In a surprise shift from the usual September calendar, Apple refreshed its official site on the evening of August 25th, unveiling the new Mac mini powered by the M6 and M5 Pro chips, alongside the Mac Studio featuring the M5 Max and M5 Ultra processors.

Perhaps to avoid the typically crowded September launch season, this product release was scheduled for late August and handled entirely through an online update.

This decision means the debut of Apple's 2-nanometer chip technology wasn't reserved for the much-anticipated iPhone 18 series, but instead for a desktop computer.

The Mac mini with M6: Apple's 2nm chip arrives

The M6 marks Apple's first processor built on TSMC's 2-nanometer process. It's also the first mainstream M-series chip to integrate three core types simultaneously: 2 ultra-large cores, 4 performance cores, and 6 efficiency cores, totaling a 12-core CPU. This tri-core architecture, previously exclusive to Pro and Max-level chips, now enters the entry-level Mac segment with the M6.

According to official figures, multi-threaded performance is up 40% compared to the M4 chip. The 12-core GPU doubles graphics performance, while AI compute sees a fourfold boost. Memory bandwidth is also improved by 40%, now supporting up to 170GB/s and a maximum of 32GB of unified memory. Perhaps more significant is the neural engine upgrade: dual 16-core neural engines appear in the Mac mini for the first time, doubling peak AI performance. This translates to visibly smoother local execution of AI image generation models like Stable Diffusion.

The M6 Mac mini starts at $899 in the US (or 6,999 yuan in China, with an education discount of 6,199 yuan). Given it packs 2nm technology, Apple's pricing appears quite restrained. Of course, it runs on macOS 27.

Alongside the M6 model, a Mac mini featuring the M5 Pro chip was also released. This chip upgrade brings Thunderbolt 5 high-speed ports to the Mac mini for the first time, with unified memory configurable up to 64GB.

For users who need to run larger local AI models but don't want to step up to the Mac Studio, the M5 Pro version fills that specific gap. The M5 Pro Mac mini is priced from 12,999 yuan (11,999 yuan with education discount).

The Mac mini retains its role as a versatile desktop computer. Choosing between the M6 and M5 Pro versions is straightforward: it depends on the size of the models you plan to run and your memory needs. For everyday AI agents, coding, and creative tasks, the M6 is sufficient; for demanding local LLM inference and heavy multi-tasking professional workflows, the M5 Pro is the better fit.

Both versions feature storage speeds that are twice as fast as the previous generation. Apple highlights that compared to the M1 Mac mini, AI inference performance is over 20 times faster.

Mac Studio: M5 Max and M5 Ultra push professional limits higher

While the Mac mini provided the initial surprise, the Mac Studio update delivers the substantial power boost professional users have been waiting for.

The M5 Max comes with an 18-core CPU, offering a 30% performance increase over its predecessor. Its 40-core GPU delivers a 50% graphics improvement. Each GPU core now integrates a neural engine, accelerating AI task processing by up to 4 times. The enhancements in CAD modeling, game development, and long-context AI reasoning are immediately noticeable.

The real highlight, however, is the M5 Ultra. Built with next-generation Ultra Fusion technology, it now utilizes a quad-chip architecture. This configuration supports up to 512GB of unified memory and a memory bandwidth of 1.2TB/s. Interconnect bandwidth exceeds 4TB/s, a more than sixfold increase in connection density compared to the previous generation. It features a 36-core CPU (12 ultra-large cores + 24 performance cores) and an 80-core GPU. For the first time, a neural engine is included in an Ultra chip, boosting AI performance by 4.3 times.

What do these numbers mean for real-world professional tasks? Final Cut Pro handles Apple Immersive Video smoothly, Cinema 4D interactions in complex scenes remain fluid, Draw Things generates images almost instantly, and AI coding agent builds are significantly faster – processes that previously involved waiting now complete with minimal delay.

The Mac Studio also supports building quad-clusters via Thunderbolt 5, achieving up to 3 times the AI inference performance of a single unit. This enables running extremely large-scale models. Furthermore, thanks to Apple Silicon's power efficiency, the entire cluster can operate from a standard wall outlet without requiring a dedicated server room.

The Mac Studio with M5 Max starts at 19,999 yuan, while the M5 Ultra version is priced from 46,999 yuan.

Release and Availability

Pre-orders for the new Mac mini and Mac Studio begin today, with official shipments starting on September 22nd. However, the 512GB memory configuration of the Mac Studio will arrive later, potentially influenced by memory price increases, with availability expected in late October.

The iPhone 18 might not launch until next month, but with this update, Apple has made its stance clear: the 2-nanometer era begins with the desktop.