The M4 Mac mini has removable, modular storage – and a major SSD upgrade
- The M4 Mac mini will have removable storage, it has been revealed
- It also uses two SSDs for each configuration
- The changes could enable custom upgrades for the Mac
In our Apple Mac mini (M4, 2024) review, we described it as potentially the best Mac ever – and certainly the smallest yet – and as users start taking the little computer apart, we’re finding ourselves enjoying it even more. experience.
First of all, from a iFixit message (via @MudkipOnYT) we now know that the internal SSD storage is modular and can be removed, rather than soldered to the motherboard. That means there are options for custom storage upgrades.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, it’s worth pointing out that the Mac Studio (M2 Ultra) has a similar storage configuration, but custom upgrades are possible. hard to do: The computer uses Apple’s own custom SSDs, you can’t just put in an off-the-shelf replacement.
We’ll have to wait and see if upgrades on the M4 Mac mini are just as tricky, but Apple fans have already made it happen identify the SSD in question and upgrade the Mac mini up to 2TB of storage (you can even get it directly from Apple with as much as 8TB).
Two for one
Partial teardown of M4 Mac Mini / with 16 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD. Interesting reveal: WiFi chip and antenna on the back of the bottom air intake. SSD on a daughterboard. And even the basic 256 GB version comes in two chips. No compromise in speed. Theoretically also upgradable by the end user. pic.twitter.com/vA2vQwkl7JNovember 8, 2024
While questions remain about how feasible it will be to swap SSDs in and out (potentially at a lower cost than buying the equivalent configuration from Apple) it’s a promising step forward for Mac mini repairability and customization.
The other upgrade over the previous Apple Mac mini (M2, 2023), as noted by @ohkg (via MacRumors), is that even the lowest 256GB version uses two SSD modules – allowing faster read and write speeds, compared to a single chip.
As a result, there shouldn’t be any difference in SSD speeds between the 256GB storage configuration and others, which is reassuring for those thinking about buying the cheapest M4 Mac mini option directly from Apple.
Again, it’s a welcome change, one we’ve also seen happen on the 13-inch MacBook Air (M3, 2023). The Apple M4 Mac mini is available now from Apple, with prices starting from $599 / £599 / AU$999 for the base model.
