M6 / M5 Pro Mac mini goes back to soldered storage — aftermarket SSD upgrades unlikely
On launch day, Expand Mac mini says NAND is soldered on the new M6 and M5 Pro Mac mini — ending the removable SSD surprise that made the M4 mini popular with upgraders.
A day of Mac mini deliveries also brought a hardware step backward for DIY upgraders.
9to5Mac (Chance Miller, September 22, 2026) reports that Expand Mac mini — the outfit behind aftermarket SSD modules for the M4 / M4 Pro mini — has confirmed the new M6 and M5 Pro models return to soldered NAND, similar to M1 / M2 minis. There is no removable SSD slot to swap.
Why it stings on launch day
The 2024 M4 Mac mini was a rare bright spot: teardowns found the SSD was not soldered, and aftermarket 1TB / 2TB modules undercut Apple’s configure-to-order prices. Expand Mac mini now says support for M6 / M5 Pro “looks unlikely.”
Price context from 9to5Mac’s comparison:
- Expand’s 1TB M4 module: about $300 vs Apple’s $500 bump from 256GB → 1TB on M6
- Expand’s 2TB M4 module: about $420 vs Apple’s $1,000 for that jump
Configure storage at checkout if you need more than 256GB — post-purchase internal upgrades are off the table again.
Mac Studio still looks different
9to5Mac notes Apple’s Mac Studio repair guide still shows removable SSDs; launch-day teardowns confirming Studio behavior had not landed at publish time.
This is a hardware-upgrade delta, separate from our early review roundup and September 22 availability pieces.
Bottom line: buy the storage you need up front. The M4 mini’s aftermarket SSD honeymoon does not carry over to M6 / M5 Pro.
:::poll{id="f3f847c7-eff7-40d6-aa3f-a28ffa50408b"} With soldered storage back, what’s your Mac mini plan?
- Buy more storage at checkout now
- Stick with 256GB + external SSD
- Skip M6/M5 Pro — keep my M4 mini
- Not buying a Mac mini this cycle :::