2024 Vs. 2026 Mac Mini: What's New, And Should You Upgrade?

Earlier this year, Apple killed off the base $599 version of the Mac mini 2024. The decision was made after the model started to face long delays for purchases, likely due to ongoing RAM shortages, which have been affecting almost every part of the tech industry, though computers have been hit hard. However, now we know that Apple is bringing an updated model to the Mac mini family, following up 2024's highly-praised Mac mini with two new chip options. But choosing to upgrade to the new Mac Mini — which is set to release in September — isn't exactly easy.

Sure, the upgrade might seem great on paper thanks to more cores and promises of efficiency, but a price hike might make the new device less enticing to users, especially if they already have the 2024 Mac mini. But does that mean you shouldn't upgrade to the Mac mini 2026? To answer that question, we need to take a look at a couple of things.

First, we need to talk about the elephant in the room. If you're already rocking the 2024 Mac mini, then you have one of two versions. The base version included Apple's M4 chip, which sports a 10-core CPU and GPU, as well as a 16-core Neural Engine, making the Mac mini 2024 a beast of a computer, especially at its original price point. Even now, two years later, Apple's earlier M-chip models are still running great, and if you're just looking to upgrade to the base 2026 model, which sports an M6 chip with two more cores, then that upgrade probably isn't worth it, especially at Apple's much higher $899 asking price.

As for what's actually new here, there's not a lot of change. The new Mac mini will come with the same storage options, as well as the same ports. The 2026 model appears to be physically identical to the 2024 model. Both these computers have three Thunderbolt ports, though the version can differentiate depending on which processor you decide to go with. There's also an HDMI output, as well as an Ethernet jack and two USB-C ports for additional connections.

You'ill find a small upgrade on the 2026 model, thanks to its inclusion of Wi-Fi 7 support, as well as an upgraded Ethernet that supports up to 2.5Gbps connections. The 2024 model, by contrast, only supports up to Wi-Fi 6E and gigabit Ethernet connections. Both minis can be upgraded to 10Gbps, though most people probably won't need that.

While storage has remained the same — you can get from 256GB to 8TB depending on configuration — the actual bandwidth of the RAM in the 2026 models has seen a small upgrade. You can still choose from between 16 to 64GB, but bandwidths now start at 170Gbps compared to the 120 Gbps of the 2024 model. Additionally, the maximum bandwidth has increased, with the Mac mini 2026 model offering up to 370 Gbps compared to the 2024's top 273Gbps. These are solid upgrades, but if you have one of the higher end M4 Mac mini's then you probably won't notice a huge difference in daily usage. So when's the upgrade worth it?

If you aren't running the Mac mini from 2024 and want the best that Apple has to offer in terms of raw performance on paper, then the Mac mini 2026 model is certainly a great option, especially if you don't mind splurging on the higher end M5 Pro chip, which comes with five more cores than the base 2024 model. 

However, if you have the higher end 2024 variant already, and are looking to upgrade to the 2026 model, then the upgrade becomes worth far less. Sure, more cores can usually mean improvements, but the base 2026 model comes with the same amount of cores as the M4 Pro version of the 2024 Mac Mini, and only three more cores for the M5 Pro chip variant. If you're running the base 2024 Mac Mini and want the extra five cores of the 2026 model that sports the M5 Pro chip, then the upgrade could be worth it. 

It's important to remember that you're looking at around $1,699 before tax or any additional fees for that upgrade, though. If you spend a lot of time working with AI or intensive programs, this upgrade could definitely be worth it, as these chips are designed with AI in mind. Exactly how worth it is hard to say right now, though, as the 2026 Mac mini isn't set to release for a few more weeks. That means we don't have any real-world performance to compare it to the 2024 Mac mini. Deciding whether or not to upgrade might become easier once we do.