Possible release in the first half of 2026 The Mac mini has had an erratic release history. Apple went through periods of updating the Mac mini annually and then decided to wait as long as four years. Switching from Intel to Apple Silicon didn’t create any consistency; the M1 Mac mini was around for three years before it got its M2 upgrade. The Mac mini skipped the M3 and got an M4 upgrade (and a redesign) in November 2024. Since laptops dominate Apple’s Mac sales, desktop Macs like the Mac mini won’t see consistent annual upgrades. And with recent reports of Apple doing some redesigns for its higher-end chips, it is possible that we could see the Mac mini with the Pro chip see longer upgrade cycles in the future. The M5 is out, however, and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that the M5 and M5 Pro Mac mini are on Apple’s product schedule for 2026. When in 2026 remains a question, though with the M6 expected in the second half of 2026, expect the M5 and M5 Pro Mac mini to be released in early spring or, at the latest, at WWDC26 in June 2026. 2026 Mac mini: Processor Expected to have M5 and M5 Pro Apple has yet to establish a consistent upgrade cycle with the Apple Silicon Mac mini. Apple released M1 and M2 versions but skipped the M3 and went with the M4. So, Apple isn’t afraid to skip a chip cycle with the Mac mini. But it looks like Apple isn’t going to skip the M5. Mark Gurman reported that Apple has the Mac mini on the 2026 release schedule with M5 and M5 Pro chips. Apple 2026 Mac mini: Specs 16GB RAM (M5); 24GB RAM (M5 Pro) Thunderbolt 4 (M5); Thunderbolt 5 (M5 Pro) Wi-Fi 6E (802. 11ax) and Bluetooth 5. 3 With the M4 Mac mini, Apple increased the base RAM from 8GB (base M chip model) and 16GB (Pro M chip model) to 16GB and 24GB, respectively. That’s the standard configuration going forward, with user options to add more memory at the time of purchase. The M4 Mac mini has Thunderbolt 4, while the M4 Pro Mac mini has Thunderbolt 5. The recently released M5 chip has Thunderbolt 4, so that’s what will be in the M5 Mac mini. While specifications on the M5 Pro have not been reported, it will have Thunderbolt 5. The current Mac mini has Wi-Fi 6E (802. 11ax) and Bluetooth 5. 3. This didn’t change with the M5 MacBook Pro, so it looks like Apple will not upgrade to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 with the M5 Mac mini. This also means that Apple might not use its N1 wireless networking chip, which made its debut with the iPhone 17. No reports have been made about changes to the inner workings of the Mac mini. New Mac mini: Design Mac mini redesign was introduced in 2024 Apple did a major redesign of the Mac mini in 2024, making it much smaller. This design will be in place for several years to come. It can’t really make it any smaller and still have it provide the features users need. No reports have been made on whether Apple will offer new colors. Foundry The port offerings are also expected to remain the same. The M4 Mac mini has: 2 front USB-C ports (supporting USB 3 at 10Gbps) Front 3. 5mm audio jack 3 rear Thunderbolt ports HDMI port gigabit ethernet port (10Gb ethernet option available).
https://www.macworld.com/article/2964754/2026-mac-mini-m5-pro-design-specs-release-date.html
2026 Mac mini: What we know about the upcoming M5 update
