Apple 2026 Mac mini rumor roundup: M5 & M5 Pro specs, price & release date

New 2026 Mac mini M5 Release date: When will Apple update the M5 Mac mini?

• June 2026 release possible

Right now, the Mac mini is surprisingly difficult to buy – especially higher-end configurations. Models with 32GB or 64GB of RAM are either unavailable or significantly delayed. 

On its online store, the 32GB configuration is listed as “Currently Unavailable,” while the 48GB model has shipping estimates stretching 10–12 weeks (mid-to-late June in the UK). Entry-level 16GB models are easier to find, but still come with delays of several weeks, while 24GB variants are also pushed into June delivery windows.

The shortages could be due to global DRAM shortages, with DRAM prices surging due to demand from AI data centers outstripping supply. However, they may also indicate that Apple is going to be updating the Mac mini soon. 

Apple launched MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models with M5, M5 Pro, and M5 Max chips in early March 2026. While some expected the Mac mini to be updated alongside them, Apple often staggers desktop releases behind laptops –and that pattern appears to be continuing.

Unlike MacBooks, which dominate Apple’s Mac sales, desktop Macs don’t follow a consistent annual update cycle. The Mac mini, in particular, has had an irregular history: sometimes updated yearly, other times left untouched for several years. Even with Apple Silicon, consistency hasn’t improved – the M1 model lasted nearly three years before the M2 arrived, and the Mac mini skipped the M3 generation entirely before jumping to M4 in late 2024.

That said, a 2026 update seems increasingly likely. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in late 2025 that M5 and M5 Pro Mac mini models are on Apple’s roadmap, and reiterated in early 2026 that new Mac minis are planned for this year.

All signs point to a launch in the first half of 2026, potentially around WWDC. However, with speculation already building around an M6 chip arriving later in 2026, and global RAM shortages, Apple may delay the update until later in the year.

2026 Mac mini M5 processor: M5 and M5 Pro chips explained

• Expected to offer M5 and M5 Pro options.

Apple has yet to establish a consistent upgrade cycle with the Mac mini since the introduction of Apple Silicon (M-series chips). Apple released M1 and M2 versions but skipped the M3 and went with the M4. So, Apple isn’t afraid to skip a chip cycle with the Mac mini. However, it looks like Apple isn’t going to skip the M5:

• In November 2025, Mark Gurman reported that Apple has the Mac mini on the 2026 release schedule with M5 and M5 Pro chips.
• Then, in December 2025, MacRumors reported that references to the M5 and M5 Pro Mac mini appeared in a set of leaked Apple files.

The new Mac mini is likely to shop M5 and M5 Pro chips, both are already on the market, so we know what to expect from them:

Apple’s M5 chip: Debuted in October 2025. It represents a significant shift in Apple silicon by prioritizing graphics performance and on-device artificial intelligence. While it maintains the 3-nanometer architecture of its predecessor, it introduces a new GPU design that incorporates dedicated hardware for AI tasks.

Apple’s M5 Pro chip: Arrived in March 2026. It introduces a new “Fusion Architecture” combining two dies into one SoC. It offers an 18-core CPU architecture (with 6 super cores and 12 performance cores) and improved multithreaded performance and AI capabilities.

At a glance: Expected performance improvements

Key performance highlights of the M5 chip, as seen in the M5 MacBook Pro, include:

• Graphics: In the MacBook Pro M5 the GPU delivers up to 45% faster performance than the M4 and is roughly 4x faster in peak compute tasks.
• AI Tasks: Due to the new accelerators, certain AI functions—such as image generation in apps like Draw Things – can be up to 3.5 times faster than on the M4.
• Storage Speed: The M5 architecture supports significantly faster SSD performance, with some tests of the M5 in the MacBook Pro showing read and write speeds nearly doubling compared to the previous generation.
• CPU Output: General processing sees a more iterative increase, with single-core and multi-core scores rising by approximately 14% to 22% over the M4 in our MacBook Pro tests.

