You Can Now Get a 10Gbps Ethernet Port on the M1 Mac Mini

While all eyes were on the colorful M1 iMacs at yesterday’s Spring Loaded event, Apple also quietly updated the M1 Mac Mini. You can now configure it with a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port!

Apple first added 10Gbps Ethernet to the Mac Mini back in 2018. However, the M1 Mac mini launched back in November, its networking options included support for Wi-Fi 6 but you could only get it with a regular Ethernet port. This probably wasn’t too much of an issue for the average consumer, but it was a notable omission for professionals or creatives who might need that extra speed. Given that the M1 Mac Mini is super affordable at $699, this was kind of a bummer for professionals on a budget. According to 9to5 Mac, the 10Gbps M1 Mac Mini configuration leaked to internal Apple Authorized Service Providers, but it appears the models weren’t available in time for launch.

No more! As with every Apple event, Apple’s online store went offline as new product announcements came streaming in. Once the store was back up, it turned out you could now configure the M1 Mac Mini with 10Gbps Ethernet—an option that was previously only available on Intel-powered Mac Minis.

That said, there are a few small things to keep in mind. For starters, adding the faster Ethernet port will set you back an extra $100, bringing the price up to at least $799. (Still cheaper than the cheapest M1 iMac, however.) The other thing is that you can’t get this option from other retailers. Because this is an add-on upgrade, if you want this particular configuration, you have to go through Apple’s official store. Plus, you’re going to have to wait a bit to get one. When I went through the Apple Store, the earliest I could get a 10Gbps M1 Mac Mini was May 4.

Even so, this is some good news from yesterday that might’ve gotten buried in the onslaught of shiny new product announcements. We love to see expanded options for consumers, so hooray for anyone in the Venn diagram of “Mac Mini Fans,” “People who need faster networking,” and “People on a budget.”