Need extra storage for your new M4 Mac mini, but don’t want to pay Apple’s high upgrade prices? This unique external SSD may be the game-changer you are looking for
If you’re considering purchasing the new M4 Mac mini, you’ve probably noticed that it will cost a pretty penny if you want to upgrade the amount of storage it comes with. If you want to upgrade from the base 256GB Mac mini to the 512GB configuration, it will cost you $200 – and after that it’s the same amount for each additional half-terabyte. Fortunately, storage company Orico has just released it MiniSize: an external SSD designed for the new Apple M4 Mac mini, costing just $139.99 for 512 GB of additional storage space.
If you want extra storage for a Mac mini but don’t want to pay Apple’s high prices, this certainly seems like a good option. The MiniMate is a simple addition that doesn’t require you to open your Mac mini or go through a complicated installation process, because it was designed from the ground up to work quickly and easily with the new Mac mini.
You can connect the MiniMate via one of the Mac mini’s high-speed Thunderbolt/USB4 ports and it can transfer data at speeds of up to 40 Gbps, which is very fast. It’s worth noting that speed depends on the individual configuration of the MiniMate you get.
The MiniMate is made of aluminum, the same material Apple uses for its devices, and comes in a sleek silver color that matches a Mac mini perfectly. It’s made to fit on top of the M4 Mac mini and fit seamlessly into your setup.
Release dates, storage options and pricing information
It’s data-heavy, with the base model starting at 512GB and configurations going up to 8TB, and it uses NVMe SSD storage that’s known for being fast and reliable. It’s also built to stay cool while you work, so it won’t overheat even when you’re transferring large files. The M4 Mac mini has vents on the bottom anyway and doesn’t get particularly hot in the first place – at least not compared to powerful creative CPUs from the likes of Intel – so you don’t have to worry about either overheating (while using it normally) .
When it comes to price, you’re looking at $139.99 for the 512GB model, rising to $999.99 for the 8TB version. Expensive, sure, but still a lot cheaper than what Apple charges you; the maximum the M4 Mac mini can be configured to is 2TB, which will cost you a hefty $800 on top of the base model. The MiniMate will be available for purchase from December 13, 2024.
If you’ve read all that and aren’t planning on purchasing a MacMini, but would like to use the MateMini, then there’s good news: the MiniMate also works with other systems such as Windows, Linux and Android. It just doesn’t look as cute when you’re sitting on top of a regular desktop PC.