AppleInsider has published its review of the M6 Mac mini, calling the new Apple Silicon a significant performance leap while faulting the base configuration’s storage and a design quirk. The M6 is Apple’s first 2-nanometre processor in a desktop Mac, featuring 12 CPU cores — two super cores, four performance cores, and six efficiency cores — along with 12 GPU cores and a 32-core Neural Engine.
Apple claims the CPU is 40 per cent faster than the M4, and early Geekbench results reported by AppleInsider show a 23 per cent improvement in single-core (4,034 vs. 3,277) and a 47 per cent improvement in multi-core (22,594) scores. Metal scores jumped 68 per cent to 91,087. The base model comes with 16GB of unified memory (153GB/s bandwidth); higher tiers offer 24GB or 32GB with 170GB/s bandwidth.
The reviewer called the entry-level SSD inadequate for the $899 starting price. The exact base capacity was not specified. The power button sits under the back corner, a placement the reviewer called a mistake: “It was a mistake then, and it’s still a mistake now.” The M6 Mac mini shares the same compact design as the M4 model and skipped the M5 generation. Connectivity includes HDMI, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, two front USB-C ports at 10Gb/s, and 2.5Gb Ethernet (10Gb optional for $100). AppleInsider noted the Mac Studio remains more capable for AI workloads, and the MacBook Neo is cheaper.