Apple Mac mini teardowns reveal larger heatsink for Apple M2 Pro configurations and SSD changes

YouTubers have started disassembling the new Mac mini, a mini-PC that Apple announced last week alongside the new MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16. While Apple released its first ARM-based mini-PC with just the Apple M1, the latest iteration has arrived with Apple M2 and Apple M2 Pro options. The videos embedded below highlight that the Mac mini is just as simple as ever to take apart, with a few clips holding its plastic underside to its aluminium chassis.

Removing the plastic plate reveals its Wi-Fi antenna and fan module, which remain unchanged from the Apple M1 edition. The heatsink also appears unchanged on models powered by the Apple M2. Conversely, versions equipped with the Apple M2 Pro ship with a longer heatsink, denoted by the fan housing extending beyond the circular cut-out for the machine's bottom plate. The same is true for the logic board, which is larger on Apple M2 Pro versions.

In short, most of the generational changes exist between Mac mini machines with Apple M1 and Apple M2 Pro SoCs, despite having identical housings. All Apple M2 generation models ship with 256 GB SSD modules though, instead of two 128 GB modules with Apple M1 models. According to MacRumors, this change results in 30-50% slower read and write speeds for SKUs equipped with 256 GB of storage. Mind you, this is true with all Apple M2 generation machines, including the new MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16. Purchasing a model with 512 GB of storage resolves this shortcoming, but it remains a strange decision to downgrade performance between generations for some cheaper configurations.

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