Apple refreshes Mac Mini, Studio for 2026: What has changed?
What's the story
Apple has refreshed its Mac Mini and Mac Studio lineups with new 2-nanometer chips. The company is pitching these devices as ideal for running artificial intelligence (AI) workloads locally, without the need to send data to the cloud. The new models offer up to 4x AI performance in the Mac Mini variants and 4.5x higher AI compute in the Mac Studio, making them a consideration for enterprise use.
Device features
An always-on 'desk-side' compute
The new Mac Mini, now with the M6 chip, is designed as an always-on "desk-side" compute.
It can sit beside a MacBook and handle automated tasks without active use.
The M6 chip has a 12-core CPU and GPU, and a dual 16-core Neural Engine. Apple claims this doubles the peak AI compute over its predecessor, the M4 model.
Memory upgrade
Variants of the new Mac Mini can run local LLMs
Apple has emphasized the importance of memory capacity and bandwidth for on-device large language models (LLMs).
The M6 Mac Mini with up to 32GB unified memory can run a "nice" local LLM, while the M5 Pro Mac Mini with up to 64GB unified memory and more bandwidth can handle larger local models.
Both variants promise up to four times more AI performance than their predecessors.
Capabilities
Mac Studio can be equipped with M5 Max/M5 Ultra
The Mac Studio comes with either an M5 Max or the new M5 Ultra chip.
The top-of-the-line Ultra features a quad-die chip with a 36-core CPU, 80-core GPU, and up to 512GB of unified memory.
Apple claims this model has 30% faster CPU, 80% faster graphics, and 4.5x higher AI compute over the M3 Ultra.
Performance boost
Users can link 4 Mac Studios into a cluster
Apple also allows users to link four Mac Studios via Thunderbolt 5 into a cluster.
This setup can deliver up to three times the performance of a single unit.
The M5 Ultra chip offers an impressive memory bandwidth of 1.2TB/s, enabling the machine to handle very large AI models with ease.
Pricing
How much do they cost?
Mac Mini with M6 begins at ₹99,900, while the M5 Pro version starts at ₹2.09 lakh.
The Mac Studio with M5 Max chip starts at ₹2.79 lakh, while the M5 Ultra variant begins at ₹6.3 lakh.
Pre-orders start today and the devices will be up for grabs from September 22.