You can get discounts on both the 256GB model and the 512GB model right now for lower prices than you can at the Apple Store. The step-up model costs $899 from Apple and doubles the storage capacity to 512GB. The baseline model of the M1-based Mac Mini costs $699 from Apple and features 8GB of RAM and a 256GB solid-state drive.
It didn't get the M1X update that the 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro did last fall, but the Mac Mini remains the company's least expensive MacOS computer and is selling at considerable discounts at Amazon right now. The Mac Mini, along with the more mobile MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, was one of the first Apple computers to ditch Intel silicon in favor of Apple's impressive M1 processor.