If you’ve ordered a new iPhone recently, you’ll notice that the box is a whole lot slimmer than in previous years. That’s because the bulkiest accessory is gone: the power adapter. Apple has removed the charger from all iPhones it sells, so whether you’re spending $429/£449 on an iPhone SE or $1,599/£1,749 on a maxed-out iPhone 14 Pro Max, you need to bring your own charger.

Any old charger and Lightning cable you have lying around will work, of course. But if you’ve been using Apple’s feeble old 5W adapter, it’s a perfect time to upgrade. Apple now supplies a USB-C-to-Lightning cable in all iPhone boxes to allow for fast charging, so all you need is the right charger. Here we list our favorite iPhone chargers (iPhone 12 and later) that use USB-C but paired with the right cable they will work wonders for older iPhones, too.

Watch the wattage

The most important thing to consider when buying a new charger is the amount of wattage it will provide to your device. For years, Apple supplied “good-enough” 5-watt chargers in the iPhone box, which take about 2.5 hours to fill up your iPhone. That was fine for the iPhone 5 and earlier, which didn’t support fast charging, but the newest iPhone models are capable of working with chargers that handle up to 20 watts. You can fill up about 50 percent of an iPhone 14’s battery in about 30 minutes with the right adapter.

You should get a USB-C charger that’s capable of delivering a 20W charge. Quite frankly, it’s harder to find one that doesn’t than one that does, but you’ll want to make sure you’re at least getting the bare minimum to allow for maximum iPhone fast charging. You’ll also want to make sure the charger supports USB Power Delivery, which any third-party charger almost certainly will do.

Wired and wireless

Whether you charge your iPhone wirelessly or not, you still need a wall charger to supply the power, and even wireless requires a cable from that power adapter to the charging pad. While Apple ships a USB-C to Lightning cable with each iPhone for wired charging, most of the chargers tested here don’t come with a cable.

From the iPhone 8 on, iPhones have the ability to be charged wirelessly. The latest iPhone models also feature Apple’s superior MagSafe wireless charging technology that uses magnets to make the connection with the wireless charging pad more efficient; check out our roundup of the best MagSafe chargers, most of which require one of the USB-C wall chargers tested here.

Charging with a cable plugged into the iPhone will always be faster than wireless; we list some of the best iPhone charge cables later in this article and in our roundup of the best Lightning cables.

Check the size and the specs

Apple’s chargers have always been light, small, and portable, but some third-party adapters make Apple’s seem downright bulky. That’s due to the newest charging tech, gallium nitride (GaN), which allows for adapters that are significantly smaller and more power-efficient.

Charger makers have already begun replacing the silicon inside power adapters with gallium nitride, and the size difference is significant. For example, the Anker PowerPort Atom III is 35 percent smaller than the adapter Apple supplies with the 13-inch MacBook Pro, despite delivering the same 60-watt charge.

Count the ports

Many adapters offer multiple ports on a single wall charger. If you’re going to be regularly charging more than one device at a time, buy an adapter with at least two ports—some have as many as four ports. You can even get a mix of USB-C and USB-A, depending on your needs.

Plugs: To fold or not to fold

After you decide how much power and how many ports you need, just one question remains: Do you want the plug to fold or not? Some chargers have folding pins to protect the adapter as well as other items if you toss it in a bag, but Apple’s 20W charger and a few others have protruding prongs. It’s a small thing, but it could make a big difference in your travel bag.

As any traveler knows, plugs come in all shapes and sizes around the globe. We’ve tried to cover the most used types here. Some USB-C power adapters even come with different prong sets so you can leave the multi-holed travel adapter at home when you travel.

Best iPhone chargers reviewed

Below we’ll look at the best iPhone chargers you can buy now.

In summary, our favorite single-port 20W iPhone charger is the Ugreen Nexode 30W GaN Charger with foldable prongs. In AU/NZ, the only real premium option is Apple’s 20W adapter but we also like the AU-pinned Ugreen 20W mini charger.

Official Apple iPhone charger: Apple 20W USB-C Power Adapter

Pros

• Official Apple charger
• Foldable prongs on U.K. model

Cons

• No foldable prongs on U.S./AU models
• One port

Best Prices Today:



$16.17 at Amazon$19.00 at Apple$19.00 at Best Buy

Why we love it: Apple’s 20W USB-C power adapter is as basic as it gets. It’s one of the bulkiest chargers on this list as well as one of the heaviest, it won’t charge a laptop, and you can’t charge more than one device at a time. However, if you want to keep your chargers in the family, it’s a solid option for $19/£19. And if you’re planning on buying an iPhone 15, it might be the only choice if you want to get fast charging.

In our testing, it won’t charge your phone noticeably faster than the old Apple 18W plug, but it is noticeably cheaper than the model it replaces. We’d like it better if Apple offered a half-price option for iPhone buyers, but even at full price, it’s not a terrible value at all. The U.S. and Australian models don’t feature a folding plug, but the more cube-like U.K. model does, despite the larger plug type, and is a much cleaner design as a result. The hideaway pins on the U.K. model make it our favorite single-port iPhone charger in that country.

Best single-port iPhone charger: Ugreen Nexode 30W USB-C GaN Charger

Pros

• Small size
• Foldable plug
• 30W

Cons

• One port

Best Prices Today:



$19.99 at Amazon

Why we love it: At 1.26 x 1.26 x 1.57 inches and 48g (U.S. model), the tiny Ugreen Nexode 30W GaN Charger is slightly larger than the Anker PowerPort III (reviewed below) but can supply 30W of power rather than just 20W. To make it even more portable, bith the U.S. and U.K. models have foldable prongs.

That extra power won’t make much difference with most iPhones as 20W is enough for fast charging. But if you have an iPhone 13 Pro Max or 14 Pro Max, a 30W charger will allow it to charge a little faster (27W), and it certainly won’t hurt to have the added power on other models. AT 30W, It could even recharge a 13-inch MacBook Air!

Single-port iPhone charger: Anker PowerPort III 20W Cube Fast Charger

Pros

• Small size
• Foldable plug on U.S. model
• Available in white or black

Cons

• No foldable plug on U.K. model
• One port

Best Prices Today:



$10.79 at Amazon

Why we love it: At 1.23 x 1.25 x 1.3 inches, the compact GaN-tech Anker PowerPort III is slightly bigger than the Anker Nano Pro but its hideable plug makes it a better travel companion in a pocket or bag.

The U.K. model is less flexible due to the size of the U.K. plug that here doesn’t allow for foldable prongs, so we prefer the Nano Pro or the even finer Apple 20W Charger in that country only.

Smallest iPhone charger: Anker 511 20W Charger (Nano Pro)

Pros

• Small size
• Available in five colors

Cons

• Plug not foldable
• One port

Best Prices Today:



$14.99 at Amazon

Why we love it: The Anker 511 20W Nano Pro is a great alternative to Apple’s 20W charger. The dinky U.S. model measures 1.16 × 1.16 × 1.18 inches compared to Apple’s larger 2.64 x 1.26 x 3.27 inches. The bulkier U.K. version looks like the old Apple 5W charger but still has the 20W punch. Neither has a foldable plug.

Aside from its tiny size, what really sets it apart is its range of five colors—Arctic White, Black, Cool Lavender, Glacial Blue, and Powder Pink—compared to Apple’s white-only option.

