If you’ve been holding out on picking up a Mac mini M4, now is the perfect time to finally pull the trigger as not only is Apple’s smallest Mac yet on sale for Prime Day, so too are my must-have accessories to get the most out of it.
Right now, you can get the Mac mini M4 for just $499 at Amazon. That’s $100 off its normal price after you clip an additional coupon before adding it to your cart. However, if you need even more power, the Mac mini M4 Pro is $140 off and comes with 24GB of memory (instead of 16GB) and even more storage.
The Mac mini M4 is without a doubt one of the best mini PCs you can buy today, especially if you prefer macOS to Windows. Likewise, it’s a great starter Mac desktop for those looking to make the switch to macOS as well as for people that are just tired of having to charge one of the best MacBooks each night.
Compared to its predecessor, the Mac mini M4 is a big step up. Not only does it feature Apple’s M4 chips but the case has been redesigned from the ground up to be smaller and more compact at just 5 x 5 x 2 inches.
At the same time, you now get two USB-C ports and a headphone jack on the front, which means you don’t have to reach around back to plug in a pair of wired headphones or to connect accessories to your Mac mini M4.
Around back, you now get three Thunderbolt ports, an HDMI port and a gigabit Ethernet port. It’s worth noting that while the standard Mac mini M4 has three Thunderbolt 4 ports, the pro version features even faster Thunderbolt 5 ports instead.
Unfortunately though, the Mac mini M4 isn’t perfect. Apple still charges an arm and a leg for additional storage and you won’t be able to power on or off the device without lifting it up on its desk. Thankfully, my favorite Mac mini M4 accessory fixes my biggest gripes with Apple’s latest mini PC.
Docked and loaded
Compared to the Mac mini M2, the new Mac mini M4 is a much more capable mini PC thanks to its boosted RAM and faster M4 chip. However, by upgrading, you do miss out on USB-A ports as the latest Mac mini doesn’t have any at all. That’s where a hub like this one from Satechi can help.
Thanks to Prime Day savings, you can pick up a Satechi Mac Mini M4 Hub & Stand for just $79 at Amazon. This is $50 off its normal price and while still somewhat on the expensive side, I consider this hub an absolute must for the Mac mini M4.
Besides all those extra ports up front and the built-in SD card reader, when you flip the Satechi mac Mini M4 Hub & Stand over, there’s a small compartment where you can add an internal SSD. Apple still charges $200 each time you move up a tier from the Mac mini M4’s 256GB SSD. Want to add a 1TB SSD to your Mac mini M4? That will cost you an extra $400 on top of what you’re already paying.
With Satechi’s hub though, you can add any M.2 NVMe SSD to expand your Mac mini M4’s storage by up to 4TB. It’s worth noting that multiple SSD sizes including 2230, 2242, 2260 and 2280 are supported, so you don’t have to look for a particular size if you do decide to add more storage to your Mac mini M4.
Satechi seems to have thought of everything though as around back, there’s a cutout on the left side of the hub. With your Mac mini M4 docked in it, you can reach the device’s power button without having to lift it up off your desk.
Made for Mac but mechanical
Apple’s Magic Keyboards are certainly popular but they pale in comparison to the experience you get when typing on one of the best mechanical keyboards. Instead of feeling a rubber membrane beneath your keyboard’s keys, each key features its only mechanical switch for a more accurate and comfortable typing experience.
Once again, thanks to Prime Day, you can get the Satechi SM3 Slim Mechanical Keyboard for just $83 at Amazon right now. This full-sized keyboard features low-profile switches and comes in either a light gray/white or dark gray/gray color scheme to match the rest of your desk setup. It also has a sturdy aluminum case, so you don’t feel any flexing or bending while typing.
As for connectivity, Satechi’s SM3 mechanical keyboard can connect to your Mac mini M4 over Bluetooth, with the included 2.4 GHz USB dongle or with a USB cable plugged into the USB-C port around back. There you’ll also find a handy on/off switch which is great if you want to save battery life. However, with its built-in 2,500 mAh battery, you can get about 20 days worth of usage or 15 days with its backlight on. Oh yeah, did I mention it has white LED backlighting and shine-through keycaps?
There are 14 LED backlit patterns to choose from and you can turn down the SM3’s backlighting using the F5 and F6 keys right from the keyboard itself. This is also a very comfortable keyboard to use due to its flat keycaps and low-profile design which helps reduce fatigue while typing.
It’s worth noting that unlike with other mechanical keyboards, you don’t have a lot of options when it comes to which mechanical switches you want to use with the SM3.
The keyboard only comes with low-profile brown switches which I personally love. They aren’t clicky like blue switches and they don’t go straight down like red ones. Instead, brown switches have a nice tactile bump to let you know when a key is actuated. They’re great for both a home or office environment too as they aren’t loud unless you have a tendency to bottom out while typing.
If brown switches aren’t for you though, you’re going to want to look elsewhere as the SM3 isn’t a hot-swappable keyboard where you can change out its switches whenever you want. This is because its mechanical switches are soldered to the keyboard’s motherboard. You could still technically swap them out but that would require desoldering the brown ones, adding new switches and then soldering them.
I’ve been using Satechi’s SM3 mechanical keyboard with my Mac mini M4 since it was released and I haven’t had any issues yet. It’s a very comfortable keyboard and I like how I have all of the macOS-specific keys right at my fingertips. However, it does work on Windows and even on Chromebooks too.
A tiny powerhouse
With the extra ports and storage from Satechi’s hub and its SM3 keyboard connected, the Mac mini M4 instantly transforms from a great mini PC to a near perfect one. Even with the base model, I found it could handle my workload which involves having dozens of Chrome tabs open simultaneously while writing and editing.
If you’re thinking about picking up a Mac mini M4, I highly recommend getting these accessories with it. You’ll also need a mouse or, if you’re like me, a trackball mouse and one of the best monitors to complete your desk setup.
While it makes sense to choose a monitor with built-in speakers so you don’t have to buy a pair of the best computer speakers too, it’s worth noting that the Mac mini M4 does have a single speaker inside which should work in a pinch for listening to music, watching content online or even taking video calls.
I’ve wanted to switch back to using a Mac for years now but it wasn’t until the release of the Mac mini m4 that I finally did. The experience was almost perfect and I’m very impressed with Apple’s smallest Mac yet. However, once I added Satechi’s hub and keyboard to the mix, I was finally able to ditch my Windows PC for good.
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