Apple’s New Mac mini and Mac Studio: M6, M5 Ultra, Prices and Release Date

Apple’s August 25 desktop announcement introduced a new Mac mini with the company’s first 2-nanometer M6 chip and refreshed the Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra options. Both machines are positioned less as conventional desktops and more as compact systems for running AI models and agents locally. Pre-orders opened August 25, with customer deliveries and store availability beginning September 22. 2514

The Mac mini’s headline feature is the 2nm M6 chip

The base Mac mini is the first Apple computer announced with an M6-generation processor. Apple says the M6 is built on a 2-nanometer process and includes a 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and Dual 16-core Neural Engine. It supports up to 170GB/s of unified-memory bandwidth. 34

Apple claims the new mini delivers up to four times faster AI performance, twice the graphics and storage performance, and 40% faster multithreaded performance than the previous model. Those are vendor-reported comparisons rather than independent benchmark results. 147

Local language models are a central use case

Apple highlighted local AI workloads rather than treating them as a secondary feature. It describes the Mac mini as an “always-on agentic computing” desktop that can host models and AI agents without relying entirely on cloud services. 14

In one specific comparison, Apple said LM Studio prompt processing on the M6 Mac mini can be up to 13.5 times faster than on an M1 Mac mini and up to 4.8 times faster than on an M4 Mac mini. These figures should be read as Apple’s test claims; actual performance will vary with the model, quantization, memory configuration and workload. 7

Mac mini configurations and price

The M6 Mac mini starts with 16GB of unified memory and can be configured with up to 32GB. The entry model includes 256GB of storage and starts at $899 in the U.S., compared with $799 for the preceding model. 131114

Apple also offers the Mac mini with an M5 Pro chip. That version starts at $1,699, includes 24GB of memory and 512GB of storage, and can be configured with up to an 18-core CPU and 20-core GPU. 914

The lineup moves from the previous M4 and M4 Pro choices to M6 and M5 Pro, meaning there is no standard M5 Mac mini configuration in this refresh. 2811

Mac Studio adds M5 Max and a quad-die M5 Ultra

The refreshed Mac Studio is available with either M5 Max or M5 Ultra. The M5 Max model starts at $2,499, while the M5 Ultra model starts at $5,499. 258

M5 Max configurations reach an 18-core CPU, 40-core GPU and 128GB of unified memory. The higher-end M5 Ultra is Apple silicon’s first quad-die design: Apple says it links two dual-die M5 Max chips through its next-generation UltraFusion interconnect. 45

At its maximum configuration, M5 Ultra reaches:

• 36 CPU cores
• 80 GPU cores
• 512GB of unified memory
• 1.2TB/s of unified-memory bandwidth

Apple says that bandwidth is 50% higher than on M3 Ultra. Its argument is that the interconnect allows the multiple dies to function as one unified system, helping the Mac Studio handle large local language models and other demanding AI inference workloads. 458

Thunderbolt 5 and MLX extend the local-AI pitch

Apple also emphasized connectivity and multi-machine workflows. Thunderbolt 5 supports high-speed expansion and can be used to connect multiple Mac Studio systems for clustered workloads. Apple said a four-Studio cluster can deliver up to three times faster distributed AI inference than a single system. 5

The software side of that strategy is MLX, Apple’s open-source framework optimized for Apple silicon. It is designed for running, training and fine-tuning machine-learning models, giving developers a path to use multiple Apple silicon systems for local experimentation and inference. 5

What the announcement means for buyers

The product split is clear. The Mac mini is the lower-cost entry point for developers, enthusiasts and small teams that want a compact desktop capable of running local models. The Mac Studio is aimed at heavier workloads where memory capacity, GPU cores and sustained throughput matter more than entry price.

The trade-off is a higher starting price. The Mac mini rises by $100 over its predecessor to $899, while industry reporting has linked Apple’s broader Mac price pressure and potential supply constraints to shortages affecting memory and silicon. Those supply reports do not establish that every configuration will be unavailable, but they are relevant for buyers considering high-memory systems. 117

Apple’s confirmed announcement supports the M6, M5 Ultra, the published specifications, the local-AI positioning and the September 22 availability date. Claims about macOS 26.2 driving demand or a September 1 CEO succession are not supported by the announcement evidence provided here and should not be treated as part of the product launch details.