Best two-port iPhone charger: Anker 521 40W Charger (Nano Pro)

Pros

• Two ports
• 40W
• Available in four colors

Cons

• No foldable plug

Best Prices Today:



$29.99 at Amazon

Why we love it: The Anker 521 USB-C Nano Pro Charger is twice the power adapter that the Anker 511 Nano Pro is, but at 1.37 x 1.34 x 1.8 inches isn’t much larger.

Rated at 40W, it boasts twice the charging power and has two ports so you can charge two iPhones simultaneously at 20W—making it a great choice for homes with a couple of iPhones in need of a power boost. It is also available in a range of four colors: white, black, lavender, and light blue.

Best multi-port charger: Minix NEO P3 100W Turbo

Pros

• Four ports
• Up to 100W
• U.S./U.K./EU pins
• Foldable plug

Cons

• May be overkill for just a phone

Best Prices Today:



$59.90 at Amazon

Why we love it: The Minix NEO P3 100W Turbo packs a lot of power and has four ports: three USB-C and one old-school USB-A.

Two of the USB-C ports can charge at 100W, although obviously not at the same time. That means you can use this power adapter to charge a large laptop as well as tablets and phones. The third USB-C is perfect for phone charging at 20W, as is the 18W USB-A port if you have an older charging cable.

Using two ports at the same time it supports one 65W and one 30W feed. Using three supports 45W, 30W, and 20W charges. With all four, it supports, 45W, 30W, and two 7.5W feeds.

Like Apple’s dual-port charger, this adapter features intelligent power allocation, automatically adjusting the power output of each port depending on the devices connected to it.

The U.S. plug folds, making it a tidy package for carrying around, and the U.K. and EU pin converters simply slide onto the U.S. pins to make this a great home charger in those territories and a useful international travel companion.

Best travel adapter charger: OneAdaptr OneWorld 65

Pros

• Five ports
• Travel plug adapter
• 65W PD

Cons

• Total output limited to 5 ports

Best Prices Today:



$79 at OneAdaptr

Why we love it: The OneWorld 65 is an international adapter that also boasts a built-in 65W PD Charger that can charge up to six devices simultaneously.

It features one 65W USB-C PD port, one 20W USB-C PD port, another USB-C charging port, and two USB-A charging ports—the non-PD USB-C port and two USB-A ports share 15W of power. Note that the maximum power output is 65W so if you are charging a mid-sized laptop in full use, there won’t be much spare juice for your iPhone.

But the real benefit of the OneWorld 65 is that as well as all the USB ports you can also use this as a travel adapter. Sliding connectors will fit into US, European, Australian/Chinese, and British wall sockets so covering over 200 countries, and you can plug a similar range of plugs into the OneWorld 65 from the other side.

Other chargers we love

Ugreen 20W USB C Fast Charger (2 pack)

Pros

• 2 pack value
• Small
• Foldable plug on U.S. model

Cons

• One port

Why we love it: Ugreen is another maker of premium charging products, and its 20W compact cube chargers are, at 1.21 x 1.21 x 1.36 inches, as small as Anker’s PowerPort III power adapters. Like that charger, the charger features a foldable plug in the US, but not in the U.K. It ships in a two-pack because we all need a spare charger sometimes.

Minix 66W NEO P1 Turbo Wall Charger

Pros

• Three ports
• Up to 66W
• U.S./U.K./EU pins
• Foldable plug

Cons

• May be overkill for just a phone

Best Prices Today:



$38.90 at Amazon

Why we love it: A smaller, less powerful but cheaper Minix multi-port power adapter, the NEO P1 can charge up to 66W, enough for a mid-sized laptop such as the 13in or 14in MacBook Pro, and its three ports make it a great phone charger, too.

Using two ports at the same time it supports two 30W feeds or one 45W and one 18W. Using all three supports 30W and 2x 18W charges.

Like its big sibling, this charger ships with U.K. and EU converter pins.

Apple 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter

Pros

• Two ports
• U.S. models have a foldable plug

Cons

• Non-U.S. models don’t have a foldable plug
• Expensive

Best Prices Today:



$57.99 at Adorama$59.00 at Apple$59.00 at Best Buy

Why we love it: Apple recently released its own dual-port USB-C charger in two models. As far as we can tell they are identical in everything except shape and size. As an Apple product, it’s reassuringly expensive but also a little smarter than most power adapters.

There are two models: the neat 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter aimed at iPhone users, and a larger non-compact model called the 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter, which is the one built for the new M2 MacBook Air. Both U.S. models feature foldable plugs. The larger version is maybe only preferable if you prefer the ports pointing straight on rather than below the plug itself.

As it was designed to work with an iPhone and also something as energy-hungry as an M2 MacBook Air, it needs to be able to distinguish which device needs what. When you connect two devices, power is automatically distributed between them based on their power requirements. In most cases, it will give each device 17.5W, but if you connect a MacBook or iPhone and an Apple Watch or AirPods, it will receive up to 27.5W and the Watch/AirPods gets up to 7.5W.

Apple doesn’t say so, but we expect that it uses GaN technology to keep its size to a minimum.

Spigen PowerArc 20W ArcStation Pro

Pros

• Small size
• Foldable plug on the U.S. model
• Available in white or black

Cons

• No foldable plug on the U.K. model
• One port

Best Prices Today:



$17.99 at Amazon

Why we love it: We spotlighted numerous gallium nitride chargers on this list, but Spigen’s PowerArc 20W (1.56 x 1.36 x 1.09 inches) is one of the smallest. When opened, it’s only a bit larger than Apple’s prior 5W adapter (which measures 1.74 x 1.01 x 1.03 inches) but charges four times as fast, whether you’re using a USB-C-to-Lightning cable or a MagSafe cable, thanks to GaNFast technology instead of old-fashioned silicon. The fold-up plug keeps the size down and ensures it won’t get snagged on anything in your bag, and its small size means it won’t block other chargers in a power strip.

The U.K. version’s larger plug type sadly means no foldable pins but it’s still a likable little chap.

Eggtronic Sirius 65W USB-C PD

Pros

• Super-slim design
• Up to 65W
• Foldable prongs

Cons

• One port

Best Prices Today:



$69.99 at Amazon

Why we love it: The Eggtronic Sirius 65W USB-C power adapter is the most unique design we’ve used, with a slim body and a pair of lateral-folding pins that seem to defy the laws of physics. The thinness makes it easy to slip into a pocket or a bag and lets it fit into small spaces behind desks and tables as well. It measures 2.71 x 1.99 x 0.77 inches.

It can charge at up to 65W, which means it’s suitable not just for an iPhone but a tablet and even a mid-sized laptop, such as a MacBook Air or 13in MacBook Pro.

Amazon

For more advice on charging your iPhone read: iPhone Clean Energy Charging: How it works and why you want to keep it on, How to charge an iPhone properly and What’s the fastest way to charge an iPhone. If you are looking for wireless chargers read: The best wireless chargers for iPhone.

Mobile Phone Accessories, Power

iCloud backs up our iOS devices, keeps all our photos and videos safe and in sync, and even syncs our macOS desktop between Macs–and lets us access it via an iPhone or iPad. But all those files have to take up space, right? Thankfully, Apple has a number of storage options available for iCloud, and in our guide to iCloud subscriptions and pricing, we explain which is the right one for you, along with how to upgrade or downgrade your iCloud storage.

