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Don’t fall for this Mac Mini (M1) deal — buy this instead

Jennifer Allen
By

It’s a miracle. The notoriously deals-stingy Apple has not one but two different models of the Mac Mini on sale today. In one corner we have the Apple Mac Mini with an M1 processor at B&H Photo Video for $519 saving you $180. The challenger (and ultimately the winner) in the other corner is the latest Apple Mac Mini with an M2 chip for just $557. Sure, the M1 chip model is cheaper, but just $37 more gets you a faster, more powerful Mac Mini that will ultimately last longer and work better. You’ll be glad you upgraded.

Why you should buy the Apple Mac Mini M2

A fantastic alternative for anyone checking out the best MacBooks, the Apple Mac Mini M2 is perfect for your home office thanks to it being powerful yet taking up hardly any room. We’ve already evaluated the differences between the Mac Mini M2 and M1 and the results are great. The M1 was already a fast processor but the base M2 chip adds an extra 12% of speed which soon adds up. It also has support for Thunderbolt 4 unlike the M1 being restricted to Thunderbolt 3. There’s also an update for wireless connectivity with support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 setting you up for the future.

In terms of sheer prowess, the Apple Mac Mini M2 also packs a punch where it counts. Besides the M2 chip with an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU, there’s 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage. While more storage may have been nice (you can always easily add some with one of the best external hard drives), the rest of the specs are more than good enough to run MacOS given it’s all designed with the operating system in mind. Our Apple Mac Mini M2 buying guide breaks things down in further detail and explains why certain components make more sense.

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Besides the two Thunderbolt 4 ports, you also get two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, Gigabit Ethernet, and a headphone jack — something that’s often omitted these days. Running efficiently in every way, it’s an ideal system for content creators and anyone that wants a fast desktop system. Just add on one of the best monitors and you’re good to go.

The Apple Mac Mini M2 is currently $557 at Amazon and a far better deal than other retailers offering the aging Apple Mac Mini M1 for $519. Snap it up now and you’ll soon be enjoying faster performance as you work.

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