The rest of the Mac mini's backside is left untouched, allowing users to still take advantage of its ethernet jack, HDMI 2.0 port, two USB-A ports, and the other USB-C/Thunderbolt port not being used by the Satechi accessory.

All of this is powered with a single USB-C port that plugs into the back of the Mac mini. The front of the gadget includes a heap of additional ports for users to take advantage of, including one USB-C port, three USB-A ports, one microSD card reader, one full-sized SD card reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. What’s even better is that Satechi’s Stand & Hub offers a lot more than just an SSD slot. Combined with the $99 asking price for this Satechi accessory, that’s about $170 for 500GB of extra space on top of a 256GB Mac mini - compared to a $200 price increase for an additional 256GB when buying the higher-end model from Apple. For some context, a 500GB SSD from Western Digital can be purchased on Amazon for $70.

While users have long been able to plug in an external SSD via one of the Mac mini’s USB-C ports, this is a much more seamless solution and allows for faster/larger storage than what’s typically found with external options. Not only does it looks like an extension of the Mac mini’s design, but it’s also housing an M.2 SATA drive on its underside - allowing users to install a third-party SSD and expand their Mac mini’s storage in the blink of an eye. The company just announced its Stand & Hub For Mac mini, which is essentially a USB-C docking station that sits underneath the computer. It’s safe to say this isn’t an ideal spot to be in, but thankfully, accessory-maker Satechi thinks it’s come up with a pretty great solution.

Add ram to mac mini m1