Apple introduced new iPad Pro models last week. These are powered by the A12Z Bionic chip, which Apple particularly praised in the press release. But how fast is the new chip really?
The new iPad Pro 2020 features the brand new A12Z Bionic chip. Apple described it in its own press release as follows highlighted:
Designed for the most demanding tasks, like editing 4K video or creating 3D models, iPad Pro gets another performance boost with the new A12Z Bionic chip. The eight-core GPU in the A12Z Bionic, along with an improved thermal architecture and tuned power controllers, gives iPad Pro the highest performance ever in an iPad. Combined with the eight-core CPU and powerful Neural Engine that enables next-generation apps, there's no other chip that delivers the incredible performance found in iPad Pro's thin and light design. With great battery life of up to 10 hours, faster Wi-Fi connectivity, and Gigabit-class LTE that's 60 percent faster with support for more LTE bands than any other tablet, customers can stay productive and creative all day long.
But what exactly does that mean? While some users expected a significant performance boost compared to the previous model, the truth is somewhat different. A benchmark test shows that the A12Z Bionic chip is only minimally faster. MacRumors:
Results were already known
One of the new 2020 iPad Pro models, equipped with an A12Z chip, arrived earlier to a Reddit user who ran some benchmarking tests to see how it fared. In a Geekbench 5 test, the 2020 11-inch iPad Pro scored a single-core score of 1114 and a multi-core score of 4654, which is close to the Geekbench results of the 2018 11-inch iPad Pro. The 11-inch iPad Pro has an overall score of 1113 for the Geekbench 5 and 4608 for the multi-core score. Like the A12X, the A12Z is an 8-core chip that runs at 2.48GHz. The new iPad Pro 2020 has moved up a bit in the Metal ratings, scoring 9894 Metal ratings, up from 9020 for the 11-inch iPad Pro from 2018. This is no surprise, however, as the A12Z has an 8-core GPU instead of the 7-core GPU of the A12X.
The results are not really surprising, as they were revealed by MySmartPrice some time ago. Of course, the update is not just about performance. But they are not two worlds apart, as some expected. After all, no new processor was developed, but an existing one was slightly revised. (Image: Apple)