For related advice, take a look at How to set up iCloud and How to use iCloud Drive. We also round up the pros and cons of some rival cloud providers in Best cloud storage apps for iPhone.

iCloud storage plan options and pricing

Before we go any further, we should probably first discuss the options available, and the corresponding prices for those in the counties where most of our readers are based, including the U.S. and U.K.

Currently, Apple offers five different tiers of storage for iCloud, which is shared between all your devices, including iPhones, iPads and Macs. If you set up Family Sharing you can even share the iCloud storage allocation with other members of your family.

Your storage space will account for any files that you store in the cloud, via apps or otherwise, and the cloud backups of your iPad and iPhone. Unfortunately, you can’t yet back up your Mac’s settings to iCloud, but since you can sync all your documents created in various Apple apps, and your Desktop and Documents folder, most of the things you need on your Mac can also be found in the cloud.

Apple currently has the following iCloud storage subscriptions available:

Apple used to offer 1TB for £6.99 for 2TB for £13.99 a month, but in spring 2017 it removed the 1TB offering and reduced the price of 2TB.

Apple upped prices for Apple Music, Apple TV+ and Apple One in October 2022, but it didn’t change the prices for iCloud at that time.

How to upgrade your iCloud storage for free

Since May 2018 Apple has been offering the first month for free so you could trial the service for a month before deciding whether you need it or not. This is particularly handy if you needed a little time to sort out a backup of your data but weren’t really keen on paying for iCloud storage, as it will basically give you up to 2TB of storage for a month – you’ll just need to remember to cancel the service before you are due to pay anything.

However, this free offer is only available to those who aren’t paying for any iCloud storage currently. If you already pay for storage, you can’t take advantage of the free month if you update to the next tier, but you could always pay for a month and then revert to the cheaper subscription afterwards (you’ll just need to remove the extra data from iCloud).

If you still don’t want to pay Apple for storage, have a look at our Best alternatives to iCloud.

Which iCloud subscription should you get?

Now you know the different storage options available to you, which is the best for you? There’s no point in paying $9.99/£6.99 a month for 2TB of storage if you only use it to back up your iPhone, after all. You should consider factors like whether you’re getting iCloud storage full notifications, whether you use iCloud Drive to store your documents or whether you primarily use another service like Google Drive or Dropbox, if you are using iCloud Photo Library, and whether you’re using iCloud Drive Desktop and Documents to sync documents between multiple Macs.

The above are all very important factors when considering iCloud storage options, but there’s more to it than that. We break it down below. For a guide to using iCloud read: How to use iCloud.

In 2021 Apple brought new features to iCloud with iCloud+ including privacy and security features, such as iCloud Private Relay and Hide My Email.

5GB

If you’ve only got a single iOS device that you use and you don’t take many photos or videos, the free storage tier should be enough for you. The free iCloud storage tier can also be used by those that primarily use another cloud storage service (like Dropbox or Google Drive) for storing documents, photos and videos.

If you do opt for the free tier, make sure you disable iCloud syncing in any apps that you frequently use to avoid filling up the storage unnecessarily.

50GB

Those of you that own more than one iOS device will probably have to bump up the storage option to 50GB, as a standard iOS backup can be anywhere from 1-5GB or even more, depending on how much is stored on your device. It’s also better for those that like to take photos and videos on their iOS devices and want to keep a secure backup of them – the option is still available for those on the free tier, although they wouldn’t be able to store many before the storage becomes full.

You can get 50GB of iCloud Storage with the Apple One Individual Plan for $16.95/£16.95 per month. We have more details on the Apple One plans in a separate article.

200GB

The 200GB plan is the standard option for those that have multiple iOS devices and a Mac, as it allows for enough room to store the backups of each device, along with space for a fairly substantial iCloud Photo Library and other documents to be stored online. It’ll give you the freedom to use iCloud as you see fit, without having to worry about filling up the storage.

It’s also recommended for those looking to use iCloud Drive as their primary cloud storage service.

You can get 200GB of iCloud Storage with the Apple One Family Plan for $22.95/£22.95 per month.

2TB

The 2TB storage option is ideal for those that share an account between multiple users (such as families, with a plethora of devices to keep backed up) The 2TB option is perfect for those that have a collection of iOS devices and Macs that they switch between regularly. It’ll provide more than enough space for iOS backups, an iCloud Photo Library spanning thousands of photos and videos, documents and other app data.

If you want the freedom to use iCloud as you desire without any worry about space, and if money is no option, 2TB is ideal.

You can get 2TB of iCloud Storage with the Apple One Premier Plan for $32.95/£32.95 per month.

If you have decided to make the plunge and upgrade from the free tier of iCloud storage, of if you’ve bought the 2TB tier and realised it’s more than you need, it’s easy to change your tier – read our tutorial here:
How to upgrade or downgrade your iCloud storage

Also read: How to get someone else’s Apple ID off your iPhone and How to remove a card from iTunes & App Store

Apple

When Apple introduced the Mac Studio in March 2022 we were impressed by its processing power and excellent value combined. Now the Mac Studio has been updated with Apple’s M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips it is still a superb deal for content creators of any level, but Apple’s offering has changed over the months since the original Mac Studio launched. Now the Mac Studio has competition from an M2 Pro Mac mini on one side and the M2 Ultra Mac Pro on the other.

As long as you don’t need the expansion options of the Mac Pro, the M2 Ultra Mac Studio, which shares the same specs as the Mac Pro, will meet the needs of all but the most demanding creative. But not everyone needs all the power of a Mac Studio with M2 Ultra, and some don’t even need the power of the M2 Max, for those the M2 Pro Mac mini could be more than sufficient.

In this article, we are concerned with how the M2 Pro Mac mini compares with the M2 Max Mac mini. We will discuss the Mac Pro vs the M2 Ultra Mac Studio elsewhere.

Mac Studio vs Mac mini M2 Pro: Price

In January 2023, Apple introduced the M2 Pro Mac mini. This Mac filled a gap in Apple’s lineup: while the MacBook Pro offered an M1 Pro and now the M2 Pro chip, there was no desktop Mac with such a chip, until the arrival of this Mac mini. Starting at $1,299/£1,399 the Mac mini with M2 Pro is also a lot cheaper than the equivalent MacBook Pro at $1,999/£2,149 (that leaves plenty to buy a nice monitor to use with your Mac).

How does the price of the Mac mini M2 Pro compare with the Mac Studio though? Starting at $1,999/£2,099 the Mac Studio costs $700/£700 more than the Mac mini with M2 Pro, which is quite a leap, but you do get a 30-core GPU in the Mac Studio, while the M2 Pro Mac mini only offers a 16-core GPU as standard.

For another $300 you can get a 19-core GPU option for the Mac mini. In that case, the 10-core CPU in the Mac mini is updated to a 12-core CPU, which is identical to the 12-core CPU in the M2 Max Mac Studio. So you can match the CPU in the Mac Studio in a $1,599 Mac mini, which might be an option to consider if you don’t need the extra GPU cores. If you add 32GB unified memory to that Mac mini to match that of the Mac Studio then you almost have the same Mac, bar the GPU cores, for the same price of $1,999/£2,099.

Incidentally, the M2 Max MacBook Pro starts at $2,899 (that’s a build-to-order option) making the Mac Studio, at almost $1,000 less, look even more attractive.

The Mac mini M2 Pro also represents a bargain when compared to a similarly specced MacBook Pro. The M2 Pro Mac mini with a 10-core CPU and 16-Core GPU costs $1,299/£1,399 compared to the $1,999/£2,149 14-inch MacBook Pro with the same chip. We understand that these are very different machines, but it illustrates just how much you can save by buying one of Apple’s desktop Macs. The Mac mini and Mac Studio are the most cost-effective way to get Apple’s most powerful processors.

