Almost any display can work with a Mac Mini. It does not need to be made by Apple or have any official certification. There’s a reason to use a cheap 1080p display with a Mac Mini, but most Mac users will want something a little more premium. As you can see with options like the Dell 27 Plus 4K, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s expensive. Either way, here are the four elements to consider when shopping for a good monitor to go with your Mac Mini.
Size and resolution: 27-inch and 32-inch monitors are the most popular sizes these days, and there are even larger options. I’d also consider a 34-inch ultrawide if you like the wider 21:9 aspect ratio with the curved shape. With Apple, resolution is king. There’s a reason it invests so much into the high pixel density of every display it sells, even down to entry-level options like the MacBook Air. Pixel density is what gives a screen its sharpness, and you need a lot more pixels when stretched across a large external display. If you want to maintain resolution, I wouldn’t buy anything less than 4K, and it might be worth bumping up to 5K or 6K on a 32-inch screen. You also want to consider the refresh rate here. The 120Hz refresh rate is what the MacBook Pro has, providing smoother animations, especially in games.
Adjustability: Apple’s displays and iMacs aren’t known for their ability to be modified. They often have none at all, and cost more when they do. This is not the best for your posture and ergonomics. The Pro Display For ergonomic purposes, the top of the screen you are working on should be as close to eye level as possible, depending on the person’s height. If your monitor doesn’t have height adjustment, you’ll have to rely on a separate monitor stand or arm. Beyond height adjustment, many monitors also have a stand that can swivel, tilt, and swivel, all of which are important when using multiple monitors together. This is also necessary if you want to use a second screen vertically, which is becoming increasingly common.
Ports: Even the cheapest monitors will almost always have HDMI as a connection, which is all you need to connect directly to the back of your Mac Mini. Some monitors have a USB-C port that supports the display, allowing you to connect to one of the Mac Mini’s Thunderbolt ports. The M4 Mac Mini comes with three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port, and an Ethernet jack. The M4 Pro model has the same ports, except the ports are Thunderbolt 5 instead of 4. You’ll need to use at least one of these Thunderbolt ports if you want to connect more than one external display. These monitors also tend to have other ports, such as USB-A. These can be useful, as the Mac Mini doesn’t have any on its own.
Image quality: Apple prides itself on the image quality of its Macs, so in the case of the Mac Mini, you’ll likely want something worthy of your Mac. This is especially important for content creators, photographers, and designers. Therefore, you will need to consider the screen’s brightness, color accuracy, color coverage, and contrast. While some IPS displays offer decent colors and contrast, Mini-LED or OLED displays will ensure better picture quality. These also have much higher brightness in HDR content, bringing games and movies to life.