New Mac mini could bring serious power to your desktop, but when's it launching?

There's an M5-flavoured update heading to the Mac mini, but you might have to wait a bit

Mac Mini M4
(Image credit: Future)
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Apple is expected to launch M5-powered Mac mini and Mac Studio models in 2026.

The timing for these new models is said to be in the middle of next year, slightly later than might be expected.

Apple started the push with its latest generation of Apple Silicon hardware with the recent launch of the MacBook Pro M5 and iPad Pro M5. Now plans for a new Mac mini and Mac Studio have appeared, powered by the Apple M5 or M5 Pro hardware.

According to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, we're going to see updates to those two desktop models in 2026., with the latter likely getting the M5 Max and M5 Ultra.

Examining the timeline in more detail, 9to5Mac reports that these will appear in the middle of the year. That already sets these models up to launch slightly later than the models they replace, but with Mac Studio being fairly new, and Mac mini being less cyclical in its updates, I don't think there's too much to read into that.

The Mac mini made a significant change in design for 2024, having previously sat in a similar case since 2010. It's unlikely that there will be any design changes now that the Mac mini comes in a pretty compact format already.

Apple is expected to launch additional new MacBook models early in 2026, too. With the MacBook Pro launched already (albeit with straight M5 hardware, so expect an M5 Pro or Max version), the MacBook Air with M5 is expected some time in spring 2026.

What we haven't yet seen is the higher power M5 chips, so M5 Pro, M5 Max and M5 Ultra are likely to get announced, with updates for the MacBook Pro, the Mac Studio and Mac Pro in the line for more power.

For those considering the current range of devices, the M5 chip boasts greater AI computing powers, increased memory bandwidth and better graphics capabilities – but for those just eyeing-up the Mac mini M4 model (rather than the Pro), it could be that waiting until mid-2026 is just too long. And the Black Friday sales may offer some tempting discounts.

Elsewhere in the Mac range, rumours continue to swirl that Apple will return to offering a more affordable MacBook model. Once the darling of the range (before the introduction of the Air) the low-cost MacBook could find itself powered by Apple A hardware, found in iPhone models.

It looks like 2026 could be a busy year for Mac, with a full range of updates and options for buyers.

Chris Hall
Chris Hall

Chris has been writing about consumer tech for over 15 years. Formerly the Editor-in-Chief of Pocket-lint, he's covered just about every product launched, witnessed the birth of Android, the evolution of 5G, and the drive towards electric cars. You name it and Chris has written about it, driven it or reviewed it. Now working as a freelance technology expert, Chris' experience sees him covering all aspects of smartphones, smart homes and anything else connected. Chris has been published in titles as diverse as Computer Active and Autocar, and regularly appears on BBC News, BBC Radio, Sky, Monocle and Times Radio. He was once even on The Apprentice... but we don't talk about that. 

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