Comparing desktops, let’s take a closer look at what you get for your money:

• Mac Studio: M2 Max (12-core CPU, 30-core GPU), 32GB unified memory, 512GB SSD, $1,999/£2,099
• Mac mini: M2 Pro (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU), 16GB unified memory, 512GB SSD, $1,299/£1,399
• Build-to-order Mac mini: M2 Pro (12-core CPU, 19-core GPU), 32GB unified memory, 512GB SSD, $1,999/£2,099

If you are going to buy either Mac take a look at our round-up of the best Mac mini deals and the best Mac Studio deals.

Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)

Read our review

Best Prices Today:


$1299.00 at Adorama |
$1299.00 at Apple |
$1299.00 at Best Buy

Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)

Read our review

Mac Studio vs Mac mini M2 Pro: Design

The Mac Studio takes its design inspiration from the Mac mini. Both Macs are silver (there is no Space Gray version) and feature a big Apple logo on top. The Mac Studio measures 7.7 inches square, the same as the Mac mini, but it’s 3.7 inches tall, nearly three times the height of the Mac mini.

That extra space inside the Mac Studio means it benefits from a more efficient cooling system. The Mac Studio also offers a handy collection of ports on the front, including two USB-C ports and an SDXC card slot.

Apple

Mac Studio vs Mac mini M2 Pro: Specs

When considering the CPU cores there isn’t a huge leap between the M2 Pro and M2 Max: the exact same CPU is available for both. However the standard Mac mini M2 Pro ships with a 10-core CPU, compared to the 12-core CPU in the Mac Studio with M2 Max. As we said above when discussing the price, you can opt for the 12-core CPU M2 Pro at the point of sale if you want that in your Mac mini.

There are two key differences between the two models. One is the amount of RAM supported: the M2 Pro can support up to 32GB unified memory, while the M2 Max can support up to 96GB memory (if you opt for the 28-core GPU option).

The other major difference is the number of GPU cores, with the Mac mini shipping with 16-cores, but maxing out at 19-cores, and the Mac Studio with M2 Max offering 30-cores as standard, and a 38-core GPU as a build-to-order option. And that’s not even considering the M2 Ultra, which offers a 60-core GPU as standard and 74-cores as a build-to-order option.

Here’s how the specs compare:

Mac mini M2 Pro

• Base model: 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16GB unified memory, 512GB SSD, $1,299/£1,399
• Additional options: 12-Core CPU, 19-Core GPU ($300/£300), 32GB memory ($400/£400), 1TB/2TB/4TB8TB SSD (up to $2,400)

Mac Studio M2 Max

• Base model: 12-core CPU, 30-Core GPU, 32GB unified memory, 512GB SSD, $1,999/£2,099
• Additional options: 38-Core GPU ($200/£200), 64GB memory ($400/£400), 96GB memory (+$800/£800), 1TB/2TB/4TB8TB SSD (up to $2,400/£2,400)

CPU

You can get an idea of how the CPUs compare from our benchmarks below. We’ve tested the M2 Pro 12-core and the M2 Mac 12-core CPU and can confirm there is not a huge difference.

We ran the new Geekbench 6.1 benchmarks on the processor. Because our earlier benchmarks were made using Geekbench 5 we don’t have the benchmarks for the Mac mini in question, but we have run Geekbench 6.1 on the equivalent chip in the MacBook Pro and as you can see the results are similar, as you would expect from such closely matched CPUs.

We also ran the Cinebench R23 benchmarks on the Mac Studio, in that case, we do have the Mac mini M2 Pro to compare to. Here you can also see how similar the two CPUs are.

GPU

When it comes to GPU cores things are a bit different. The standard Mac mini M2 Pro offers 16 graphics cores (up to 19), but the standard Mac Studio with M2 Max has a 30-core GPU (up to 38-core GPU).

To get an idea of how this plays out in testing, in Geekbench 6.1 Compute benchmarks the 38-core GPU Mac Studio scored a lot more than the M2 Pro in the MacBook Pro (we don’t have the Geekbench 6.1 scores for the Mac mini, but it is the same chip in question here).

If you are a gamer you can also expect much better performance from the Mac Studio, as per our video game benchmarks.

See how the M2 Pro and M2 Max compare here: M2 Pro vs M2 Max.

RAM

There are other ways in which the Max beats the Pro, whichever generation. The M2 Max has more memory bandwidth (400 GB/sec vs 200 GB/sec) and can offer more RAM than the M2 Pro can (96GB vs 32GB). Note that there is a catch with the 96GB RAM option for the M2 Max–it is limited to the version of the M2 Max with 38 GPU cores, while the less expensive option with 30 GPU cores still tops out at 64GB.

Mac Studio vs Mac mini M2 Pro: Ports

Apple

The Mac Studio has the most ports, with two USB-C ports and one SDXC card slot on the front and four Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, one HDMI 2.0 port, a 10Gb Ethernet jack, and one 3.5mm headphone jack on the back. The M2 Pro Mac mini has four Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, Gigabit Ethernet (10Gb ethernet costs an extra $100), and a headphone jack. Of course, there are plenty of USB-C hubs available if you want even more options.

The M1 Max Mac Studio was held back by its HDMI port, which was HDMI 2.0 rather than the Mac mini’s newer HDMI 2.1 standard. HDMI 2.1 brings support for 4K at 240Hz and 8K at 60Hz. The 2023 Mac Studio offers HDMI 2.1, so there is no longer a limitation (HDMI 2.0 can only connect one display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz.) This means that the M2 Max Mac Studio can now support up to eight 4K displays, six 6K displays, or three 8K displays, where previously it was limited to four Pro Display XDRs and one 4K display. The Mac mini with M2 Pro supports three displays.

The 2023 Mac Studio also gains the new WiFi 6E standard and Bluetooth 5.3 as the Mac mini M2 Pro did earlier in 2023. The older Mac Studio only offered Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.

Apple

Mac Studio vs Mac mini M2 Pro: Buying Advice

Now that the M2 Max has arrived in the Mac Studio it is certainly a more attractive option than it was, but even with the M1-series chips the Mac Studio was still a great option for those looking for a powerful Mac that didn’t break the bank.

The Mac mini with M2 Pro is certainly a contender though. The main differences between the two machines as the support for more RAM and the additional graphics cores in the Mac Studio. It costs more, but you certainly get your money’s worth compared to the M2 Max expipped MacBook Pro. When you consider that to spec a Mac mini up to a similar allocation of RAM and CPU cores, would cost the same as the Mac Studio, and still lack the extra GPU cores, it’s clear which is the best value for money machine.

But if you don’t need as much power, and you don’t use the most graphics-intensive apps, then the Mac mini with M2 Pro will be more than sufficient and represents a good saving on the cost of the Mac Studio. You can now save $700/£700 by buying a Mac mini with M2 Pro, rather than the Mac Studio, and still get a machine that is plenty powerful enough for your needs.

The Mac Studio offers much more though, aside from the extra RAM and GPUs, you’ll find more ports (including some that are front-facing) and support for more displays.

For more Mac mini accessory options, read our feature on How to upgrade the M2 and M2 Pro Mac mini.

For more help deciding which Mac to buy read our Best Mac buying guide.

