M5 Pro Mac mini vs. M4 Pro Mac mini compared: Specs, hardware, price

Apple’s Mac mini has finally been upgraded with the M5 Pro chip. Here’s how the latest model compares to its M4 Pro counterpart.

After the debut of the M5 Pro chip in the MacBook Pro, Apple’s latest system-on-chip has made its way to another Mac. The Mac mini now ships with the M5 Pro chip, offering a worthwhile performance improvement.

Like the M5 Pro MacBook Pro, the M5 Pro Mac mini uses a tried-and-true design. You still get the same chassis and ports as with the M4 Pro Mac mini, even though Apple spent well over a year working on the M5 Pro model.

Still, you do get more processing power for close to the same price. Here’s exactly how the M5 Pro Mac mini stands against its M4 Pro-based predecessor.

M5 Pro Mac mini vs. M4 Pro Mac mini: Technical specifications

Specifications	M5 Pro Mac mini	M4 Pro Mac mini
Starting Price (launch)	$1,699	$1,399
Weight (pounds)	1.6	1.6
System-on-chip	Apple M5 Pro 15-core CPU, 18-core CPU 16-core GPU, 20-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine Neural Accelerators Hardware-accelerated ray tracing 307GB/s memory bandwidth	Apple M4 Pro 12-core CPU, 14-core CPU 16-core GPU, 20-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine Hardware-accelerated ray tracing 273GB/s memory bandwidth
Memory	24GB 48GB 64GB	24GB 48GB 64GB
Networking	Apple N1 wireless networking chip 802.11be Wi-Fi 7 support IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible Bluetooth 6 Thread networking technology 2.5Gig Ethernet 10Gig upgradable	802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E support IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible Bluetooth 5.3 Gigabit Ethernet 10Gig upgradable
Storage	512GB 1TB 2TB 4TB 8TB	512GB 1TB 2TB 4TB 8TB
Display support	Maximum of 3: Three 6K 60Hz or 4K 165Hz, or one 8K 60Hz or 4K 240Hz plus one 5K 120Hz or 4K 200Hz.	Maximum of 3: Three 6K 60Hz over Thunderbolt or HDMI, or one 6K 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one 8K 60Hz or 4K 240Hz over HDMI
Ports	HDMI Three Thunderbolt 5 Two USB 3 Type-C (front) 2.5Gig Ethernet 3.5mm headphone (front)	HDMI Three Thunderbolt 5 Two USB 3 Type-C (front) Gigabit Ethernet 3.5mm headphone (front)

M5 Pro Mac mini vs. M4 Pro Mac mini: Design, weight, size

With the M4 Pro model, Apple made the Mac mini noticeably smaller, with a form factor measuring 5 inches by 5 inches. The M5 Pro Mac mini maintains the same aluminum design, and both computers are 2 inches tall.

The front of the M5 Pro and M4 Pro Mac mini offers two USB-C ports, like the Mac Studio, while the remaining ports are on the back of the device. The weight is the same for both Mac mini models: 1.6 pounds.

Apple’s Mac mini continues to deliver the core Mac experience and still embodies the same “bring your own keyboard and mouse” strategy that Steve Jobs famously articulated more than two decades ago.

M5 Pro Mac mini vs. M4 Pro Mac mini: Performance

The base configuration M5 Pro chip consists of a 15-core CPU, a 16-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. Meanwhile, the high-end variant features an 18-core CPU and a 20-core GPU.

For reference, the standard M4 Pro Mac mini shipped with a 12-core CPU and 16-core GPU, with the upgraded model offering a 14-core CPU and 20-core GPU.

Apple says the M5 Pro chip delivers around 30% faster CPU performance compared to the M4 Pro. The difference in GPU performance is even more impressive.

Like the A19 Pro chip in the iPhone 17 Pro, the M5 Pro has Neural Accelerators in each GPU core. The chip also supports third-generation hardware-accelerated ray tracing and features an enhanced shader core, per Apple’s website.

The company also claims the M5 Pro offers an increase in graphics performance of up to 20%, 35% in ray-traced apps, relative to the preceding M4 Pro chip. Memory bandwidth has also been increased with the M5 Pro chip, now offering 307GB/s, up from 273GB/s on the M4 Pro.

Combined, these hardware improvements make the M5 Pro chip a great option for AI-focused projects.

The M5 Pro Mac mini will perform better than its M4 Pro counterpart in AI-related workflows and machine learning tasks. This would include AI-enabled video or photo editing, using on-device LLMs, and so on.

On a per-app basis, Apple claims the M5 Pro system-on-chip delivers up to four times faster LLM prompt processing performance in LM Studio, while also being 1.5 times faster when processing images in Affinity.

Performance in 3D rendering software like Blender has also improved, with rendering now 1.4 times faster on the M5 Pro compared to the M4 Pro chip.

When it comes to comparing the initial benchmarks for the M5 Pro against the M4 Pro, you can see a fairly obvious progression in speed in Geekbench.

For single-core results, there’s a distinct step up from the M4 Pro to the M5 Pro of about 10%. Bear in mind this measures just the fastest core alone, which means it matters for most single-core tasks on a Mac.

The multi-core side is a lot more pronounced, because core counts matter more here.

The M4 Pro was available in 12-core and 14-core CPU versions, which manages well in Geekbench. Scores in the 21,000 and 24,000 ranges are quite respectable today.

However, the M5 Pro Mac mini starts with a 15-core variant that manages beyond 26,000. The 18-core top-tier chip does even better at over 33,000.

