Apple has officially started selling its latest Mac mini and Mac Studio desktops, bringing new Apple silicon chips, faster AI performance and upgraded connectivity to its desktop lineup. The new machines are now available through Apple Stores, the Apple Store website and the Apple Store app, with prices starting at $899 for the Mac mini and $2,499 for the Mac Studio in the US.
The biggest change is inside the machines. The new Mac mini is available with the M6 and M5 Pro chips, while the Mac Studio moves up to the M5 Max and the new M5 Ultra. Apple is positioning the Mac mini as a compact desktop for everyday users, students, developers and smaller creative workloads, while the Mac Studio is aimed at professionals handling demanding video, 3D, software development and AI projects.
The new desktop range also arrives alongside macOS 27, which adds a broader set of Apple Intelligence features and introduces Siri AI, along with improvements to Spotlight, Safari, Photos and Shortcuts.
Mac mini gets a major performance boost
The new Mac mini remains one of Apple’s smallest desktop computers, but the company says the latest version delivers a substantial jump in performance.
The M6 model comes with a 12 core CPU and a 12 core GPU, with Neural Accelerators built into every GPU core. Apple says the new Mac mini can deliver up to four times faster AI performance, twice the graphics and storage performance, and 40 percent faster CPU performance compared with the previous generation.
The machine starts with 16GB of unified memory and can be configured with up to 32GB. Memory bandwidth reaches 170GB/s, which should help when running multiple demanding applications at the same time.
Apple is also pushing the Mac mini as a capable machine for newer AI workloads. The company highlights agentic AI tasks, productivity applications, music production and software development as areas where the new hardware can make a noticeable difference.
For users who need more power, the Mac mini is also available with the M5 Pro. That configuration can be equipped with an 18 core CPU, a 20 core GPU and up to 64GB of unified memory. Memory bandwidth rises to 307GB/s, giving the higher end Mac mini more headroom for demanding creative and technical workloads.
Both versions include Wi Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and upgraded 2.5Gb Ethernet. Buyers can also configure the machines with 10Gb Ethernet.
The M6 Mac mini starts at $899 in the US, while education pricing starts at $799. The M5 Pro version starts at $1,699.
Mac Studio targets demanding professional workloads
The Mac Studio remains Apple’s desktop option for users who need substantially more processing power than the Mac mini can provide.
The M5 Max version features an 18 core CPU and up to a 40 core GPU, along with support for up to 128GB of unified memory. Apple says the machine is designed for workloads such as real time 3D, motion graphics, music production, photography, software development and AI applications.
The new M5 Ultra takes things considerably further. It can be configured with up to a 36 core CPU, an 80 core GPU and an enormous 512GB of unified memory. Memory bandwidth reaches 1.2TB/s, making the system particularly relevant for professional applications that depend heavily on large datasets and high memory throughput.
Apple says the M5 Ultra can handle tasks such as real time colour grading of uncompressed 8K footage, complex visual effects rendering and large language models running entirely on the device.
The Mac Studio also includes Thunderbolt 5, with transfer speeds of up to 120Gb/s. This gives professional users more flexibility when connecting fast external storage, expansion hardware and other high bandwidth accessories.
Apple is also highlighting the ability to connect multiple Mac Studio systems. With Thunderbolt 5 and Remote Direct Memory Access, multiple machines can be clustered for distributed AI inference, with Apple claiming performance gains of up to three times compared with a single system in certain workloads.
The Mac Studio supports up to eight displays, or four Studio Display XDR monitors running at full 5K resolution and 120Hz.
macOS 27 brings new AI features
Both desktop machines ship with macOS 27, which introduces a wider range of Apple Intelligence features.
Siri AI is one of the major additions. Apple says the updated assistant can use personal context to help users find information across messages, emails and photos. It can also answer general questions, interact with apps and provide assistance based on what is visible on the screen.
Visual Intelligence is also being expanded, allowing users to ask Siri questions about content displayed on their Mac. Siri can also help users write and edit text across the system.
Safari receives new features as well. Tabs can be automatically organised into topics, while Apple Intelligence can notify users about changes on websites, including product restocks and price changes. Apple also says users can create custom Safari extensions by describing what they want.
Shortcuts gains a similar natural language approach, allowing users to describe an automation instead of building every step manually.
Apple has also made visual changes to macOS 27, including refinements to Liquid Glass and a new setting that lets users adjust the appearance between a clearer and more tinted look.
Pricing and availability
The new Mac mini and Mac Studio are available from September 22 through Apple Stores, Apple’s online store and authorised retailers.
The Mac mini with M6 starts at $899, while the M5 Pro model starts at $1,699. Education pricing starts at $799 and $1,599 respectively.
The Mac Studio with M5 Max starts at $2,499, while the M5 Ultra version starts at $5,499. Education pricing begins at $2,299 for the M5 Max and $5,099 for the M5 Ultra.
The Mac Studio configuration with 512GB of unified memory is expected to arrive later in October.
Apple is also offering trade in options, financing and leasing for eligible customers in the US. Professional buyers can configure the Mac mini and Mac Studio with different memory, storage and chip options depending on their requirements.
For everyday users, the Mac mini continues to focus on compact size and flexibility. The Mac Studio, meanwhile, is built around maximum performance for users whose workloads can take advantage of large amounts of memory and processing power.
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