2026 Mac mini M5 specs: Will the new Mac mini have better specs and configurations?

• Faster 512GB SSD as standard
• Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) and Bluetooth 6

Simon Jary / Foundry

In October 2024, Apple upgraded the base unified memory (RAM) for the Mac mini to 16GB, moving away from the long-standing 8GB entry point. We expect that this 16GB baseline will continue with the M5 models to support multitasking and modern AI workloads.

As with the current M4 models, the new 2026 Mac mini models are likely to offer configurations up to 32GB of RAM for the standard chip and higher for the Pro versions (up to 64GB RAM).

The SSD specs could improve, though. When Apple introduced the new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air in March 2026 is doubled the storage at the entry level. So it is likely that Apple will mirror this with the Mac mini, moving from 256GB SSD to 512 SSB. It’s also likely to offer up to 4TB SSD as a build to order option for the M5 model, while 8TB will remain the limit for the M5 Pro. This storage is also faster.

The M4 Mac mini has Thunderbolt 4, while the M4 Pro Mac mini has Thunderbolt 5. The MacBook Pro with M5 chip also features Thunderbolt 4, so that’s what will be in the M5 Mac mini. While specifications on the M5 Pro have not been reported, it will likely have Thunderbolt 5.

The current Mac mini has Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.3. This didn’t change with the M5 MacBook Pro in October 2025, but, in March 2026, Apple added Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 to the new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models, so it is likely to do the equivalent with the M5 and M5 Pro Mac mini.

At a glance: Expected specs

• From 16GB RAM (M5); 24GB RAM (M5 Pro)
• From 512GB SSD and up to 4TB SSD (M5); 8TB SSD (M5 Pro)
• Thunderbolt 4 (M5); Thunderbolt 5 (M5 Pro)
• Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) and Bluetooth 6

2026 Mac mini M5 design: Are any design changes expected to the Mac mini

• No design changes expected.

Foundry

The M4 Mac mini underwent a significant physical redesign in October 2024, shrinking to a 5-by-5-inch enclosure. This design will be in place for several years to come. The M5 update is anticipated to focus on internal performance enhancements with no changes to the physical chassis.

No reports have been made on whether Apple will offer new colors – so no Space Gray Mac mini is likely.

New 2026 Mac mini M5: Ports

The port offerings are also expected to remain the same as the M4 Mac mini:

• 2 front USB-C ports (supporting USB 3 at 10Gbps)
• Front 3.5mm audio jack
• 3 rear Thunderbolt ports
• HDMI port
• Gigabit ethernet port (10Gb ethernet option available)

New 2026 Mac mini M5 price: Will the price of the Mac mini increase?

• No price changes rumored, but prices could go if Apple increases base-level storage as it has with other Macs
• Apple is moving some Mac mini production to Texas which could affect pricing

For reference, here are the prices for the current base configurations of the 2024 Mac mini:

• $599/£599/CA$799/AU$999 M4, 16GB Unified Memory, 256GB SSD
• $799/£799/CA$1,099/AU$1,299 M4, 16GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD
• $999/£999/CA$1,399/AU$1,599 M4, 24GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD
• $1,399/£1,399/CA$1,999/AU$2,199 M4 Pro, 24GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD

Prices could increase for several reasons, including tariffs and higher component costs. One possible factor is Apple’s recent pricing strategy with the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, where entry-level prices increased while base storage doubled. Apple could adopt a similar approach with the M5 generation of the Mac mini.

If that happens, the starting price could rise by around $100/£100, potentially bringing the entry-level Mac mini to $699/£699 with 512GB of storage.

However, prices may also remain unchanged. In February 2026, Apple announced plans to move part of its Mac mini production to a Foxconn facility in Texas later in the year while continuing manufacturing in Asia. Producing some units in the U.S. could help Apple avoid certain tariffs, although domestic manufacturing may also increase costs.

Another factor in Apple’s pricing strategy is the introduction of the MacBook Neo, which also starts at $599. This means the Mac mini is no longer Apple’s only low-cost Mac. In some ways, the MacBook Neo could be seen as an even better value, since it includes a built-in display.