Obviously, the more cores, the better for a multi-core test.

Then there’s Metal, which does vary on GPU core count based on which grade of chip you get for each generation. However, while the CPU cores are all different counts, the GPUs are the same across generations: 16 cores and 20 cores.

The M4 Pro’s GPU starts at 102,000 for the 16-core variant, rising to 115,000 for the 20-core. However, the M5 Pro’s scores are 126,000 and 136,000, depending on GPU core counts.

There is a distinct improvement in performance scores between the generations. While core counts are certainly going up and can account for the changes on the CPU side, the GPU demonstrates a lot more progress too.

One that shows growth in core performance, rather than quantity.

M5 Pro Mac mini vs. M4 Pro Mac mini: Storage, connectivity, audio

In terms of storage, the M4 Pro Mac mini starts with 512GB, with upgrade options including 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB. The M5 Pro model offers the same storage capacities.

As for ports, both the M4 Pro and M5 Pro Mac mini come with a 3.5mm headphone jack on the front, with two USB-C ports to the left of it. Both USB-C ports offer speeds of up to 10Gbps.

The back of the M4 Pro Mac mini features a 1Gb Ethernet port, which was upgraded to a 2.5 Gb port with the M5 Pro model. The port can be upgraded to a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port at the time of purchase, for both the M4 Pro and M5 Pro Mac mini.

Additionally, both models feature an HDMI port and three Thunderbolt 5 ports on the back. There’s no real difference between the two in that regard.

The same cannot be said for wireless connectivity, however. The M4 Pro Mac mini supports Wi-Fi 6E with Bluetooth 5.3. Thanks to the Apple N1 wireless networking chip, meanwhile, the M5 Pro Mac mini offers Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 support.

Though the N1 represents a welcome upgrade on the M5 Pro Mac mini, the addition of Wi-Fi 7 support won’t mean much without a compatible router. Obviously, not everyone has a Wi-Fi 7 router yet, but the technology is sure to see wider adoption in the future.

As for audio devices, the M4 Pro and M5 Pro Mac mini are equipped with a built-in speaker, albeit one that still leaves something to be desired. It’s an acceptable audio source, though not comparable to dedicated external speakers.

Thankfully, the Mac mini supports high-impedance headphones, which can be used via the 3.5mm headphone jack. You can also use audio accessories via Bluetooth, or get video and audio output via HDMI, assuming you have a monitor with built-in speakers.

M5 Pro Mac mini vs. M4 Pro Mac mini: Pricing

The standard configuration M4 Pro Mac mini originally cost $1,399. It had a 12-core CPU paired with a 16-core GPU, 24GB of memory, and 512GB of storage.

In June 2026, however, Apple raised the price by $200, bringing the M4 Pro Mac mini to $1,599. For $200 on top of that, users could purchase an upgraded configuration with a 14-core CPU and 20-core GPU.

Upgrading the RAM to 48GB costs consumers an extra $400, while a 64GB RAM configuration is $200 more. For the 512GB M4 Pro Mac mini, storage upgrades were priced at $300 for 1TB, $800 for 2TB, $1,800 for 4TB, or $3,800 for 8TB.

Users could also upgrade the built-in 1Gb Ethernet port to a 10Gb Ethernet port for $100 extra. Though the M5 Pro Mac mini offers a 2.5Gb Ethernet port, the 10Gb upgrade is still priced at $100.

The base price of the M5 Pro Mac mini has gone up slightly, now to $1,699. This gets you a 15-core CPU paired with a 16-core GPU, with 24GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. For $200 more, you can get the high-end model, with an 18-core CPU and 20-core GPU, while RAM and storage upgrades cost extra.

Upgrading the RAM to 48GB costs an additional $600, while a 64GB RAM configuration is $400 on top of that. While Apple has significantly increased its RAM upgrade prices, storage options cost the same as they did with the M4 Pro model.

With the base configuration 512GB M5 Pro Mac mini, an upgrade to 1TB of storage costs $300. Other options include paying $800 for 2TB, $1,800 for 4TB, or $3,800 for 8TB.

While the standard M4 Pro Mac mini was priced at $1,599, the most expensive configuration cost users $6,299. While the base price of the M5 Pro version is only a little higher, the highest-possible specs will cost you $6,799.

In short, the M5 Pro Mac mini with all the bells and whistles is $500 more expensive than its M4 Pro counterpart. However, you do get improved performance due to the newer processing hardware.

M5 Pro Mac mini vs. M4 Pro Mac mini: Which to buy?

Overall, the M5 Pro Mac mini is identical to its M4 Pro counterpart in almost every way with one big exception: performance. Even that 31% improvement in multicore CPU performance won’t be particularly impressive for most, though.

If you already use an M4 Pro Mac mini, the M5 Pro will come across as an incremental, lackluster upgrade. Aside from Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, there’s nothing to appeal to someone who has the M4 Pro model. The storage options, ports, and features are almost the same, with 2.5Gig Ethernet being the standout change.

Those who need the extra processing power might as well get the M5 Max Mac Studio. For more demanding workflows, the M5 Ultra Mac Studio is an even better option.

All in all, the M5 Pro Mac mini is a decent option for those looking to switch to the Mac. The preceding M4 Pro Mac mini isn’t far behind, especially if you can get a good deal.

Where to buy the M5 Pro Mac mini and M4 Pro Mac mini

Apple’s M5 Pro Mac mini is already discounted on Amazon, with our M5 Pro Mac mini Price Guide offering easy price comparison across popular Apple resellers.

Today’s top 2026 Mac mini deals