktop computer that ships without a screen, keyboard or mouse. As Apple likes to say, it’s “BYODKM” (Bring Your Own Display, Keyboard, and Mouse). Both are entry-level devices and have identical M2 chips, but the difference comes in the form factor and how you choose to use a computer. Knowing this information gives you the peace of mind to proceed with choosing the right Mac.
The M2 Mac Mini looks much the same as its M1 Mac Mini predecessor. (Image credit: Apple)
Is the Mac mini good for working from home?
The Mac mini is purposefully designed to be kept on the desk and that reflects how it should be used. Apple hasn’t changed the design of the Mac mini in years. It is so compact that it doesn’t cover the entire desk and its size makes it ideal to be used as a family computer or kept in a kids’ room. Ideally, laptops are just not great for long-term use, especially if you are in a full-time remote job. You are constantly bending your neck, the monitor screen will never be at eye level unless you buy a laptop stand, and typing on the laptop keyboard all day can make you tired and exhausted.
Switching to a desktop computer can offer the perfect ergonomic setup if you spend a lot of time in front of the screen. If you need a computer for your main office and work computer, you should always go with a computer that has a larger display for better ergonomics.
The M2 Mac Mini starts at Rs 59,900 or 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage. (Image credit: Apple)
Is it value for money?
The Mac mini is a very attractive desktop computer but what makes it more compelling is the price. The base M2 Mac mini is priced at Rs 59,900, which is even cheaper than the starting price of its previous M1 Mac mini which debuted at Rs 64,900. In fact, the M2 Mac mini is way more affordable than the M2 MacBook Air which starts at Rs 119,900. Apple has priced the M2 Mac mini in such a way that no Windows-based desktop computer comes closer to it – both in value and performance. The base model has an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and a bunch of connectivity ports.
In terms of performance, the M2-based Mac mini should be fine running ‘basic’ computing tasks (and by that we mean checking emails, light photo and video editing, writing and editing assignments on Google Docs, WhatsApp chats, and opening multiple Chrome tabs in the background). Yes, the M2 Mac mini might not get the screen, keyboard and portability of the MacBook Air, but with any other device, you won’t get the efficiency of both macOS and Apple Silicon.
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How good will it be for video editing?
For someone who wants to do complex tasks like video editing and coding, Apple is also selling the Mac mini with the M2 Pro chip, which will double the base M2’s performance but is priced at Rs 129,900. The M2 Pro-based Mac mini features a 12-core CPU with eight high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores. Coupled with a 19-core GPU, the super-charged version of the Mac mini has 200GB/s of memory bandwidth and supports up to 32GB of memory. Apple touts that the M2 Pro version should have 2.5 times faster graphics performance in Affinity Photo, up to 4.2 times faster ProRes transcoding in Final Cut Pro, and up to 2.8 times faster gameplay in Resident Evil Village.
As you might expect, professional users who want a pro-grade Mac desktop, but don’t have the budget to buy the Mac Studio which starts at Rs 189,900, could opt for this. And that’s the point, really, to have a pro-grade version of the Mac mini to deliver the level of performance only a professional user might want to take advantage of.
Why you may want a Mac mini in 2023?
Needless to say, your purpose and needs will help you choose the right Mac. Whether you want a base version of the Mac mini or an M2 Pro Mac mini is completely up to you. But make sure that your budget reflects your needs and wants. Getting a desktop computer over a laptop is venturing into a new space. Say, if you want a computer for a family of four, then opting for an M2 Mac mini does not make any sense. A lot of times people might think that choosing the appropriate model is the biggest challenge when buying a Mac but that’s not the case. The main challenge is identifying the issues that are present in the current computer. If you already own an M1 Mac mini, the M2 Mac mini might not be a huge upgrade. But if you are coming from an older Intel-powered Mac mini, then getting a newer Apple compact desktop does make sense.
7 min read
The M2 Mac Mini looks much the same as its M1 Mac Mini predecessor. (Image credit: Apple)
The M2 Mac Mini starts at Rs 59,900 or 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage. (Image credit: Apple)
The M2 Mac mini is the most affordable Mac. (Image credit: Apple)
