Unboxing the new Mac mini M2 Pro: Comparison and Review

The new 2023 Mac mini M2 and M2 Pro Mac mini are here with the new Apple Silicon, up to 32GB of RAM, and 8TB of storage. In this video I unbox, benchmark and take a first look at the M2Mac mini and check Disk Speed, Final Cut Pro export times and Geekbench benchmark scores using macOS Ventura. #Macmini #MacBook #Apple #macOS
In this video I compare the M2 Pro Mac mini with the M2 MacBook Air and M1 Max MacBook Pro.
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**Chapters**
00:00 - Everything New
00:08 - Price and Specs
00:57 - Unboxing
02:27 - Ports
02:49 - Display Support
04:02 - Comparison
04:47 - Setup
07:18 - Disk Speed Test
08:33 - Benchmarks
09:39 - Video Export Test
12:53 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts
-----------------
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[@zollotech]

What do you think of the new M2 and M2 Pro Mac mini? Thanks for watching, it is always appreciated.

[@RaghavVijay]

I am surprised.Honestly feel it’s better to get a cheaper M1 Max.

[@kreigerbailey3550]

Portland, JAMAICA in the Building!!!

[@bradleycochran4595]

I purchased one for my wife and so far she loves it. She uses it for basic computer work and to manage her recipes. I got the base model for only $499 with the educational discount. I looked at some desktop options from dell, hp, Asus, Lenovo at the 500 to 600 dollar range and there is nothing that could compare to the Mac mini.

[@Braden12]

Been waiting for this!

[@AdelmoGalindo]

Very interesting and elucidative! Thank you for sharing the test with us!

[@cynterslave]

I have the M1 Mac Mini and it’s been amazing. Mac Minis really are a great value

[@RaghavVijay]

Awesome Aaron,Thanks for your informative and amazing unboxing-Keep up the great content!. Wow this was crazy,I can’t believe the difference in the exports,Thanks so much Aaron for this great content,The M1 Max is so great compared to the rest!.

[@HegoDamaskII]

M2 Pro model is definitely worth it for the Hdmi 2.1 and the 4 USB-C ports.

[@9852323]

I want usb-a

[@carstenb23]

@@9852323 It has 2 usb-a ports

[@HegoDamaskII]

@@carstenb23 Exactly

[@jawharamir5283]

Nice unboxing Aaron ❤

[@smalldata5489]

This is Really Awesome

[@JohnPaul-Texas]

Aaron - always learn from your videos. I am upgrading from a 2018 Mac mini to a new Mac mini Pro - can you say more about transferring data to the new machine. I have one monitor. Is there a video about using iCloud to transfer to the new Mac vs the migration tool? Would appreciate your advice. Thanks again for all you do.

[@RealJoseph123]

Find a college student to get it at the $499 education discount… 😂

[@internationaltrailers2815]

You don’t have to as in APPLE usa store, you wont be asked any ID verification as a student.

[@mattbuffo9967]

if you buy it online, Apple doesn't ask for student verification, if you go in stores they might

[@julianvillarreal1450]

Nice Unboxing, Aaron!

[@TransplantHelper]

The M1 mini is the best purchase I’ve ever made. I won’t likely update yet but I’m excited they are offering the upgrades. I will buy again! 😊

[@garymawdsley]

Another great review, thank you. I'm debating whether to spend the extra £s and get the Pro version. I'm a big fan of the Mac mini.

[@StalwartMan]

Thank you 👍

[@eprohoda]

How u doing?,love it!super job.

[@Lynn-zw7dr]

Thanks Aaron watching now! ☺️👌❤️

[@Conannnnn]

I think I may grab this one.

[@BigZeus]

The value on these is insane

[@shawnremel3160]

Wow nice

[@RiannaNicole]

I have the 16 GB m1 Mac mini, and don’t see my self needing to upgrade, so I’ll wait until I need to, since I’m a basic user, with some light photo editing and general home tasks, like web browsing and office suite work.

[@getstew]

iLoud Micro speakers. Nice! man I love mine!

