M1 vs M4 Mac Mini in 2025 – Is the Upgrade Really Worth It?

New year, new chip—but do you actually need to upgrade?

If you’re already using an M1 Mac mini or thinking about buying one second-hand, here’s the ByteFlip breakdown: real-world performance, smart money moves, and no hype.

---

Performance – M1 Still Holds Its Ground

Unless you’re editing 8K video or training AI models in your basement, the M1 Mac mini still holds up in 2025. App launch speeds, multitasking, Safari with 20 tabs, music, PDF work—no complaints.

M4 is faster on paper, but you’re paying double for gains most people won’t even notice.

If you’re flipping gear, running a blog, coding, or just doing everyday stuff—the M1 still does the job.

Speaking of flipping, here’s how I find deals that don’t suck—and avoid the scams.

---

Value & Price – The Big One

Used M1 Mac minis go for about $350–400 CAD (around $260–300 USD), depending on the config.

The M4 Mac mini? You’re looking at $799–899 CAD new or more, which is double the price.

And honestly, most people don’t need that much power unless you’re doing serious development or video editing.

I got my Mac mini 2014 for $100 CAD (around $75 USD), and it still runs fine for daily stuff—even if it’s showing its age here and there. For basic blog work, it’s still holding it down.

Even my Mac mini from 2014—granted it has 16GB RAM and a 256GB SSD—can still handle around 10 Safari tabs, multiple PDFs, Spotify, SQL tools, and even host this blog locally. I’ve even pushed it to run 10 Chrome tabs. Sure, it slows down, but come on—it’s basically 11 years old. Feeling its age, but still kicking.

If you’re on a budget or just starting something like ByteFlip, a second-hand M1 is still the sweet spot.

---

Final ByteFlip Take

If you’re already on M1, there’s no need to upgrade unless you’re doing pro-level work.

If you’re still on Intel, M1 is the move.

M4 is nice—but not $500 nicer.

Buy smart. Flip smart. Use what works.

Posted by ByteFlip
Still flipping. Still rocking a $100 Mac mini.