Apple has launched its new Mac mini lineup with the M6 and M5 Pro chips in India. The new compact desktops focus heavily on local AI performance, while also bringing faster graphics, more memory bandwidth and upgraded connectivity.
Apple is also positioning the new Mac mini as an always-on computer for AI workloads. The idea is that users can run AI models and agentic workloads locally instead of constantly relying on cloud services.
The new M6 Mac mini comes with a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU. The GPU includes dedicated Neural Accelerators in each core, which Apple says can deliver up to four times faster AI performance and up to twice the graphics performance compared to the M4 generation.
The M6 also includes a dual 16-core Neural Engine and supports up to 32GB of unified memory. The base model comes with 16GB memory, while memory bandwidth reaches 170GB/s.
Apple claims the M6 delivers up to 40% faster CPU performance and twice the storage performance compared with the previous generation. It also claims up to 4.8x faster LLM prompt processing in LM Studio compared with the M4 Mac mini.
The graphics improvements should also make the Mac mini more capable for gaming. Apple claims up to twice the ray-traced gaming performance in Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition compared with the M4 model.
These are Apple’s own performance claims, so real-world performance will depend on the application and workload.
M5 Pro Mac mini is built for heavier workloads
For users who need more performance, Apple has introduced the Mac mini with M5 Pro. It can be configured with up to an 18-core CPU and 20-core GPU, along with up to 64GB of unified memory. Memory bandwidth goes up to 307GB/s.
The M5 Pro also brings third-generation hardware ray tracing, improved shader cores and Neural Accelerators in the GPU. Apple is targeting this version at developers, 3D artists, game developers and other professionals working with demanding workloads.
Apple claims up to 8.5x faster LLM prompt processing in LM Studio compared with an M2 Pro Mac mini. It also claims up to 4.5x faster ray-traced rendering in Blender compared with the M2 Pro and up to 2.1x faster image processing in Affinity.
The higher memory capacity is particularly important for local AI. Large language models and other AI workloads can quickly run into memory limits, so the 64GB option gives the M5 Pro model considerably more room for running larger models locally.
Both versions support Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and 2.5Gb Ethernet, with a 10Gb Ethernet option available. The M6 model gets three Thunderbolt 4 ports, while the M5 Pro version gets three Thunderbolt 5 ports. The faster interface allows multiple Mac mini systems to be connected together for more demanding workloads.
Apple says users can create Mac mini clusters over Thunderbolt 5 to run larger AI models locally. This could make the M5 Pro Mac mini particularly interesting for developers and researchers experimenting with local AI without investing in much more expensive workstation hardware.
The new Mac mini also supports Genlock over USB-C, allowing hardware-level synchronization between displays and compatible camera systems.
New Mac mini price in India
The new Mac mini is available in several configurations in India.
- Mac mini M6, 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD: Rs. 99,900
- Mac mini M5 Pro, 15-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD: Rs. 2,09,900
- Mac mini M5 Pro, 18-core CPU, 20-core GPU, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD: Rs. 2,33,900
The M6 model starts at Rs. 88,900 for education customers, while the M5 Pro starts at Rs. 1,97,900 with education pricing.
Pre-orders have started in India and other markets, with retail availability beginning September 22.
