New 2018 Mac Mini Review Roundup [Video]

Apple's long overdue update to the Mac mini arrives tomorrow. Early reviews of the small desktop computer have hit the web ahead of its release.

Check out our roundup below and click here to learn more about the 2018 Mac mini.



Six Colors:
This new Mac mini is exactly what it needs to be. Today the Mac mini is about flexibility and filling niches. This update allows it to span a wide range from basic server needs all the way up to high-end applications that require a great deal of processor power, fast storage, ultra-fast networking, and even beyond (via Thunderbolt 3). The high-end configurations might actually provide enough power for people to consider them over buying the Mac Pro, whenever it comes out.




Marco
The new Mac Mini is a great update, out of nowhere, to a product we thought would never be updated again. Of course, with Apple’s track record on the Mac Mini, it may never be updated after this. This is either the first in a series of regular updates with which Apple proves that they care about the Mac Mini again, or it’s the last Mac Mini that will ever exist and we’ll all be hoarding them in a few years. We can’t know yet.




MacWorld:
At $799, the 3.6GHz quad-core Core i3 Mac mini offers an intriguing combination of performance and value. In many instances—especially with multi-core apps—the Mac mini is as fast as the current $1,499 21.5-inch 3.4GHz quad-core Core i5 iMac (which was released in 2017). You could you decide to buy a new 4K display and input devices with a $799 Mac mini instead of a $1,499 iMac, and you’ll save a little bit of money while getting comparable performance.




CNET:
Performance of the base model is fine, about what you'd expect given the components, but in general I really recommend you skip the quad-core i3 and head for at least the hexacore i5, not just for the speed boost, but for the futureproofing. An increasing number of applications are taking advantage of more cores, and for premium systems quad core is over.