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Until March 2022 Apple sold two sizes of its iMac desktop computer. The smaller model was more suited to home users due to its less powerful processor, while the larger 27-inch model, with more speed and higher-end features, was meant to be powerful enough for more demanding users.

When Apple introduced the 24-inch iMac in 2021 with a colorful redesign and M1 chip, it was the beginning of the end for the high-end version. First Apple discontinued the iMac Pro, and a year later introduced the Mac Studio with the 27-inch Studio Display in March 2022 and discontinued the 27-inch iMac at the same time.

But the story doesn’t end there. Ever since it was retired, there have been rumors that Apple has plans to introduce a new version of the iMac Pro that would also mark the return of the 27-inch iMac. In this article, we’ll evaluate the reports that suggest that Apple could revive the old brand with a brand new iMac Pro. Read on to find out when it could launch and what features it might offer.

Is there even a need for a new iMac Pro now the Mac Studio has arrived? We think there will always be room for a pro desktop with a large screen built in. See: How the iMac Pro could come out of retirement to dominate the desktop.

Is a new 27-inch iMac Proc coming out?

The rumors that Apple would revive the iMac Pro have been circulating for years. Back in October 2021, in a tweet that is no longer online, retired Apple leaker Dylan tweeted the following details about an iMac Pro:

iMac (Pro)
Promotion and Mini Led
Base model 16gb Ram 512gb Storage
M1 Pro and Max
Dark bezels
HDMI, SD Card, Usb C
Similar design to iMac 24 and Pro Display XDR
Starting price at or over 2000 dollars
Ethernet on brick standard
Face ID was tested (Not confirmed)
1H 2022

— Dylan (@dylandkt) October 30, 2021

Clearly, Dylan was incorrect about this prediction, but he wasn’t the only one suggesting that a new iMac Pro was in the works. According to LeaksApplePro (via Howtoisolve in January 2023) a new iMac Pro, with M2 Pro and M2 Max processors, will be released in 2023. (However, LeaksApplePro has since come under criticism by the likes of Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who called him a troll, so perhaps we should take that claim with a pinch of salt.)

But even if we discount those two sources, there is still evidence that Apple is working on a new iMac Pro. In fact, Gurman himself has also predicted that an iMac Pro is coming. Unfazed by the release of the Mac Studio and the removal of the 27-inch iMac from the lineup following the March 2022 Apple event, Gurman wrote in April 2022: “For those asking, I still think an iMac Pro is coming. It just won’t be anytime soon.”

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also made predictions about a new iMac Pro, although not since March 2022 when he tweeted that an iMac Pro would ship in 2023.

In July 2022 a report on Macrumors, based on information shared by a source to a forum member—so we can’t vouch for its accuracy—suggested that “Apple prototyped at least three larger iMac models with Apple silicon chips” in 2021.

And Display Supply Chain Consultants analyst Ross Young has also made observations that a new 27-inch iMac was coming based on his own sightings of 27-inch displays. For example, in October 2021 he tweeted that a 27-inch MiniLED screen would be used in an iMac in Q122. However, Young later admitted that these sightings could have been in relation to the Studio Display, which subsequently launched alongside the Mac Studio in March 2022.

27-inch iMac Pro: Release date

The arrival of the Studio Display hasn’t meant that Young has stopped believing that there is a possibility that Apple has plans for a new 27-inch iMac. In February 2023, Young told MacRumors that Apple’s plans for a 27-inch screen with ProMotion support (with refresh rates up to 120Hz) had been delayed and it would not launch in the first quarter of 2023 as he had expected. He did note, however, that this display could be destined for a 27-inch iMac, or it could be a new Pro Display XDR.

Young isn’t the only one referring to delays. In December 2022, Mark Gurman indicated that the iMac Pro had been delayed, citing (as with the new Mac Pro) high development costs and difficulties engineering chips as the cause of the delay. In his first newsletter of 2023, Gurman also wrote that the iMac Pro “has been on and off Apple’s road map”, and that “I would be surprised at this point if it arrives in 2023”.

So, even with WWDC 2023 approaching, a new iMac Pro in 2023 is looking unlikely, despite the fact that the iMac will be 25 years old on Tuesday, August 15, 2023. Wouldn’t that be a fitting date to launch a new iMac? Unfortunately, even a new 24-inch iMac isn’t expected until the end of 2023 at the earliest.

27-inch iMac Pro: Design and colors

In a July 31, 2021 newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggested that the new iMac Pro will have “a similar design to the current M1 iMac.”

It makes sense that the iMac Pro will borrow some of its design inspiration from the 24-inch iMac. Apple offers the 24-inch iMac in several color choices, but there haven’t been reports on what color choices Apple will use for the iMac Pro. To create a differentiation between the consumer and pro levels, Apple may decide on different color choices as with the iPhone Pro, or stick with the traditional silver like that on the 27-inch iMac or Space Gray as on the discontinued iMac Pro.

Another difference we could see on the larger iMac is dark bezels rather than a white border around the screen. There may also be a notch as there is with the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. This could allow Apple to extend the height of the screen as it has with these models. We’d also like to see the iMac Pro lose some of its “chin.” Based on teardowns of the iMac and the Studio Display, and the low power and heat requirements of Apple silicon, a chinless iMac Pro could be possible.

Apple

27-inch iMac Pro: Display

Display analyst Ross Young and others have stated that the iMac Pro will have a 27-inch display, which we have to admit to being disappointed by. A larger display would certainly make the iMac Pro more attractive to potential buyers. Next to the 24-inch iMac, with its 4.5K display (4,480 x 2,520 pixels), the 27-inch iMac only looks slightly more impressive with its 5K display (5,120 x 2,880 pixels). But it’s not only the 24-inch iMac that the iMac Pro will be compared to. The 27-inch screen also doesn’t compare particularly favorably with many modern displays that are larger than 30-inch (including the 32-inch, 6K Apple Pro Display XDR). We would like to see a 32-inch display on the new iMac Pro.

Gurman has predicted that the 27-inch iMac could see its display size increase by a similar amount to the 24-inch iMac: “I absolutely still believe that a larger, redesigned iMac to replace the Intel 27-inch models is en route. Apple increasing the screen size of the smaller model from 21.5 inches to 24 inches seems to indicate that the 27-inch model could see a size increase as well,” he wrote.

A larger display could be possible without increasing the size of the iMac significantly. The 27-inch iMac measured 25.6-inches wide, 20.3-inches tall, and 8-inches deep, and Apple’s new design helps make the 24-inch iMac smaller than even the 21.5-inch iMac it replaced (21.5-inches x 18.1-inches x 5.8-inches vs. 20.8-inches x 17.7-inches x 6.9-inches).

The new iMac Pro wouldn’t actually need to be as big as the Pro Display XDR to offer a 6K display. A 30-inch display with smaller bezels could still accommodate the 6,016 x 3,384 pixels for Retina 6K resolution and a 6K iMac.

It is possible that the screen of the iMac may be more comparable to the quality of the current 27-inch Studio Display, which lacks ProMotion and HDR, but these are both features that would be beneficial to an iMac Pro user. Apple has added those features to its other Pro devices–iPhone, iPad, MacBook, we’d like to see them here too.

To get an idea of what we could expect with the display in the larger iMac if Apple takes it beyond the Studio Display we can look at how it compares to Apple’s Pro Display XDR.

