Things get even worse with the Mac mini M6. If you look at the images in the previous Expand Mac mini post, you can see the SSD module on the bottom of the Mac. The Mac mini M6 shown in the photo is the model with a 256GB SSD and is a single module. As we have seen before, having two SSD modules is better in terms of speed. The single module means it will be significantly slower, although users can upgrade to the 512GB model to get the dual design.
The Mac mini M4 was an outlier for the Mac mini with an upgradeable SSD. If you were buying a Mac mini and were hoping to buy a new one, you could try to find a used M4 Mac mini for sale, but given the Mac mini’s stock issues, you’ll probably end up paying more than you should (and Apple’s Certified Refurbished store doesn’t have any in stock).
Everyday Mac mini buyers probably won’t notice any of these downgrades, but the Mac mini has become very popular among AI enthusiasts, who won’t be happy with the changes. You’ll be happy to know that the M5 Max and Ultra Mac Studio still have an upgradeable SSD. However, that model costs much more than the Mac mini.
