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 deals on a Mac mini so you can save money on a new Mac.
And, with Apple having doubled the storage inside the Mac mini in March 2020, we’re expecting to see some attractive discounts on the older 2018 models – which are identical to the 2020 models in every other way.
The most important thing to keep in mind when looking for a deal on a new Mac is the price that Apple is selling that model (or the equivalent model) for now. Once a new model is launched Apple usually sells it for the same price as the previous generation, so, with the price of a new model in mind, a small discount on an old model may not look so attractive. You might see a 2018 Mac mini discounted by £50, but that extra £50 could get you double the storage, so it’s important to be informed.
This is why we always quote the price that Apple sells the equivalent model for today in the article below and attempted to be clear about exactly which generation of Mac mini is being discounted in the deal.
There is another factor influencing prices of the Mac mini right now: with so many people suddenly finding themselves working from home Macs have been flying off the shelves, and as a result the discounts we are seeing aren’t quite as good as the discounts we have seen in the past. We are also finding that stocks sell out quickly, so you may have to act fast, or check again in a week or so.
Read on to find out how to get a good discount on a Mac mini.
Best Mac mini deals right now
Here are the best deals we are seeing currently. We expect to see the prices get more competitive as companies clear out old stock now that the 2020 Mac mini has arrived (even though the only difference is that Apple has doubled the storage options).
Right now we have seen the following deals on the Mac mini worth highlighting:
- The 2020 3.6GHz quad-core Mac mini (256GB) for £741.21 (£57.79 off) at Amazon here.
- The 2020 3.0GHz six-core Mac mini (512GB) for £1,019.52 (£79.48 off) at Amazon here.
- The 2018 3.6GHz quad-core Mac mini (128GB) is available for £719 (£80 off the 2018 price) at John Lewis here. We’ve previously seen the same model at Amazon for £635.99 here (but it’s currently out of stock).
- The 2018 3.0GHz six-core Mac mini (256GB) is available for £1,001 (£98 off the 2018 price) at John Lewis here. However, it’s essentially the same model as the 2020 3.0GHz available for £1,019.52 from Amazon above, but with half the storage, so we’d suggest choosing that one!
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:
- 3.6GHz quad-core 8th-gen i3 processor, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD, £799/US$799
- 3.0GHz 6-core 8th-gen i5 processor, 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD, £1,099/US$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. You can expect to find great deals on brand-new Macs at Apple Premium Reseller KRCS, while Currys PC World, John Lewis and Laptops Direct have discounts on some of Apple’s older models.
Mac mini, 3.6GHz Quad-Core, 256GB (2020)
This model usually starts at £799 / $799 / AU$1,299, 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:
Mac mini, 3.6GHz Quad-Core, 128GB (2018)
This model used to start at £799 / $799 / AU$1,299, here are the best deals right now:
Mac mini, 3.0GHz 6-Core, 256GB (2018)
This model used to start at £1,099 / $1,099 / AU$1,749, if there are any good deals right now they will appear below:
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 weekly, 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.)
1. Apple 27in iMac, 3.7GHz six-core, 5K Retina Display, 2TB Fusion Drive (2019)
From: Amazon Was: £2,249 Now: £2,049 (£200 off) View Deal
This is discount on the top-of-the-range 2019 27in iMac with 9th-gen Intel processors, but we have seen a much better deal for this model at Amazon in the past. (Until recently it was £1,949).
It’s worth comparing it to the Currys/PCWorld (here) and eBuyer (here) as they usually have it at a similar price.
2. Apple 21.5in iMac, 3.4GHz quad-core, 4K Retina Display, 1TB Fusion drive (2017)
From: Laptops Direct Was: £1,449 Now: £1,249.98 (£199.02 off 2017 price) View Deal
This is the 21.5in version of the 2017 3.4GHz iMac model. Laptops Direct say that they constantly check prices to give you the best deal possible – so if you see it cheaper elsewhere they should sell it to you for that price.
Bear in mind that the discount is on the price Apple originally sold this model for – it’s no longer available from Apple as a newer model has replaced it. We’ve seen a better discount on this model previously from Laptops Direct.
You may find a similar deal on Amazon here, but that’s currently out of stock.
3. Apple 21.5in iMac, 3.0GHz six-core, 4K Retina Display, 1TB Fusion Drive (2019)
From: Amazon Was: £1,449 Now: £1,323.98 (£125.02 off) View Deal
You can get money off the 2019 3.0GHz 6-core iMac with this Amazon deal.
Currys PC World (here) and eBuyer (here) often have a similar deal on this Mac.
4. Apple iMac Pro, 3.2GHz, 8-core Xeon, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, 5K Retina display (late 2017)
From: KRCS Was: £4,899.00 Now: £4,654.06 (£244.94 off) View Deal
KRCS is offering almost £300 off the iMac Pro. You can also spread the cost with 10 months interest-free credit on Mac’s over £1,000. Check out our iMac Pro review.
5. Apple Mac mini, 3.0GHz 6-core, 256GB (2018)
From: John Lewis Was: £1,099.00 Now: £1,001 (£98 off) View Deal
John Lewis is offering discounts on the 2018 Mac mini models. This option has an 6-core processor. Note that in March 2020 Apple doubled the storage in the range so it’s worth looking to see if you can get a deal on the updated model.
For example, Amazon has a deal on the 2020 3.0GHz 6-core Mac mini here.
6. Apple Mac mini, 3.0GHz 6-core, 512GB (2020)
From: Amazon Was: £1,099 Now: £1,019.52 (£79.48 off) View Deal
Amazon has money off the new 2020 6-core Mac mini with 512GB storage.
7. Apple Mac mini, 3.6GHz quad-core, 256GB (2020)
Now: £741.21 (£57.97 off) View Deal
This is a small but decent saving on the price of the 2020 quad-core 3.6GHz Mac mini.
8. Apple Refurbished Mac Store (Discounted iMacs, MacBooks and more)
You can get a Mac from Apple at much lower prices if you buy from the Refurbished Store. Apple will have thoroughly tested the model and will offer you a full warranty so it can be a great way to get a good deal. Find out more about Refurbished Macs here.
9. Apple 21.5in iMac, 2.3GHz dual-core, 1TB HD (2017)
From: Amazon Was: £1,049 Now: £939 (£110 off) View Deal
Get the entry-level iMac for less than £1,000 with this Amazon deal. But remember, this model lacks a Retina display and hasn’t been updated since 2017 – and if you look for a discount on a different model from the 2017 iMac range you will be getting a much better deal.
Currys usually has a similar deal here.
Where to get Mac mini deals
Resellers are always offering discounts on the different Mac models. You may find deals on the following sites:
UK
US
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.
Via MACWORLD