• Pro Display XDR: 6K Retina display (6,016-by-3,384 resolution), 1,000 nits (XDR) or 500 nits (SDR) brightness, wide color (P3), True Tone
• Studio Display: 5K Retina display (5,120-by-2,880 resolution), 600 nits, wide color (P3), True Tone

The upcoming larger iMac is likely to have smaller bezels than the 27-inch iMac and iMac Pro, which could help the display reach a higher pixel density without having to make the display much bigger. A rumor by Ross Young in October 2021 and a follow-up report in December 2021 claimed that Apple will bring a Liquid Retina XDR display with “around 1,000 zones and over 4,000 mini-LEDs” to the iMac. That would be fewer than the 10,000 mini-LEDs in the iPad and the 8,000 mini-LEDs in the MacBook Pro, though it would likely be visually indistinguishable due to the size and viewing distance.

IDG

The 27-inch iMac used to ship with standard glass on the front of the display, but (for $300) Apple offered a nano-texture glass that provided a matte-like finish and did a good job of cutting down glare. Apple will probably continue to offer this with the new iMac Pro. As you can see above, it dramatically cuts down on the gloss and glare.

27-inch iMac Pro: Processor

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported back in January 2022 that the iMac Pro would have “similar chips to the M1 Pro and M1 Max processors inside of the MacBook Pro.” That rumor came before the launch of the Mac Studio, which did ship with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, so it seems likely that Gurman’s source was referring to that machine.

Now that there are M2 Pro and M2 Max chips available in the MacBook Pro (and the Mac mini has gained an M2 Pro) will the iMac Pro ship with M2 Pro and M2 Max? There are rumors suggesting that this won’t be the case: reports suggest that the next iMac will ship with M3 chips. Gurman has repeatedly claimed that Apple will bypass the M2 and move straight to the M3 chip for the next generation of the 24-inch iMac and it is possible that the iMac Pro will also make the same leap, although there are no recent rumors about what chip will be used.

It’s also not clear what chips will be used in the new Mac Studio, which is still shipping with M1 Max and M1 Ultra chips. There is some confusion about how Apple will differentiate the Mac Studio and Mac Pro if the new Mac Pro also ships with Max and Ultra chips, just like the Mac Studio. Perhaps the iMac Pro will only offer the Pro chips, leaving the Max for the Mac Studio and the Ultra for the Mac Pro.

27-inch iMac Pro: Graphics

Assuming that the iMac Pro shipped with an M2 Pro chip, we could expect up to 19-core GPUs. If Apple does use the M2 Max in a new iMac Pro we could see up to 38‑core GPUs. We have reviewed the MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and found that “the M2 Pro MacBook Pro has some serious GPU power.”

27-inch iMac Pro: RAM

The M2 Pro can support up to 32GB RAM while the M2 Max can support up to 96GB Unified Memory. This is less than the 128GB RAM that was supported by the 27-inch iMac. This could be a disappointment to users.

One limitation of Apple’s RAM is that it will not be user upgradable. The 27-inch iMac had RAM slots that were user-accessible. With Apple silicon RAM – properly called Unified Memory – is built into the SoC, so it is not user upgradable.

However, Apple offers up to 128GB with the M1 Ultra in the Mac Studio, so it is possible that there will be an adequate RAM allocation in the iMac Pro.

27-inch iMac Pro: Storage

Dylan’s October 2021 tweet also suggested that there will be 512GB storage as standard with the new iMac (Pro).

That would be an improvement on the 256GB offered by the entry-level 27in iMac prior to it being retired. But it would follow the pattern of the 16-inch MacBook Pro which has 512GB and 1TB options for the standard machines (and 8TB as a build-to-order option).

27-inch iMac Pro: Ports and expansion

The 24-inch iMac comes with two USB 3 ports, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a headphone jack. After Apple launched the MacBook Pro with HDMI and an SDXC card slot, rumors suggested the iMac would follow suit. The thin enclosure could be an issue, but Apple solved that issue on the 24-inch model by putting the headphone jack on the side. Apple could position the SD slot similarly to avoid making the iMac thicker. W

For all but the entry-level 24-inch iMac, Apple placed the ethernet port in the power adapter brick. The same power adapter is likely to be used for the larger iMac as well.

Apple

27-inch iMac Pro: Other features

The 24-inch iMac has an improved FaceTime camera that uses the M1’s ISP to provide better image quality. That same FaceTime camera implementation is expected for the larger iMac Pro as well.

We’d like to see the camera also support Face ID. True Depth references were spotted in macOS Big Sur indicating that this was something Apple had looked at. However, no Mac has yet arrived with support for Face ID. If it doesn’t have Face ID, the new iMac will have Touch ID built into the keyboard, that being offered with the 24-inch iMac and the Touch ID keyboards.

27-inch iMac Pro: Price

As for the price, it will likely fall in line with the pricing of the 27-inch iMac, which started at $1,799 since Apple kept similar pricing to the 21.5-inch iMac when it launched the 24-inch model. It’s also possible that the price will be a bit higher, perhaps starting at over $2,000, which would be more in line with Apple’s price increase for the higher-end MacBook Pro.

A higher price is likely outside the U.S. where Apple has been increasing prices in line with the exchange rates.

iMac

Welcome to our Mac Wi-Fi troubleshooting guide, which offers fixes for situations where Wi-Fi isn’t working, your Mac refuses to connect to the internet, you MacBook won’t connect to Wi-Fi but other devices will, or your wireless signal strength is poor.

There are three main reasons why Wi-Fi stops working: there’s a problem with your router, your internet provider’s network is down, or there’s an issue with your own Wi-Fi network. Less commonly, there may be an issue with the macOS software you’re running. We cover all these scenarios in this article.

We have various steps to work through below, we’ve started with the ones that will hopefully fix your Wi-Fi problem quickly, but you might like to try a few of the latter tips if you have no luck.

In this article we cover the tips for fixing Mac Wi-Fi issues. We also address problems with a weak Wi-Fi signal in a separate article here: How to improve your Wi-Fi signal.

What to do when your Wi-Fi is not working

Work through the troubleshooting steps below to fix your Mac Wi-Fi problems.

1.

Turn it off and on again

Foundry

• Restart the app: If Safari, or any browser, stops working the first thing to do is quit and restart the browser.
• Restart the router: To establish whether the problem lies with your router turn it off and on again. To properly powercycle your router you need to disconnect it from power for about 30 seconds, then plug it in and turn it back on.
• Restart the Mac: It’s also a good idea to turn your Mac off and on again.
• Restart Wi-Fi: If there’s still an issue after you’ve rebooted your Mac, try turning the Wi-Fi off and then waiting a few seconds before turning it back on again to force it to scan for available networks again. To turn Wi-Fi off and on again click on the Wi-Fi logo in the menu at the top right of your Mac and switch the slide from blue to gray (or in older versions of the macOS select Turn Wi-Fi Off.)

You should also check that it’s not a problem with the website you are trying to access. Can you access Google? You could run a Ping test to see if there is a problem with the connection to a website you are accessing. Read about running Ping on a Mac here.

2.

Check Apple’s software

Apple

Unfortunately, sometimes the reason why you can’t connect to Wi-Fi is Apple’s operating system. In the past Mac users have encountered Wi-Fi problems after updating their Macs to a new version of macOS. Have you recently updated your Mac? Are other Mac users also experiencing issues with their Wi-Fi connection?

