Have you seen how tiny the M4 Mac Mini is? It's really small, to the point where you could call it a "travel PC" and be kinda-sorta right. If you really wanted to give it the status of a reliable travel companion, you also need a screen, mouse, and keyboard to go along with it. That way, all you really need is a power outlet, and you're good to go.

While you could bring a portable mouse, keyboard, and screen and call it a day, people have been going the extra mile and maximising the portability of their hardware for the travel-centric. So, here's a few examples to give you some inspiration.

3 Someone turne their M4 Mac Mini into a portable all-in-one computer

The one that started it for me

This build inspired me to explore the portable M4 Mac Mini further. YouTuber Scott Yu-Jan designed an excellent kit that bundles everything together and features some very smart design considerations.

For instance, you may find it a little odd that he chose a screen that's pretty wide and not so tall. However, this was a deliberate design choice so that the screen was around the same dimensions as the keyboard and its 3D-printed holding shell. That way, Scott could attach a hinge to the keyboard and the screen and neatly fold it in half, much like a laptop. Very smart.

The M4 Mac Mini gets a little side bay where it can slot in. The only real downsides to the design are that it requires an outlet to power (which Scott hopes to fix with a battery addition in the future) and that he made the unfortunate decision to put the M4 Mac Mini on the right side when he himself is right-handed, meaning less room for the mouse. Still, an awesome build.

2 This M4 Mac Mini portable setup is cheaper than a MacBook Air

Cheap, effective, and ergonomic

If you'd rather go for a more "portable computer" setup, Leo Ouyang has you covered. His design is based around two elements: making each component as portable as possible, and keeping the cost down. And I'd say he succeeded very well on both counts.

He picked out a 16-inch portable monitor from Amazon, which comes with its own little kickstand. However, Leo opted instead to place the monitor on a laptop stand he had lying around for an easier time. He also picked out a Pebble keyboard and a Logitech Max Master 3S as his mouse of choice.

Not only does this setup only weigh 4.4 lbs (making it slightly lighter than the 4.7 lbs 16-inch MacBook Pro sans charger), but it also only costs him $673 total, quite a savings compared to the 14-inch MacBook Air and its $999 price tag.

Check out Leo's video above if you want to see it all come together. Just don't watch it if you're feeling sleepy; his voice is so calming that it might induce a nap.

1 This setup uses Velcro to stick the M4 Mac Mini where it needs to go

Anything is portable with enough Velcro

Finally, we have this pretty ingenious idea from YouTuber Tommy Doan. If you're always on the go and you love bringing your tech with you, there's a good chance you've used a magnetic monitor stand before. These can fold out and act as its own stand while it holds your screen in place.

Tommy had a bright idea: what if you attached Velcro to the back of the stand and stuck the M4 Mac Mini to that? The end result is a lightweight, portable solution that tucks the M4 Mac Mini away from sight for a clean, tidy appearance. He even used the setup as his daily driver for a while, proving that it can be more than just a travel setup.

The M4 Mac Mini is a travel PC if you're brave enough

While there's definitely an argument to be had for not bothering with all of this and just bringing a laptop with you instead, it's cool to see all the different ways people have adapted the M4 Mac Mini into a more portable setup. Maybe the next time you want to bring your M4 Mac Mini with you, you can do something like one of the above solutions to make it as portable as possible.