M4 Mac mini: Why you should choose it over the M4 MacBook Pro

The new Apple M4 Macs are finally here.

Like many who have been waiting for the latest Apple devices before purchasing them, you may be thinking about purchasing the new M4 MacBook Pro. It is a very powerful laptop that would certainly be a good purchase.

But what if I told you that you could get all the power for more than half the price? This is possible with the new M4 Mac mini.

The argument for the Mac mini: price

This week Apple announced a range of new Macs equipped with its latest silicon chipset, the M4. All M4-powered Macs, from the new iMac to the Mac mini to the MacBook Pro, will be very powerful computers.

However, there is a big price difference between the Mac mini and the MacBook Pro based solely on portability.

Will you be using your computer often? NO? Will you primarily use your Mac stationary, such as at your desk or in your home office? Yes? Then you should think about purchasing the new M4 Mac mini and save some money.

The new base model MacBook Pro with M4 chip starts at $1,599. This M4 MacBook Pro model features a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU, 16GB of memory, and 512GB of SSD storage.

M4 MacBook Pro
Photo credit: Apple

The new base model M4 Mac mini has exactly the same specs, but comes with a slightly smaller 256GB SSD drive. The cost of the Mac mini? $599. That is one thousand dollars in savings.

If you want the exact same specs, you can upgrade the M4 Mac Mini Drive to 512GB of storage, bringing the total price to $799. That's still a savings of $800 and you get the exact same computer specs.

If you put those extra savings into upgrades, you'll get an M4 Mac mini that's much more powerful than the M4 MacBook Pro you wanted to buy, at no extra cost than you originally wanted to spend.

If you opt for the more powerful M4 Pro chip, you'll actually save $600 if you choose the Mac mini instead of the MacBook Pro with the exact same specs.

Photo credit: Apple

The MacBook Pro's premium is entirely due to its portability. So if you don't travel with your computer regularly, why should you get a laptop?

Yes, the MacBook Pro also has an integrated keyboard, mouse pad and display. If you don't have any of these at home, these are all additional costs added to the final cost of the Mac mini. However, many people already have all of these peripherals. And if you don't, you can buy them all once and use them on later Mac minis if you decide to upgrade in the future.

AppleCare+ is easy on your wallet

There's another potential for additional savings if you choose the Mac mini over the MacBook Pro, and that's AppleCare. AppleCare+ covers one year of damage, technical issues, and support for your new Apple device. For your MacBook Pro, it costs $99.99 per year. For the Mac mini, it costs $34.99 per year.

Photo credit: Apple

Additionally, I would recommend that you don't even need AppleCare insurance for your Mac mini, while it's a must for the MacBook Pro. As a desktop computer, the Mac mini sits stationary on your desk. You probably won't drop it or spill anything on it like you would if you carried your MacBook Pro around to set up a temporary workspace in different locations.

Now there are situations where you prefer the MacBook Pro over the Mac mini. If you know you'll be on the go regularly and this is the computer you want to use, the M4 MacBook Pro is for you. If you need the most powerful Mac available, the new MacBook Pro is currently the only device that comes with an upgrade to the M4 Max chip – at least until Apple releases the new Mac Studio M4 computers.

So if you're looking for a stationary setup and a more cost-effective system, the M4 Mac mini is for you.