This was a big issue in 2015 with the original version of El Capitan (macOS 10.11). Following the update, many users found their Macs could no longer connect to their wireless network. Apple issued an update to the software, but this wasn’t an easy fix for MacBook Air owners who could only connect to the web via Wi-Fi due to the lack of an Ethernet port (unless they had an adapter). When we encountered this problem we had to update our Mac to a new version of macOS while sharing the internet connection from our iPhone.

If it’s a software update you need you could hotspot from your iPhone and connect to the internet that way. Just be careful about going over your data allowance! (Read our tips for sticking to your data allocation on your iPhone here.)

You may also experience problems with Wi-Fi if you are running a beta version of macOS. We had a lot of trouble with Wi-Fi dropping when we were running the High Sierra beta, for example.

3.

Check with your provider

Foundry

It is possible that the problem is more widespread, are other people in your area also experiencing issues? Is your landline phone down too? Try Downdetector to see if other people are having the same problem.

If the problem is at the provider’s end, there’s not much you can do about it beyond complaining–and you should absolutely do that. Hopefully they will be able to rectify the issue quickly.

Even if other parts of their network aren’t down, it might still be the provider’s problem or it could be a problem with your phone line. For example, if your broadband relies on cables then there could be a problem with the cabling to your house; if your web connection often cuts out during bad weather it may be because water is interfering with the cables.

4.

Disconnect Bluetooth

Foundry

Still no luck? Try disconnecting Bluetooth. This is a fix that has worked for some people.

If you are running a recent version of macOS the Bluetooth options are in Control Centre, which is accessed by clicking on the switch icon in the menu at the top of the screen.

Click on the Bluetooth icon and you’ll see an option to turn it off.

If you have an older version of macOS, click the Bluetooth icon at the top right (the runic B next to the Wi-Fi icon) and select Turn Bluetooth Off.

5.

Forget the network

Foundry

You may find that forcing your device to forget the network can help.

In macOS Ventura or later

1. Go to System Settings.
2. Click on Wi-Fi.
3. Either click Details beside the network you are connected to, and then choose Forget This Network, or beside a network you want to forget click on the … and choose Forget This Network.

In macOS Monterey of earlier

1. Go to System Preferences > Network.
2. Select Wi-Fi and then click Advanced.
3. Select the network you wish to forget, press the (-) and agree to Remove.

Once you’ve done this your Mac and other devices using your iCloud Keychain will not join that network.

Now try connecting to that network again, adding the password when requested.

6.

Keep your router cool and check it’s location

Thomas Newton / Foundry

If things still don’t work, check your router isn’t overheating. Don’t cover it up or hide it away where there isn’t adequate ventilation, because if it gets too hot it won’t work as well.

Another thing to check is your router’s location. You will get a better signal if it’s not on or near any large metal surfaces – so don’t sit it on a filing cabinet, for example, and don’t put it right next to a radiator.

Move your laptop closer to your router and see if you get a signal from there. If it turns out the signal is fine when you’re right next to the router, it’s likely that something in your house or office is causing interference.

If it is time to upgrade your router check out our favorite routers in our round up of the Best routers for Mac.

7.

Find out if something is blocking the signal from your router

There are lots of reasons why the signal strength can be weaker in certain locations and not others. For example, thick walls in old houses can make getting a signal in one corner of the house impossible.

If there is a lot of metal in the building that can also cause issues with your Wi-Fi, so it might be worth checking what materials were used in the construction of your property.

You can use an app called NetSpot (free edition, or there’s a $49 Home version) to analyze the Wi-Fi signal in your building. Move your Mac around and chart the signal strength in various locations to get an idea of where the signal is stronger and where’s it’s weak.

Alternatively the problem may be other electrical devices, such as fans, motors, microwaves and wireless phones. Does your Wi-Fi drop at the same time as you use the microwave? Because they’re both using radio waves you can get interference when you turn your microwave on.

Try to position your router far away from these devices and don’t use the microwave at the same time as an important conference call.

8.

Use Apple’s Wireless Diagnostics

Apple has a free tool in macOS that can help you identify the issue. The Wireless Diagnostics app can analyse your network and indicate what is wrong and how you might be able to fix it.

There are two simple ways to access Wireless Diagnostics on a Mac. Either press and hold Alt/Option and click on the Wi-Fi icon in the menu and click on Open Wireless Diagnostics, or search for it by name using Spotlight (Cmd + spacebar).

1. Open Wireless Diagnostics.
2. Click Continue and wait while your Mac runs diagnostics.
3. Even if the Mac doesn’t find anything wrong click on Monitor my Wi-Fi connection to get it to assess your wireless connection for connectivity failures.
4. Run this for a while and then click Continue when you want to stop monitoring. You can add more information about the router in the next screens.
5. Click on Continue again and the tool will start to create a diagnostics report (this can take a few minutes).
6. This diagnostics report might include useful information to share with your service provider.
7. Once the report is generated locate it in the /var/tmp folder. To reach this open Finder and click on Go and paste in /var/tmp.
8. You can forward the report to anyone who might need it.

Unfortunately the information offered here probably won’t mean much to the average Mac user. However there are more useful tools to be found in Wireless Diagnostics, such as the one discussed below.

9.

Use Wireless Diagnostics to look for drop offs

You can also get an idea of whether other devices are causing your signal to drop by using the Wireless Diagnostics utility.

To generate a graph like the one shown above, follow these steps:

1. Open Wireless Diagnostics. Either search for it by name using Spotlight (Cmd + spacebar), or hold Option/Alt and click on the Wi-Fi icon at the top right of the screen, then select Open Wireless Diagnostics.
2. Before you click Continue to run a report, go to the menu and click on Window > Performance (or hit Alt + Cmd + 5).

This will generate three graphs that will tell you about the transmission rate, signal quality, and signal and noise levels. If you monitor this for a few hours you may be able to identify whether there is a problem.

The top graph displays the data rate of your wireless network in Mbps. The level of the graph will be dictated by your router and other equipment you have connected to it. The important thing, in troubleshooting terms, is that the rate is reasonably consistent. If you are seeing dips in the data rate, or a complete drop-off, it indicates that there is a problem.

The middle graph, labelled Quality, displays the ratio of signal to noise over time. Ideally, it should be a straightish line with small spikes. If you notice frequent dips in the line, it’s likely that something is interfering with your Wi-Fi signal.

The bottom graph, labelled Signal, displays both the signal strength and measured noise. Both are shown as dBM, or Decibel-milliwatts, a commonly used unit of the absolute power of radio signals. A reliable signal should have a signal strength of somewhere between -60 and -10dBm and a noise level below -75dBm. The narrower the gap between the two lines on the graph, the more unreliable the signal is likely to be.

If you notice sudden increases in noise, try to identify when and why they occur. Does it happen, for example, when a wireless phone handset is in use, or when a microwave is switched on? If you identify that a particular appliance is interfering with the signal, move the router away from the appliance that’s causing the problem.

You could also try varying the height of the router as well as its horizontal position to see if that has any effect on the reception when the interfering gadget is in use.

10.

Extend your Wi-Fi reach

Linksys

If you have identified the problem as being an issue with the signal strength in certain parts of your building we recommend getting a Wi-Fi extender or investing in a mesh network. We have a round up of Mesh routers where we recommend the Linksys Velop AX4200 which you can buy from Apple U.S. for $249.95 or Apple U.K. for £259.95. A cheaper option is the D-Link E15 Eagle Pro range extender, which is available for $64.99 (currently $54.99) at Amazon U.S. and at at Amazon U.K for £70 (currently £32.99).

