Should you buy a Mac mini now or wait for M5?

Should you buy a Mac mini now or wait for M5?

https://www.macworld.com/article/3140334/should-you-buy-a-mac-mini-now-or-wait.html

Publish Date: 2026-05-15 06:26:00

Source Domain: www.macworld.com

The Mac mini appeals to both budget-conscious consumers and creative professionals. More recently, it has also become a highly popular platform for AI development and local model execution, thanks to its unique combination of high-bandwidth unified memory, impressive power efficiency, and compact form factor – perfect for scalable stacks of computing power.

Its recent surge in popularity has been driven largely by the exceptional performance-to-price ratio of Apple silicon. Unfortunately, growing demand from AI developers, combined with ongoing component shortages, has led to extremely limited Mac mini availability, with wait times in some cases stretching into months. As a result, finding one in stock at a reasonable price can be difficult – although we have found Mac mini models available to buy in the U.K.

There is another reason why those looking to purchase a Mac mini should consider waiting: Apple is widely expected to refresh the Mac mini with M5 series chips in the near future. If you can afford to wait, that would be our recommendation. 

However, if you need a Mac mini sooner and manage to find one available, we can help you decide whether it’s worth buying, what a fair price would be, and whether you’d still be better off waiting for the next generation.

Buy now if:

• You need a desktop Mac immediately
• Retail discounts are strong
• You want best-value Apple desktop

Wait if:

• New Apple Silicon generation is expected soon
• You want longer lifespan from your purchase

Bottom line: 

• The M4 Mac mini is still an excellent purchase, but the expected M5 refresh makes waiting sensible if urgency is low.

Mac mini prices

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