The new M4 Mac Mini might be the most lovable Mac ever - for two reasons

The new, more compact, more powerful Mac Mini (2024) is as good as we hoped it would be. 

That's my first impression of this long-awaited redesign of one of Apple's quirkiest and most utilitarian products. The Mac Mini has long been the lowest-priced and lowest-friction way to jump into the Mac ecosystem. It's also been the Mac that I've seen used in the largest variety of ways. Some of the most creative uses beyond a standard desktop computer include:

Zoom machine for conference rooms Node in a high-density server farm of Mac Minis (see vendors such as MacStadium) Powering digital signage on a large-screen TV Connection hub for podcasting Home media server storing movies and music Streaming TV box replacement with greater control

These are only a few examples. There are many, many other possibilities. That versatility is one of the two things I love the most about the latest Mac Mini.

The second one is its affordability. The fact that Apple has kept the base price of the Mac Mini at $599 is terrific. What's even better is that Apple has made the base level machine even more capable. In addition to the upgraded M4 processor, it now comes with 16GB of RAM (up from 8GB). There's one more USB-C port, the two USB-C ports and the headphone jack are now in the front for easy access, and the form factor is the smallest we've ever seen for a Mac.

If we're picking nits, my big three are:

It feels like Apple put the power button on the bottom for no other reason than to mock us. The base 256GB of storage doesn't make it very future-proof. There's no Wi-Fi 7 (only Wi-Fi 6E).

Also: I tested the M4 MacBook Pro for a week - and even the base model beat my $3,000 laptop

The unit I've been testing is a $2,299 M4 Pro Mac Mini with a 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU, 48GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and 10Gbps Ethernet. The most impressive thing is that it feels like a mini Mac Studio.

Similar to what I wrote in my 2023 Mac Studio review, you'll be hard-pressed to find ways to slow down this Mac Mini without some of the highest-end workloads.

Adam Breeden/ZDNET

There are still things that distinguish the Mac Studio from the new high-end Mac Mini -- it has a built-in SD card slot, higher memory bandwidth, supports up to five external displays (vs. three), can be configured with up to three times as much RAM, and has much stronger video encoding and decoding engines. 

In the same way that the Mac Studio became the machine that a lot more people could buy instead of getting a Mac Pro, there are plenty of scenarios where a Mac Mini with an M4 Pro will be able to save some money if you have previously needed to opt for a Mac Studio.

ZDNET's buying advice

The redesigned Mac Mini M4 is a great machine at a very attractive price. If, however, you have a Mac Mini with an M1 or M2 and you're not experiencing any performance bottlenecks, then there's not much reason to upgrade. If you're replacing an old Intel-based iMac, the Mac Mini could be an excellent option to get the latest MacOS software and Apple Intelligence. 

Also: My favorite feature on Apple's iMac M4 might one of the least talked about

While the new M4 iMacs are super flashy, save some money or potentially upgrade your Mac Mini configuration by pairing it with one of the great monitor options on the market instead of getting a new iMac. 

Of course, there are many other reasons to run a Mac Mini. If you're considering buying a previous generation M2 Mac Mini for one of the creative uses mentioned above -- since they are getting discounted by 20% or more -- I'd caution against it. You're getting a lot more with the new redesigned Mac Mini M4 in a better form factor. It's a much more future-proofed machine that's likely to be useful for longer.