[@solivares]

cool video

[@JamesUmpherson]

Now that Apple is required to change from the thunderbolt charging, dies this mean it will change the rear ports? Is it required to use a Mac monitor?

[@michaelgriffith4110]

Damn nice setup. Doin very well for yourself now a days. You should auction off any of those products you dont use to the fans of zollotech

[@stow8619]

Would you get a high end m2 pro mini over a studio?

[@Erdadler]

The Mac Mini finally gets the boost it deserves…very interesting with the M2 Pro! …and finally tvOS 16.3 is out…late but finally 😅

[@WillWatchAnything]

I’m not much of a power user so M2 Pro might be a little overkill for me. But the base model M2 at $600 is very tempting.

[@thegamingenderman]

when I saw it at $600 I was thinking, whats the catch since its Apple. Guess they really want people hooking into the services and ecosystem more.

[@moisesrosado4023]

@@thegamingendermanthe catch it’s slower SSDs. Just like the base M2 MacBook Air.

[@jobz9150]

@@thegamingenderman The catch is that the 256GB base model is very slow compared to the 512 and 1TB versions

[@TheCapTan]

How will the m2 mac mini Pro do with 4k editing withe 4 cams using FCP multicam. My intel MCP i9 - 16 with 32gb of ram has a hard time but is doable.

[@mikez2501]

@zollotech what monitor are you using here?

[@seanbreslin5836]

Can you plug a Mac Mini into a 2019 iMac and use the screen?

[@amussegaard]

The reason for the video export benchmark running twice as fast on the M1 Max is due to dual hevc encoders. It has nothing to do with SSD speed.

[@christophstoebich]

HomePod-Mini shows wrong temperatur with 16.3, about +2 degr. celsius to low, anyone else?

[@888noreddin]

I have $2000. Is it recommended to take the highest-spec Mac Mini or go to Mac Studio? what do you think ?

[@titustucan9654]

Thanks a lot for the review. What SSD size should one buy in order to have the best SSD R/W performance. If a 512gb has 2 NAND chips and reaches 3000, would 1tb give 6000? Is there anyone there who owns a MM M2 Pro with 1tb to test the speed ?

[@claudelussier8339]

is it possible to use the screen of my iMac 2015 5k, with a Mac mini ?!

[@nushnume]

Is the 256GB non Pro model slower than the 256GB M1 model? i'm thinking of buying it,i have an base M1 Macbook Air and i like the speed it has. Is the base model M2 Mac Mini worse in terms of speed due to the "new" SSD? I don't do heavy tasks with it,i just want it to run fast

[@ZyliceLiddell]

The MacBooks come with more GPU & CPU cores. Why doesn’t the Mini have the option of the M2 Max?

[@sudipchatterjee]

Thanks for this! I’m all for that pro with 4 Thunderbolt ports. The pricing of the base models (both nonpro and pro) is very tempting! But as soon as you want to upgrade the RAM or SSD, you are in the “Apple” territory.

[@alexsch5583]

A comparison between the binned and unbinned version of the m2 pro would be interesting

[@saulgood2366]

Not really to 99 percent of users.

[@alexsch5583]

@@saulgood2366 true but the stuff that's interesting for 99% has been covered in and out by now. The amount of reviews I have seen now that didn't have ANY new information at all is staggering.

[@saulgood2366]

@@alexsch5583 what would you use this information for?

[@alexsch5583]

@@saulgood2366 well mainly deciding what to purchase and determining what machine offers better value. Also it wouldn't be too outlandish to think that apple might be capping performance, kind of in a similar way like they did with base model SSD and to see if they need to be called out for anti consumer behaviour, given their track record with such things but from what I was able to find out the performance difference is really just down to shere core count and therefore I guess I can credit apple with being reasonable and relatively fair with their pricing here.

[@saulgood2366]

@@alexsch5583 better value? You don’t sound like a pro user who needs the best hardware to generate an income so they would correctly focus on specs and performance > price. For a hobbyist/consumer grade user maybe focusing on a specific use case than ‘value’ might be a better use of your time

[@NA-qs7bg]

I'm found an M1 mac mini 256gb base model on sale for $200 off ($699 instead of $899 - Canadian prices) and I see the M2 mac mini 256gb is now $799 not $899 for the base model. I dont require alot of storage space - I'm more concerned with speed and performance. It looks like the M1 has a better SSD and is cheaper and that may be the better option. Does anyone have any thoughts/comments?

