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Mac mini M6 and Mac Studio M5 Ultra Launch at $899 and $5,499

Published September 22, 2026Customer and cashier exchange items at a modern retail counter.

Availability and Pricing Structure

The new Mac mini and Mac Studio are available for purchase starting September 22, 2026. The Mac mini with the M6 chip starts at $899, while the higher-end Mac mini with the M5 Pro begins at $1,699. For desktop workstations, the Mac Studio with the M5 Max is priced from $2,499, and the top-tier model featuring the M5 Ultra starts at $5,499.

These prices represent the standard retail cost for consumers purchasing through Apple's official channels, including Apple Stores, authorized resellers, the Apple online store, and the Apple Store app.

Customer and cashier exchange items at a modern retail counter.
Customer and cashier exchange items at a modern retail counter.

Core Hardware Specifications

The M6 Mac mini includes a 12-core CPU, a 12-core GPU with Neural Accelerators in every core, and a dual 16-core Neural Engine. The M5 Pro variant scales up to an 18-core CPU, a 20-core GPU, and 64GB of unified memory with 307GB/s of bandwidth.

In the Mac Studio line, the M5 Max features an 18-core CPU and a GPU configurable with up to 40 cores, supporting as much as 128GB of unified memory. The M5 Ultra model offers an up-to-36-core CPU, an up-to-80-core GPU, and up to 512GB of unified memory.

A hand gestures toward a complex computer chip with illuminated circuitry.
A hand gestures toward a complex computer chip with illuminated circuitry.

Memory Bandwidth and Connectivity

The M5 Ultra chip provides a staggering 1.2TB/s of memory bandwidth to support its high-capacity unified memory configuration. Both the Mac mini and Mac Studio models feature Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, which enables transfer speeds up to 120Gb/s. This interface allows users to utilize superfast external storage, PCIe expansion chassis, and powerful hub solutions for enhanced data throughput.

A sleek desktop tower connects to an external drive via a glowing blue cable, with a figure observing the setup.
A sleek desktop tower connects to an external drive via a glowing blue cable, with a figure observing the setup.

Education Savings Programs

Eligible students and educators can access discounted pricing through Apple's education store. The Mac mini with M6 is available from $799, or $66.58 per month for 12 months with education savings. Similarly, the Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra options starts at $2,299, or $191.58 per month for 12 months under the same program.

Student studies at a library desk with a laptop and floating discount tag.
Student studies at a library desk with a laptop and floating discount tag.

Pre-Order Timeline and Shipping

Pre-orders for the new Mac mini and Mac Studio opened on August 25, 2026. At launch, both devices were available to pre-order through Apple's online store and the Apple Store app in the United States and 30 other countries and regions.

Most configurations are scheduled to ship on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. This date coincides with when the new models will be available for purchase in physical Apple Store locations and at authorized resellers. The systems come preinstalled with macOS 27 Golden Gate.