Apple's next line of M4 Macs could finally ditch 8GB of RAM and start with 16GB

M2 Mac mini on a wooden desk
(Image credit: Gerald Lynch / Future)

While it seems like an open secret that Apple is working on its M4 Mac lineup, a new report suggests it'll include the MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, and iMac.

That's perhaps not all that exciting on its own, but Apple may finally be ready to cut loose the 8GB RAM starting configurations of models like the Mac Mini.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the company is ramping up testing of base-level M4 chips of varying specs, while also offering 16GB or 32GB of Unified Memory. Considering one of the biggest gripes around Apple hardware these days is a lack of RAM at the low end, that feels like it's been a long time coming.

This could just be for testing purposes, though, but here's hoping the 8GB RAM option is no more.

The mystery M4 variant

That's not all, though. Gurman notes that four Macs are being tested with base M4 chips, and while three have the 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU we've seen before, a fourth has eight of each instead. That's a new configuration for the M4.

Keep in mind these are all just the base-level chips, so there's no word on the Pro or Max versions as yet. Still, it's interesting Apple would essentially test a chip with fewer cores alongside additional RAM.

Maybe the rumored September 10 event will shed some light, but it's a good chance we'll be waiting until a little later in the year for our first look at M4 Macs.

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Lloyd Coombes
Contributor

Lloyd Coombes is a freelance writer with a specialism in Apple tech. From his first, hand-me-down iMac, he’s been working with Apple products for over a decade, and while he loves his iPhone and Mac, the iPad will always have his heart for reasons he still can’t quite fathom. Since moving from blogging to writing professionally, Lloyd’s work can be found at TechRadar, Macworld, TechAdvisor and plenty more. He’s also the Editor in Chief at GGRecon.com, and on the rare occasion he’s not writing you’ll find him spending time with his son, or working hard at the gym (while wearing an Apple Watch, naturally). You can find him on Twitter @lloydcoombes.