Mac mini 2022 tipped for M1 Max chip and major redesign

Apple Mac mini with M1 review
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

While the Mac mini with M1 saw a noticeable performance improvement thanks to the debut version of Apple's M1 silicon, fans of desktop Apple computing have been waiting for a more hardcore version of the small aluminum-enclosed box. Q new rumor by a known Apple leaker suggests that major changes are coming to the Mac mini 2022.

According to reliable Apple leaker Dylandkt on Twitter, as reported by Apple Insider, the 2022 version of the Mac mini could see significant design changes. The most important addition figures to new chip options, namely the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips founds on the latest 2021 MacBook Pro models.

"A new design is coming," claimed Dylandkt when replying to a user on Twitter. Per past rumors, this supposed redesign could be thinner and have increased port selection

Dylandkt also claims that fans should expect a 5G iPhone SE 3 and a new iPad Air in the coming months. The Twitter user also alluded to the 2022 iMac Pro, one that will sport Apple's most powerful silicon. Dylandkt also notes issues with supply constraints and production, meaning these items might be hard to come by at launch. Another major bit of intel from Dylandkt suggests that Apple is working on an even more powerful version of its M1 Max chip, one with a 12-core CPU. The current M1 Max is a 10-core CPU.

According to Apple Track, a website that tracks the reliability percentage of Apple insiders, Dylandkt sits at No. 7 with a 77.5% accuracy rating out of 40 rumors. Tom's Guide has not been able to independently verify Dylandkt's claims. 

Dylandkt gave no indication as to a released date for this Mac Mini 2022. But the Spring Apple event would be a likely candidate for a new product reveal. There, rumors suggest Apple will also unveil the iMac Pro and iPhone 3 SE, likely with 5G support. Whether these claims live up to all the rumor and speculation remains to be seen.

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Imad Khan

Imad is currently Senior Google and Internet Culture reporter for CNET, but until recently was News Editor at Tom's Guide. Hailing from Texas, Imad started his journalism career in 2013 and has amassed bylines with the New York Times, the Washington Post, ESPN, Wired and Men's Health Magazine, among others. Outside of work, you can find him sitting blankly in front of a Word document trying desperately to write the first pages of a new book.