There’s big news in the land of small desktops. Jason Snell at Six Colors:
In a bit of a late-August surprise while the world awaits word on the next generation of iPhones, on Tuesday Apple announced two new processors, the M5 Ultra and M6, which help power new iterations of its Mac Studio and Mac mini desktop computers.
Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro
The M6 is built with a new 2-nanometer process and comes with 12 CPU cores, up from the 10 found in the base M4 and M5. It packs six efficiency cores, four performance cores, and two super cores. Snell explains:
According to Apple, each core design is focused on a different primary task: efficiency cores are meant to sip power (useful when running simple background tasks); performance cores are optimized for complex, multi-threaded jobs; and super cores were created to offer the highest possible single-threaded performance.
The higher-end Mac mini is now powered by the M5 Pro. Both Mac mini models include Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, 2.5Gb Ethernet (10Gb is an option), and both top out at 64 GB of unified memory. If you need 8 TB of storage, the M5 Pro is required.
Mac Studio with M5 Max & M5 Ultra
Since March of last year, the Mac Studio has been available with either an M4 Max or an M3 Ultra SoC, with RAM upgrade options dwindling over time.
No more! Now users can choose between the M5 Max previously seen in the MacBook Pro, or an all-new M5 Ultra. The former is available with an 18-core CPU and 32-core GPU or an 18-core CPU and 40-core GPU. The Ultra also comes in two variants: one with a 30-core CPU and 64-core GPU, and one with 36 CPU cores paired to 80 GPU cores. RAM tops out at 256 GB for the Max, with a 512 GB option coming in October for the Ultra.
The Ultra is something special, according to Apple:
M5 Ultra, the ultimate powerhouse for pro and AI workloads, uses next-generation UltraFusion technology to form a quad-die architecture for the first time in an M-series system on a chip (SoC).
You can get 16 TB of storage for a cool $7,500, but it requires the M5 Ultra.
Pricing & Avaibility
Because we’re in 2026, these new machines come with new starting prices:
- M6 Mac mini: $899 (+$100)
- M5 Pro Mac mini: $1,699 (+$100)
- M5 Max Mac Studio: $2,499 (unchanged)
- M5 Ultra Mac Studio: $5,499 (+$200)
These new prices are on top of Apple’s recently announced price increases. For comparison, the M4 Mac mini started at $499, while the M4 Max Mac Studio was initially sold for $1,999.
The new Mac mini and Mac Studio ship on September 22 and will both require macOS Golden Gate.