Apple today (March 18) announced updates to the Mac mini amid the iPad Pro and MacBook Air announcements The updated desktop comes with twice the storage originally included in the standard Mac mini configuration

The Mac mini retains its dimensions and cool space gray finish, as seen in our Mac mini (2018) review, but a $799 configuration with 256 gigabytes of solid-state storage as standard and a $1,099 A $399 configuration is now offered

This doubles the storage available in the Mac mini, while keeping the configuration price the same: the base Mac mini model with the Intel Core i3 CPU now comes with 256GB of SSD storage, up from 128GB originally offered in the $799 model which is an increase from the 128GB offered in the original $799 model Additional storage options remain the same, with a 512GB option for $200 more, 1TB for $400, and 2TB of storage for $800

The Step Up model also remains largely the same, with an 8th generation Intel Core i5 processor and 512GB of storage as standard This can be upgraded to 1TB for $200 and 2TB for $600

Aside from the storage expansion, the Apple Mac mini remains unchanged The mini PC has the same aluminum unibody design measuring 74 x 74 x 14 inches and boasts four Thunderbolt 3 ports, two USB 30 connections, and one HDMI output

As before, the Mac mini can be configured with up to 64 GB of RAM, providing limited access for future memory upgrades However, this change in available storage brings the first major improvement to the Mac mini since the 2018 models were introduced, and the 8th generation processors introduced in 2018 will continue to be used in Mac mini models

The doubling of basic storage options is an improvement for what was already our favorite among the best mini PCs, for starters Given that Apple often spends several years between major updates to its Mac desktops, this is the only change to the Mac mini this year, and we don't expect to see a completely refreshed Mac mini until 2022