Save $50: As of Feb. 24, the M4 Apple Mac mini with 256GB of storage is on sale for $549, down from $599, netting you an 8% discount at Amazon.
If you want a Mac but don't want to pay $1,000 or more, it's important to remember that MacBooks aren't your only options.
Apple's Mac mini runs the same M4 chip as the MacBook Pro, along with the same 10-core GPU and CPU. It starts at 256GB of storage instead of the Pro's 512GB but that's the most glaring difference spec-wise — except, of course, the price. Compared to the Pro's $1,599, the M4 Mac mini costs just $599, and as of Feb. 24, is on sale for even less at $549. Even in comparison to Apple's other M4 desktop, the iMac, you'll be spending hundreds less on the Mac mini.
These price differences are nothing to balk at, but we do have to note up top that if you need a machine with portability, the Mac mini is a desktop machine that won't work for you. However, if you find yourself working at your desk most of the time anyway, the mini is a way cheaper entry-price than the Pro laptops, leaving plenty of wiggle room for you to buy a monitor, keyboard, and mouse (if you don't already have one) and still be spending hundreds less than you would on the Pro (and the iMac for that matter).
Mashable's Matt Binder put it best in his comparison of the two computers: "If you're seeking a stationary setup and a more cost-effective system, the M4 Mac mini is for you."
Alongside the performance specs, the Mac mini comes with eight ports, including: a headphone jack, two USB-C ports, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, one HDMI 2.1 port, and an Ethernet port.
