Apple Updates Mac mini and Mac Studio with New M6 and M5 Ultra Chips
In a move designed to clear the decks in advance of the company’s September 9th iPhone and Apple Watch unveiling, Apple has refreshed its compact desktop Mac lineup with new chips, faster connectivity, and—unsurprisingly given the ongoing memory shortage—higher prices. The Mac mini receives the new M6 chip and M5 Pro, while the Mac Studio gains the M5 Max and the new M5 Ultra. Both are available for pre-order now and ship September 22.
Mac mini Gets M6 and M5 Pro
Skipping the M5 at the base level, the Mac mini debuts Apple’s new M6 chip, which is the first to use a 2-nanometer manufacturing process that promises increased performance and power efficiency. The M6 features a 12-core CPU (two more than before) and a 12-core GPU with Neural Accelerators in each core—a first for the Mac mini. Apple claims up to 4x faster AI performance compared to the M4 model, along with 2x faster graphics and storage. 16 GB of unified memory is standard, with 24 GB and 32 GB options.
For users who need more power, the Mac mini with M5 Pro offers a 15-core or 18-core CPU and a 16-core or 20-core GPU, with 24 GB of memory standard and support for up to 64 GB. The M5 Pro model also includes Thunderbolt 5 ports instead of the M6’s Thunderbolt 4 ports.
Both models gain Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread, and upgraded 2.5Gb Ethernet (with 10Gb available as an option). New genlock support through USB-C enables precise synchronization between a display and camera—including iPhone 17 Pro—for video professionals who need frame-accurate capture. The front panel retains two USB-C ports and a headphone jack.
Pricing continues to climb. The M6 Mac mini starts at $899—$100 more than the post-June M4 pricing and $300 more than the original M4 launch price. The M5 Pro model starts at $1,699, up $100 from the June adjustment.
Mac Studio Adds M5 Max and M5 Ultra
The Mac Studio receives the M5 Max and the new M5 Ultra, Apple’s most powerful chip ever. The M5 Ultra uses a quad-die architecture—combining four smaller dies rather than two larger ones—which improves manufacturing yields while delivering extraordinary performance.
The M5 Max model offers an 18-core CPU, a 32-core or 40-core GPU, and 36 GB to 128 GB of unified memory—plenty for most professional workflows.
When that’s not enough, the M5 Ultra features a 30-core or 36-core CPU, a 64-core or 80-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and 96 GB to 512 GB of unified memory with 1.2 TB/s of bandwidth. Apple claims up to 4.3x faster AI performance compared to the M3 Ultra and 1.8x faster graphics. For teams running large AI models locally, multiple Mac Studio systems can be clustered via Thunderbolt 5 and RDMA (remote direct memory access) to create a shared memory pool.
Both Mac Studio models gain Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread via Apple’s N1 wireless chip. Storage performance doubles thanks to a new SSD architecture. As with the Mac mini, genlock support through USB-C enables frame-accurate synchronization between displays and cameras.
The M5 Max Mac Studio starts at $2,499—unchanged from the June price hike. The M5 Ultra model starts at $5,499, up $200 from June (and $1,500 more than the pre-June price). The 512 GB memory configuration won’t ship until October.
Should You Upgrade?
For users with M1 or M2 Mac mini models, the performance gains may be substantial enough to justify an upgrade. Those with M4 Mac mini models can probably wait unless they specifically need the M6’s improved AI capabilities or the M5 Pro’s additional memory and Thunderbolt 5. And if you’re still using an Intel-based Mac mini for anything where performance matters, upgrade immediately—the difference is like night and day.
Mac Studio users face a different equation. The M5 Max and M5 Ultra deliver meaningful improvements for performance-driven professionals whose work involves large-scale video projects, complex 3D rendering, or AI inference. For such users, the speed improvements may justify upgrading even from M4 Max or M3 Ultra machines.
The memory crisis shows no signs of abating, so don’t assume prices will drop. If you need a new desktop Mac and one of these new models fits in your budget, they’re all excellent choices.
(Featured image by Apple)