The normal M2 is a huge upgrade over your Retina 4K 21.5" Mid 2017.
I just ordered the normal M2 Mini but with 24GB - Im coming from the Retina 5K 27" 2020 with a 8-core i7.
I was wrecking my brain over M2 vs M2 Pro also and realised that my work flow would not benefit from the extra CPU cores of the Pro. The apps I use make use of the M2's faster Neural Engine (faster over M1) and built in Video coders so the M2 is an amazing quiet powerhouse and I saved a lot of money.
Ive brought direct from Apple so on the odd chance Im not satisfied then I can return it.
I just ordered the normal M2 Mini but with 24GB - Im coming from the Retina 5K 27" 2020 with a 8-core i7.
I was wrecking my brain over M2 vs M2 Pro also and realised that my work flow would not benefit from the extra CPU cores of the Pro. The apps I use make use of the M2's faster Neural Engine (faster over M1) and built in Video coders so the M2 is an amazing quiet powerhouse and I saved a lot of money.
Ive brought direct from Apple so on the odd chance Im not satisfied then I can return it.