5 Best Monitors for the Mac Mini (2025), Tested and Reviewed

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The Mac Mini is unbeatable successful value. But dissimilar an iMac oregon MacBook, you'll request to brace it with a monitor. Apple has a mates of options: the Apple Studio Display and Pro Display XDR, but some are incredibly costly (not to notation a fewer years aged astatine this point). Fortunately, determination are tons of large monitors retired determination that acceptable good into the Apple ecosystem. Here are my favorites.

Be definite to cheque our Best Apple Desktops, Best MacBooks, Best Monitors, and Best Gaming Monitors guides for more.

What to Look For successful a Mac Mini Monitor

Just astir immoderate show tin enactment with a Mac Mini. It doesn't request to beryllium made by Apple oregon person immoderate authoritative certification. There's a lawsuit to beryllium made for utilizing a inexpensive 1080p show with the Mac Mini, but astir Mac users volition privation thing a spot much premium. As you tin spot by options similar the Dell 27 Plus 4K, that doesn't person to mean overly expensive. Either way, present are the 4 elements to see erstwhile buying for a bully show to spell with your Mac Mini.

Size and resolution: 27-inch and 32-inch monitors are the astir communal sizes these days, and determination are larger options. I would besides see a 34-inch ultrawide show if you similar the wider, 21:9 facet ratio with the curved shape. With Apple, solution is king. There's a crushed it invests truthful overmuch successful precocious pixel density for each surface it sells, adjacent down to the entry-level options similar the MacBook Air. Pixel density is what gives a surface its sharpness, and you request a batch much pixels erstwhile they're stretched retired crossed a large, outer monitor. If you privation to support the fidelity up, I wouldn't bargain thing nether 4K, and bumping up to 5K oregon 6K connected a 32-inch show tin beryllium helpful. You besides privation to see the refresh complaint here. A 120-Hz refresh complaint is what the MacBook Pro has, offering smoother animation, particularly successful games.

Adjustability: Apple monitors and iMacs aren't precisely known for adjustability. They often person nary astatine all, and outgo much erstwhile they do. That isn't the champion for your posture and ergonomics. Famously, the Pro Display XDR charges an other $1,000 to adhd a Pro Stand with due adjustability. For ergonomic purposes, the apical of the surface you're moving connected should beryllium arsenic adjacent to oculus level arsenic possible, and that ranges depending connected someone's height. If a show doesn't person tallness adjustability, you'll person to beryllium connected a abstracted show basal oregon arm. Other than tallness adjustment, galore monitors besides person a basal that tin swivel, tilt, and rotate, each of which are important erstwhile utilizing aggregate monitors together. This is besides needed if you privation to usage a 2nd show vertically, which has go progressively popular.

Ports: Even the cheapest monitors volition ever person HDMI arsenic a connection, which is each you request to link straight to the backmost of the Mac Mini. Some monitors person USB-C that enactment display, which volition fto you link to 1 of the Mac Mini's Thunderbolt ports. The M4 Mac Mini comes with 3 Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI, and an Ethernet jack. The M4 Pro exemplary has the aforesaid ports, but the ports are Thunderbolt 5 alternatively of 4. You'll request to usage astatine slightest 1 of these Thunderbolt ports if you privation to link much than 1 outer monitor. These monitors besides thin to person different ports, specified arsenic USB-A. These tin beryllium useful, arsenic the Mac Mini doesn't person immoderate connected its own.

Image quality: Apple prides itself connected the representation prime of its Macs, truthful successful the lawsuit of the Mac Mini, you'll apt privation to get thing worthy of your Mac. This is particularly important for contented creators, photographers, and designers. So, you'll privation to see a monitor's brightness, colour accuracy, colour coverage, and contrast. While immoderate IPS displays connection decent colour and contrast, mini-LED oregon OLED displays volition warrant amended representation quality. These besides person importantly higher highest brightness successful HDR content, which truly brings games and movies to life.

How Many Monitors Can a Mac Mini Support?

The latest Mac Mini with the M4 spot tin enactment up to 3 outer displays, utilizing the 3 Thunderbolt oregon 1 HDMI larboard connected back. Regardless of the solution (up to 8K) oregon refresh complaint (up to 240 Hz), if you're conscionable plugging successful a azygous monitor, immoderate 1 of these ports volition do. Use whichever your show has oregon whichever is the astir convenient. But erstwhile you commencement needing aggregate displays, that's wherever things get complicated. Here's a array explaining the differences.

If you haven't already bought your Mac Mini, you mightiness beryllium wondering if it's a amended woody than the iMac. After all, some are desktop Macs with akin specs and performance. The M4 Mac Mini starts astatine $599, which gets you 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. The M4 iMac, connected the different hand, costs you $1,299. It comes with the aforesaid memory, storage, and chip, but has the 24-inch 4480 x 2520 solution display, a 12-megapixel webcam, and immoderate decent speakers. You get that for a $700 quality successful cost.

It's hard to quantify, though, arsenic determination aren't immoderate galore 24-inch 4.5K monitors retired there. The 24-inch show size has mostly gone away, extracurricular of ultra-budget displays oregon nonrecreational esports gaming monitors. However, you tin surely bargain a 27-inch 4K oregon 5K show for little than $700, with plentifulness of country to adhd connected peripherals specified arsenic a webcam oregon machine speakers. So, successful presumption of outgo savings, grabbing the Mac Mini is simply a astute mode to go. You're paying other for the iMac, and for the convenience of it being an all-in-one system.

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