Why You Can Trust CNET Best Mac Mini Deals: Save on Apple's Latest Miniature Computer
The latest generation of the Apple Mac Mini is a solid option with plenty of power and a small footprint -- and now it's yours with $100 off.
If you want to get your hands on a Mac but don't want to go the laptop route and the iMac just isn't your thing, the Mac Mini is essentially your only option without spending big money on the Mac Studio or Mac Pro. It's already a great value compared to some of Apple's other offerings and now the deal is even better, with $100 off some configurations.
The 256GB model starts at $599, while the more useful 512GB model starts at $799. Both are available at a solid discount right now -- $50 off each model. The new upgraded model with a Pro-level chip starts at $1,299. You can also save $50 on the step-up M2 Pro Mac Mini, which has a 1TB solid-state drive.
B&H is just about the only retailer offering discounts right now, but buying from Apple is still a viable option. Shopping at Apple directly allows you to customize the machine and add more RAM or a higher-capacity SSD, while the models sold on Amazon and other retailers are fixed configurations. Unlike in most other desktops, the Mac Mini's RAM isn't upgradable. Apple's M2 system-on-a-chip integrates the CPU, GPU, RAM and other components for greater power and efficiency, but the downside of this integration is the lack of DIMM slots, which would allow you to add additional RAM after purchase.
Apple's student discounts and refurbs
It's worth noting that the Apple Store offers students an educational discount, where you can save $100 on the price of a new Mac Mini. Some upgrades are discounted, too. For example, doubling the RAM to 16GB costs $180 with the student discount instead of the usual charge of $200.
Also at Apple, you might find a refurbished Mac Mini on the Certified Refurbished Mac page, but it's too early to find an M2 refurb, and we'd caution against buying an older Intel-based Mac Mini. And an M1 refurb would need to be priced substantially less than the new M2 models at their lower starting prices. Still, it's worth keeping an eye out, because you can lock in substantial savings. Apple refurbs are a great way to save some cash and are often just as good as new.
Keep reading to see the best US prices currently available for Apple's Mac Mini. We update this page regularly and give prices that are accurate at the time of publication, but note that they fluctuate.
Mac Mini discounts, compared
| Model w/CPU, RAM and storage capacity | List price | Best price (current) | Best price (all time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mac Mini w/M2, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD | $599 | $499 | $499 |
| Mac Mini w/M2, 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD | $799 | $699 | $679 |
| Mac Mini w/M2 Pro, 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD | $1,499 | $1,399 | $1,149 |
Note that "all time" means the best price we've seen at an Apple-authorized retailer in the product's lifetime.
The baseline Mac Mini uses Apple's new M2 chip, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. It supplies two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a Gigabit Ethernet port and a headphone jack. It lists for $599 at Apple, and right now you can get it at a $100 discount at Amazon where it's only $499.
The step-up Mac Mini bumps the storage up to 512GB. That's an increased capacity that most people will benefit from, as 512GB is about the smallest SSD we'd recommend for any desktop. Right now you can save $100 at B&H -- although we have seen it up to $120 off in the past.
The Mac Mini also offers a Pro chip option from Apple's lineup. The baseline Mac Mini with the M2 Pro costs $1,299 and features 16GB of RAM -- double that of the M2 models -- and a 512GB SSD. The step-up model with a 1TB SSD costs $1,499 from Apple, and right now, you can save $100 on it at B&H.
The M2 Pro chip has 10 CPU cores and 16 GPU cores compared with the eight-CPU core, 10-GPU core M2 chip. The M2 Pro model also doubles the number of Thunderbolt 4 ports to four.