When you set up the Wi-Fi extender make sure you change the SSID (Wi-Fi name) and password of the new device so it’s the same as your current wireless router and modem, to enable your Mac to pick whichever device is offering the better connection without you having to switch and enter a new password.

11.

Check the competition

Your Wi-Fi connection may also be suffering because of other networks nearby, sharing the radio waves with you–particularly if you’re in a built-up area.

You can see what the other Wi-Fi networks near you are by clicking on the Wi-Fi icon in the menu and choosing Other Networks. This will tell you if there are a lot of WiFi networks near you.

To find out what channels all those competing routers are using open Apple’s Wireless Diagnostics app again and click on Window in the menu. Next click on Scan.

This shows you information about the kind of router people near you are using and it also shows the RSSI – which is the Received Signal Strength Indicator. The RSSI for your own router should be better than the competition.

To find out more about the other traffic is in your area your could try the WiFi Explorer app ($19.99/£19.99).

WiFi Explorer will help you see what other networks are in your area. It provides a lot more information than you normally see in the list of available networks on your Mac, such as the network name (SSID), BSSID, vendor, country code, channel, band, security configuration, supported data rates, number of streams, and more.

12.

Choose a unique network name

Now you have seen these different Wi-Fi networks, make sure you configure your Wi-Fi network with a unique name so that it doesn’t conflict with the names of other nearby networks.

You also shouldn’t hide your network, this may sound like it would protect your network from someone who might try to hack in to it, or a neighbor who might be able to guess your password, but your devices may take longer to find a hidden network and hackers will have other ways to find it anyway.

13.

Switch bands and change your Wi-Fi channel

Routers do a good job of selecting channels automatically, based on what else is operating nearby. If, however, you notice that your router is operating on the same channel as another router nearby, or you think you might benefit from switching to something better suited to your surroundings you might want to consider changing it manually.

You could go some way to counter competition from other Wi-Fi networks by changing the band you are using and channel you’re on.

There are three bands of Wi-Fi available and your router will either use the 2.4GHz band, the 5GHz band, the 6GHz band, or all of them. The 5GHz and 6GHz bands offer more bandwidth than the 2.4GHz band and is less susceptible to interference because other domestic appliances don’t use that frequency, however, because the 2.4GHz band uses a lower frequency it can get through thick walls and other objects.

If you have a new 6GHz router it uses the 1200MHz wide Wi-Fi spectrum, which is much larger than the 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrums. It also adds seven 160 MHz channels to the mix. You can only take advantage of these with a Wi-Fi 6E router. See: What Wi-Fi 6E means for Apple’s new Macs and the iPhone 15.

If your problem could be solved by using the 5GHz or 6GHz bands – and they are available to you – follow these steps:

How to switch to the 5GHz or 6GHz band

To use the 5GHz or 6GHz band on your dual-band router you’ll need to separate the 2.4GHz and 5GHz/6GHz networks on your router (check its manual to find out how) and give them different names.

Click the Wireless Options button at the bottom of the window and click the box next to ‘5GHz network name’. Now give it a different name.

Once you’ve separated the 2.4GHz and 5GHz/6GHz networks, you need to tell your Mac and iOS devices to join 5GHz/6GHz in preference to 2.4GHz.

• In macOS Ventura or later open System Settings and click on Wi-Fi. Select the 5GHz/6GHz network and connect to it. Right click on the 5GHz/6GHz network and make sure Auto-Join is on. Deselect Auto-Join on the 2.4GHz network.
• In macOS Monterey or earlier go to the Network pane in System Preferences and click on Wi-Fi. Choose the Advanced button and drag the 5GHz/6GHz network to the top of the list.
• On an iOS device, tap on Settings, then Wi-Fi. Tap on the ‘i’ next to the 2.4GHz network, and slide ‘Auto-Join’ to off.

We have a tutorial about How to switch to 5GHz on a Mac here. 

How to change the channel in the 2.4GHz band

If your router is too old to offer 5GHz or 6GHz, or the 2.4GHz band is better suited to the thick walled building you live in, you could try changing the channel.

There are 13 channels on the 2.4GHz bands of which all but 1, 6 and 11 overlap. You’d be wise to pick a channel as far away from the one your neighbours use if possible.

The steps you need to follow to change the channel on your router will depend on your router software. To access your router software you need to know the IP address of your router. Most routers have an IP address of http://192.168.0.1 or http://192.168.1.1.

Open your web browser and type the IP address into the address bar and press enter. This will bring up your router software. Look for the channel information and log into your router to change it.

Don’t just move it to the next available channel, however. Channel frequencies overlap, meaning that narrowband routers use five channels concurrently and wideband routers use seven. So, if you manually change channels, make sure you move at least five or seven channels away from the one your router is currently operating on.

As you make changes, keep monitoring the graphs in Wireless Diagnostics so you can see which ones make a significant difference to signal quality.

Alternately you could configure your Wi-Fi network channel to Automatic so that it selects the best channel to use.

14.

Run Apple Diagnostics

If you still haven’t solved your Wi-Fi worries you could use Apple Diagnostics to check for Wi-Fi or network issues.

To do so follow these steps:

1. Disconnect all external devices (except the keyboard and screen).
2. Shut down the Mac, then turn it on while pressing and holding D.
3. When you see the screen asking you to choose your language do so, then watch as the progress bar indicates that your Mac is being assessed. This takes 2-3 minutes.
4. If problems are identified, Apple Diagnostics will suggest solutions.

15.

Reset your SMC, PRAM or NVRAM

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Reset the PRAM and the SMC (System Management Controller) is worth a try. This process is covered here: How to reset your Mac’s NVRAM, PRAM, and SMC.

16.

Change the DNS setting for your network

Changing your DNS settings is also recommended, but like resetting SMC, PRAM and NVRAM it’s not for beginners.

You need to start by deleting your Wi-Fi preference files, but we advise you to back them up first!

1. Find the Wi-Fi preferences by opening the Finder and choosing Go > Go To Folder and typing: /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/
2. In this window locate the following files and drag them to clearly labelled backup folder on your Desktop:
   com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
   com.apple.network.identification.plist
   com.apple.wifi.message-tracer.plist
   NetworkInterfaces.plist
   preferences.plist
3. Reboot the Mac.
4. Turn on Wi-Fi and see if it works.
5. If Wi-Fi doesn’t work you need to create a new Wi-Fi network location, adding custom MTU and DNS details.
6. Before you do this, quit any apps that might be using Wi-Fi or the network.
7. Go to System Preferences > Network and choose Wi-Fi. Click on the menu beside Location and choose Edit Locations, click the + to create a new location and name it something memorable. Click Done.
8. Join the Wi-Fi network, using your usual router password.
9. Click on Advanced and under the TCP/IP tab choose Renew DHCP Lease. Go to the DNS tab and add 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 to the DNS Servers list. (Those are the Google DNS, which are generally the fastest options, but you can add something else if you prefer.)
10. Choose Hardware and Configure Manually.
11. Change MTU to Custom and set it to 1453, click OK and Apply.

We have more information here: Can’t load some websites? Check your DNS server settings.

If you decide that the problem is with your router and cannot fix it, perhaps it’s time to buy a new router. You could have a look at our round up of the Best routers for Mac.

We also have a couple of dedicated articles how to test your internet connection and a guide to what to do if your iPhone keeps dropping your Wi-Fi connection. 

We also have advice about how to configure a router for Mac and iPhone here.

Mac, Personal Software