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If you want a new Mac mini, but you don't want to pay full price, you've come to the right place: we've scoured the web for the best cut-price deals for a Mac mini so you can save money on a new Mac.
With Apple having introduced a new Mac mini with an M1 chip in November 2020 we imagine more people than ever will be wanting to buy one. We believe that the M1 Mac mini represents much better value than the M1 iMac introduced in April 2021. Read our Mac mini vs iMac comparison and our Mac mini M1 review for more information.
Note that when Apple introduced the new M1 Mac mini it dropped the starting price from £799/$799 to £699/$699 - so be aware that a deal on the older model may not be as attractive when you could buy a new model for less than you could previously.
Alongside the new M1 Mac mini Apple is still selling the older 3.0GHz 6-core Intel model - this may appeal if you would prefer not to move to Apple's M1 chips right now. You can distinguish between the two by checking the colour - the Intel model is Space Grey, the M1 model is silver. We look at the M1 Mac mini vs Intel Mac mini in a separate article. If you have more questions these articles might help: Should I buy an Intel Mac? and Should I buy a M1 Mac?
Below we will include deals for the new M1 Mac mini, the Intel model that's still on sale, and also for the older Mac mini models that Apple has discontinued.
Note that the Intel processor in the Space Grey Mac mini dates back to 2018, however Apple doubled the storage in all models in 2020. Because of this you need to pay attention to how much storage you are getting in case it's an older machines that is worth less than advertised.
This is why we always quote the price that Apple sells the equivalent model for today - and try establish exactly which Mac mini model is being discounted in the deal.
Read on to find out how to get a good discount on a Mac mini.
Another thing to keep in mind: Amazon has said it will hold its Prime Day sale on 21 June 2021. Prime Day usually has some decent discounts on Apple products, and it may be worth waiting until then before buying on Amazon.
And for another way to save money on a new Apple product read about how you can trade in old products at Apple and other resellers and get money off. Read: How Apple trade in works and saves you money.
Best Mac mini deals right now
Here are the best deals we are seeing currently.
Right now we have seen the following deals on the Mac mini worth highlighting, including discounts on the new M1 Mac mini from KRCS and Amazon.
If it's the Intel Mac mini you are after, you can get some good deals on those models with resellers knocking £200 off the price Apple still sells it for:
Note that Apple is said to be planning an update to this Intel model at some point in 2021 or 2022. For more information read our rumour round up for the new Mac mini.
Make sure you check out our complete round up of the best Apple deals we've seen.
Mac mini price
As we said above, before judging how good a deal is you need to know the price Apple sells the Mac mini models for right now:
- M1 Chip with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB, £699/$699
- M1 Chip with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU, 8GB RAM, 512GB, £899/$899
- 3.0GHz 6-core 8th-gen i5 Intel, integrated graphics, 8GB RAM, 512GB, £1,099/$1,099
You can order a Mac mini directly from Apple.
The Mac mini is a great choice because it's the cheapest Mac you can get and yet it's also one of the more powerful Macs. The only thing to bear in mind is that you will need to purchase a separate screen, mouse and keyboard, but perhaps you already have those.
With some great discounts available, buying a Mac mini is without a doubt the cheapest way to get a Mac. If you'd like some help to choose the best Mac for you, read our Mac buying guide where we cover all the models.
Carry on reading to see the best deals on a new Mac mini right now.
Best Mac mini deals right now
Here are some of the best deals on the current crop of Mac mini models and some older ones.
Mac mini, M1, 8‑Core CPU / 8‑Core GPU, 256GB
This model usually starts at £699/$699, here are the best deals right now:
Mac mini, M1, 8‑Core CPU / 8‑Core GPU, 512GB
This model usually starts at £899/$899, here are the best deals right now:
Mac mini, 3.0GHz 6-Core, 512GB (2020)
This model usually starts at £1,099/$1,099/AU$1,749, here are the best deals right now:
Older models
These models have now been discontinued by Apple, but you may still find some excellent offers, indeed, we often find the best savings to be had are on the older models.
Mac mini, 3.6GHz Quad-Core, 256GB (2020)
This model previously cost £799/$799/AU$1,299, here are the best deals right now:
Best Mac Desktop Deals
In this section you will find some of the best deals we've seen for iMacs as well as the Mac mini and other Mac desktops. We update this list regularly, so it should always be spot on in terms of how much you can save, give or take a few pounds. (Retailers often make small tweaks to the price, so if it's gone up it might be worth waiting a week or so to see if it comes down again.)
Best refurbished Mac mini deals
Although from time to time Apple drops the price of its Macs this is quite a rare occurrence: Apple never really offers discounts other than through its official refurbished store.
With that in mind we recoommend that you should visit the Apple Refurbished Store where you can find cut-price Mac mini models. These refurbished models are Mac minis that were returned to Apple, perhaps due to a fault. Apple fully reconditions these models and offers them with a full year's warranty.
Apple is currently offering a refurbished 3.0GHz 6-core Mac mini for £929, for example. This is the October 2018 model, which is still on sale now for £1,099. Buy it from Apple.
Amazon also has a certified refurbished store for Apple products but we would advise against buying any products that are older than five years - most of the products we see on the Amazon refurbished store are unfortunately very old.
Find the latest Apple refurbished deals here. We also have this advice about buying a refurbished Mac.
Where to get Mac mini deals
Resellers are always offering discounts on the different Mac models. You may find deals on the following sites:
One benefit of buying from Apple is you could trade in your old Mac and get money off. We have an article explaining How to get money off with Apple's trade-in program.
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Sometimes Amazon offers Lightning deals on Macs. If you've found that you're missing out on Amazon's Lightning deals, which run for just a few hours and offer limited stock, we'd recommend signing up for Amazon's 30 day free trial of Prime, which will get you access to deals 30 minutes before everyone else. Plus, you'll get free next-day delivery with the Prime trial, as well as access to Prime Instant Video and more. Sign up for Prime now to take advantage.
