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Both were being run by the same M1 Mac mini.įinally, a lot of people pointed out that the M1 Mac mini and M1 MacBook Pro feature only two Thunderbolt ports instead of four. That’s how I was able to compare the blooming performance of the Dell UP3221Q and the Pro Display XDR side-by-side without using two computers. Between the USB-4 ports and the HDMI 2.0 port, you can run two displays simultaneously: 6K 10-bit at up to 60Hz through the USB-4 port, and 4K 10-bit at up to 30Hz through the HDMI. In terms of ports, the M1 Mac mini features two USB-A ports, two USB-4 ports (essentially Thunderbolt 4), an HDMI 2.0 port, a gigabit Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Small and discrete, I’ve always loved the Mac mini for how easily it can slot away in some corner of a desk, looking for all the world like a fancy paperweight. It’s a well-built aluminum box, and that’s about all you can say about it. Unlike our laptop reviews, we won’t spend much time on design and built quality.
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I would not advise skimping on RAM, especially since there’s no way to upgrade it later.
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If I were customizing my own Mac mini for photo editing, I’d probably skimp on Apple’s SSD upgrades and buy the 1TB version ($1,300) or 512GB version ($1,100) instead.
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To explain why, I need to turn to economics. It might seem like this makes for three redundant options, but after reviewing the MacBook Pro and spending a month with the new Mac mini, I can confidently say that the Mac mini is the best choice for the majority of photographers. When Apple debuted the M1 system on a chip (SOC), it released three computers equipped with the same CPU/GPU/RAM combo: the M1 MacBook Air, the M1 MacBook Pro, and the M1 Mac mini.
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