[@stormbreaker82]

Does the 512 gb version have 2 lanes ?

[@WillM.]

I’m thinking about getting an iPad Pro 11 inch 128gb to edit videos and occasionally do school work. Do you think I should? Or should I get the iPad Air or budget iPad?

[@jojag5]

Buy a refurbished iPad Air 4 with 256GB of storage for $599. Once you start adding accessories and Apple care, it's very easy for an "acessory" device to approach $1,500. Stick with the budget option. The base pro is $799, seems reasonable, but then you need more storage for video editing projects (+$100 or more), the pencil (+$130), a keyboard if you want it for schoolwork (+$250), Apple care to protect your investment (+$130), then sales taxes to top it off. A casual accessory device just became $1,410 plus tax. More expensive than M2 Macbook Pro.

[@catgamerstogether6941]

Does this have ddr4 or ddr5?

[@kimj.g.]

Would like to see a comparison between de Mini Pro standard 16GB RAM/ 512GB ssd and the Mini pro 32GB RAM (upgrade) /512GB ssd and the Mini Pro 16GB RAM /512GB / 12 core 19 core Upgrade

[@ZyliceLiddell]

MaxTech do those sort of tests and comparisons.

[@cloutfiendahh]

BRO I WANT ONE SOOOOO BAD! imma get one! i was gonna get apple watch but ill get that instead i have a really powerful gaming pc but i really like apple stuff and plus i dont really use my gaming pc to play games 😂😅

[@metalgearsolid3]

i can’t believe you actually unoxed it! jokes aside great video, apple seems to be offering more bang for its buck recently

[@mocotin]

ほかの人のチャンネルよりわかりやすい説明でとても参考になりました

[@zamora_5312]

Can i upgrade my storage on the mac mini m2 in my own instead from the apple store?

[@zollotech]

No you can’t.

[@zamora_5312]

@@zollotech Thankyou for the reply then ima have to upgrade storage directly from apple.

[@kennybacchus]

M2. Pro. Mac. Mini. Unboxing Benchmarks and. Comparison

[@SuperMatrix59]

Meet the new boss same as the old boss.

[@armen7932]

Keeping my base model M1.

[@VeloNippon]

Waiting for M2 Studio.

[@SimonKabbaj]

I think you have a bad version of m2 pro, mine he give it to me 4500 write and 3800 read

[@matthewmastrobuono582]

This is the first generation I’ve actually wanted a Mac mini

[@matthewmastrobuono582]

For sound and video production, would you suggest the M2 with the step up from 16 GB of RAM or the m2 pro with 16 GB?

[@matthewmastrobuono582]

I currently use a 13 inch MacBook Pro M1 with 16 GB but sometimes I find I use all the RAM if I have an activity monitor open. Never experienced a problem it’s just something I’ve observed.

[@billx4266]

according to maxtech, the base mac mini has also slower speed ssd thanks to the use of just 1 chip

[@Cujobob]

His tests are highly flawed. Another channel compared similar models with only one change and found the RAM was the limiting factor. The slower SSD speed from having just one memory chip is hardly a factor in most workflows.

[@ZyliceLiddell]

@@Cujobob What channel please?

[@JeremyDeBose]

I miss DetroitBorg. But not his saying “literature.”😂 1:39

[@zollotech]

Oh, that’s what I’ve been saying for years. That’s the technical term for it so I’ve been using that for many years. I just haven’t in a while

[@aamalachannel-2023]

ரொம்ப நல்லா இருக்கு❤................

