Apple's surprise new Mac mini and Studio bring masses more power for creatives, and there's a way to save over $500
(Image credit: Apple / Future) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Surprise & Shine is the name for Apple's 9 September event, where we expect to…
(Image credit: Apple / Future) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Surprise & Shine is the name for Apple's 9 September event, where we expect to hear about the iPhone 18 and long-rumoured foldable iPhone Ultra. But perhaps a bigger surprise was this week's largely unexpected announcement of a new Max mini and Mac Studio.The Cupertino tech giant has upgraded the silicon in both of its desktop computers. The new Mac mini comes with a choice between Apple's M5 Pro or new M6 chip, while the Mac Studio comes with either the M5 Max or M5 Ultra. In each case it's an iterative but significant jump that should mean better performance in creative software.Preorders are now live, with prices starting at $899 / £899 for the base M6 Mac mini and $2,499 / £2,499 for the Mac Studio with M5 Max chip. Premium configurations of the M5 Ultra cost well over $10,000, but there are ways to save on all models. The Apple Store is offering trade-in credit if you have swap an older Mac: up to $480 for an older Mac mini and up to $580 for a MacBook Air.Latest Videos FromCreative BloqWatch full video here: The new Mac desktops will start shipping on 22 September. Also check out the brilliant new stop-motion Mac mini advert.Mac mini M6: $899 at Apple | Amazon | Best BuyMac mini M5 Pro: $1,699 at Apple | Amazon | Best BuyMac Studio M5 Max: $2,499 at Apple | Best BuyMac Studio M5 Ultra: $5,499 at Apple | Best BuyNew 2026 Mac mini and Mac Studio: who are they for?Great valueApple Mac mini M6: $899 at AppleThe base model of the excellent-value Mac mini is the choice for everyday content creators, graphic design students and AI hobbyists. It's been upgraded to Apple's newest chipset, the M6, which Apple claims offers up to 4x faster AI performance and 40% faster CPU speed compared to previous models. Configurations start from 16GB of memory and 256GB SSD.Apple | Amazon | Best BuyView DealFor editorsApple Mac mini M5 Pro: $1,699 at AppleFor video editors, VFX artists and 3D designers, the Mac mini M5 Pro starts with 24GB of RAM and 512GB SSD. With up to an 18-core CPU and 20-core GPU, it provides masses of power in a compact device for pro creative workflows. Apple cites up to 1.4x faster rendering performance with ray tracing in Blender when compared to the Mac mini M4 Pro and 1.5x faster image processing in Affinity.Apple | Amazon | Best BuyView DealFor VFX and animatorsApple Mac Studio M5 Max: $2,499 at AppleApple's Mac Studio can now be configured with an M5 Max chipset up to 18-core CPU, up to 40-core GPU, and up to 128GB unified memory. You want ports? You get two USB-C, one SDXC, four Thunderbolt 5 ports, HDMI and a headphone jack. This is a machine for High-end VFX, motion graphics and 3D animators. Apple | Best BuyView DealFor studios and AI researchersApple Mac Studio M5 Ultra: $5,499 at AppleAt the top of the ladder for film studios, 3D artists, AI researchers, and data scientists, the base model of the M5 Max Mac Studio comes with 96GB of memory and a 1TB SSD, and it goes up from there. Configurations with a mammoth 512GB memory will start shipping in October (what RAM crisis?, I hear you ask). Apple's aiming at users looking to run large language models (LLMs) entirely on-device or those who need extreme compute power for rendering, simulation, and frontier-class AI models.Apple | Best BuyView Deal Image 1 of 4 (Image credit: Apple) (Image credit: Apple) (Image credit: Apple) (Image credit: Apple) Image 1 of 4 View Original Image 2 of 4 View Original Image 3 of 4 View Original Image 4 of 4 View Original Get the Creative Bloq NewsletterSign up to Creative Bloq's daily newsletter, which brings you the latest news and inspiration from the worlds of art, design and technology. TOPICS Joe FoleyFreelance journalist and editorJoe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango. View More You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. 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