Apple has reversed its policy on user-upgradeable SSD storage in the new M5/M6 Mac mini by soldering the storage to the logic board, eliminating the upgrade option that was available in previous M4 models. However, the new Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips retains slotted, replaceable SSD modules, though they use proprietary serialized components that limit third-party upgrade options.
Apple's new Mac mini models with M6 and M5 Pro chips have soldered, non-upgradeable storage, reversing the removable SSD capability of M4/M4 Pro models. Additionally, 256GB configurations use a single NAND chip resulting in roughly half the SSD speeds of higher-capacity models, though still faster than previous generations.
Apple's new M6 and M5 Pro Mac mini models return to soldered NAND storage, eliminating the upgrade capability that was available in M4/M4 Pro models. Additionally, 256GB configurations use a single NAND chip, resulting in slower SSD speeds compared to 512GB+ models, though still faster than previous generations.
Apple's new M6 and M5 Pro Mac mini models have returned to soldered storage, eliminating the user-upgradeable SSD option that was available in the M4 generation. This change means users must pay Apple's premium upgrade prices ($500 for 256GB to 1TB) rather than using affordable third-party alternatives like Expand Mac mini's $300 module.
Amazon offers release-day discounts on new Mac mini and Mac Studio models, with the M6 Mac mini at $1,069.99 and M5 Max Mac Studio at $2,449.99, both featuring $30–$50 off MSRP. The desktops officially launched on September 22, 2026, with various configurations available for purchase.
Apple Silicon chips (M2 through M5) achieved approximately 50% single-core performance improvement over three years, driven primarily by increased CPU frequency (3.5 to 4.6 GHz), higher instructions-per-cycle decode width, additional efficiency cores, and significantly improved memory bandwidth (154 GB/s on M5 versus 100 GB/s on M2). The newer M6 chip adds further performance gains through additional cores and bandwidth increases.
Apple's M5 Ultra and M6 chips show significant GPU performance gains in early Geekbench 7 benchmarks, with the M5 Ultra achieving 59% higher Metal scores than the M3 Ultra and the M6 showing 34% improvement over the M5. New Mac Studio and Mac mini models featuring these chips launch Tuesday.