[@ihatethisplace9232]

The speed of the SSD isn’t going to affect video exporting like that at all. You said the final output file was 3.41GBs? My math isn’t exact because I didn’t do exact numbers, but a 3.41GB file written out at over 21 minutes means the SSDs were only writing at about 2.7MB per second. The difference is in the processors and GPUs

[@zollotech]

Possibly but the pro res file that it is compressing from is 70GB or so. There is a lot more reading and writing going on too. Hard to say for sure though

[@bozz1954]

In the UK we pay the equivalent of 805 dollars. Apple have been ripping us off for years and after purchasing 4 iMacs, 5 iPhones and 4 iPads Apple have forced me back to Windows pc’s because I just can’t afford them anymore..👎

[@re-fix9678]

😘😘👌👌

[@kamertonaudiophileplayer847]

M1 > M2 strange discovery, so I am glad keeping M1 pro laptop.

[@Polkster13]

I have heard that if you get the 512 GB storage option on the Mac mini M2 Pro, it is only one NASD and it is half the speed of the M1 Mac mini spec'd the same way. I was also told that the 1 TB option would have 2 NASD and would be much faster on read/write speeds. Can you confirm?

[@D3D587]

Over 3K on 512 and 1.5 on 256.

[@Polkster13]

@@D3D587 Apologies, I meant the Mac mini M2 Pro. The 512 versus 1 TB of storage options. There isn't a 256 option on the M2 Pro. Is there a disk read/write speed difference between the 512 and 1 TB options?

[@RameshKumar-ng3nf]

I wonder why youtubers not making review videos on regular "M2 mini" . A normal regular user dont needed a pro. The entire youtube is filled with M2 pro mini. But nobody is making videos on the regular M2 mini which is equally important for other users as well. Some videos are made on regular M2 mini for 8 GB and telling not to buy and ended. How about 16GB RAM performance on regular M2 mini ? . nobody sharing this.

[@user-jp1qj7mw8v]

Please verify how powerful this pc is in blender…

[@andreas.chrysostomou]

Very nice move from apple. Giving people who want a more powerful machine to buy a M2 Pro for a fraction of money of the MacBook Pro 14”

[@MRSTU1210]

I hate the way hard drives and ram is held to ransom by apple not cool

[@JourneyStand]

If you really think about in terms of thermal, the Mac Mini chassis can easily support a MAX chip. Apple can easily use the Mac Studio for a multi chip setup (have 2 ULTRA or more fused together) and as the base ULTRA as the base.

[@zollotech]

Maybe. In the Max Studio half of it is a fan which runs continuously

[@9852323]

256gb just isn’t enough storage for any computer. Thank god I build my own pcs.

[@DeejayJeanP]

Want to bet.. I used my 2012 MacBook pro until last year to edit 4M videos daily. Ow I have a 4090 sitting in my PC with tons of storage and I'd still buy a M2 Pro for editing. For working, which is it's intended use case, 256 is fine.

[@peravatar]

Of all the creators, Aaron should’ve been sent review units. I can’t believe some people got the review units.

[@plohish1337]

I think 1300$ for mac mini with m2pro is a bit off to justify the purchase, it's too close in pricing to 1600$ mac pro with m1pro, which is similar. If there will be discount deals, then it's great

[@kntwing23]

for $600 u can get a ipad mini buy a keybroad and a pen. pay alittle bite more.

[@stevens1041]

Made where?

[@zollotech]

Malaysia

[@stevens1041]

@@zollotech thank you. Great review.

[@jorgweijers6088]

Dear Aaron, Thx but that is not a proper comparison IMHO MacMini 16Gigs - MBPro 64! Gigs, also Storage.... 8TB vs..... See for instance kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3a2i3d3mr9srNE

[@Christer885]

😊👍🌹

[@chancesareshewears]

Yeah spend 4K or more on a mac mini..INSANITY!

[@lil.kk.69]

Early

[@monkeyfish227]

Typo in your title… unoxing

[@r_6ixx]

First 🎉

[@westbestcloser]

Gift me 😂

[@kntwing23]

i rather get mac book pro 2023.. ipad pro 2023 i pad mini 2023 that just a stupid looking box? not worth my $$$..🤣🤔🥵🤬💩

[@emarte]

I’ll just wait for the M4 Max Mac Studio next year. My base model M1 Pro MacBook Pro is good for years.