That... sounds like you're describing the average Ryzen APU? My 8-core 5800u feels pretty similar to an M1 Mac Mini in most respects, besides the fact it's in a laptop.
M2 Mini maxes out at 50w and when I do full loads it usually doesn't go above 40w.
It gets a Geekbench score of 2633 single core and 9750 multicore.
5800u is 1641 single core and 6451 multicore.
Significantly more performance at half the power draw. Likely 4x the performance per watt.
The MX chips are ARM so the idle draw is probably better on the Mac, but for most tasks I don't understand how the Ryzen would be disqualified. It's probably the best low-power x86 solution on the market right now; you're missing out if you haven't seen what the Steam Deck can do at 10w.