M4 iPad Air: First Geekbench results have surfaced

Shortly before the expected release of the new iPad Air generation, the first benchmark results for the M4 iPad Air have surfaced. The results come from the well-known benchmark database Geekbench and provide an early indication of how the new model performs.

The new 13-inch iPad Air model was tested. The results already show that Apple has improved performance compared to its predecessor with the M3 chip. At the same time, it's also clear that despite having the same chip name, the iPad Air doesn't quite reach the performance of the iPad Pro with the M4 processor.

The iPad Air series occupies a special position within the iPad family. It is positioned between the entry-level iPad and the significantly more expensive iPad Pro. The iPad Air typically adopts many technologies from the Pro models, albeit in a somewhat streamlined form.

With the M4 iPad Air, Apple is introducing an M4 chip to this product line for the first time. The processor was previously used in the iPad Pro. However, the iPad Air uses a slightly reduced version of the chip. Initial benchmark results now show how this version of the M4 performs in practice and how significant the performance difference compared to its predecessor actually is.

First Geekbench benchmarks of the M4 iPad Air

The leaked benchmark data pertains to the 13-inch M4 iPad Air with Wi-Fi + Cellular, listed in Geekbench under the model number iPad16,11. A total of two benchmark results were discovered, providing an initial impression of the new tablet's CPU performance.

In both tests, the device achieved scores of 3438 and 3714 points in the single-core test. In the multi-core test, the results were 12885 and 12296 points, respectively.

These two measurements yield an average score of 3576 points in the single-core test and 12591 points in the multi-core test. These results provide a good indication of the performance that can be expected from the M4 iPad Air in everyday use.

Comparison with the M3 iPad Air

The comparison with its direct predecessor is particularly interesting. The previous generation 13-inch M3 iPad Air achieved an average of 3048 points in the Geekbench single-core test and 11667 points in the multi-core test.

A direct comparison reveals a clear performance increase for the new model. The single-core performance of the M4 iPad Air is approximately 17.3 percent higher than that of the M3 model. An improvement is also evident in the multi-core test, with an increase of around 7.9 percent.

The increased single-core performance is particularly relevant, as many everyday tasks on tablets benefit greatly from the performance of individual CPU cores. These include, for example, launching apps, system processes, and general operation of the operating system.

The architecture of the M4 in the iPad Air

The iPad Air M4 uses a CPU with a total of eight cores. These are divided into two different core types. Three of the cores are so-called performance cores, which are responsible for particularly computationally intensive tasks. They are complemented by five efficiency cores, which consume less energy and handle background processes.

In addition to the CPU, the iPad Air also features a 9-core GPU responsible for graphics processing. This GPU plays a crucial role in graphics-intensive applications, such as gaming, image editing, and video editing.

Differences compared to the M4 in the iPad Pro

The M4 chip was originally introduced in the iPad Pro, but not in the same configuration as in the iPad Air. While the iPad Air uses a slightly reduced version of the M4 chip, the processor in the iPad Pro is more powerful.

The iPad Pro can use the M4 chip with up to a 10-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU. The iPad Air, on the other hand, uses a variant with eight CPU cores and nine GPU cores. These differences explain why the iPad Pro continues to achieve slightly higher benchmark scores.

Benchmark comparison with the M4 iPad Pro

The Geekbench scores of the iPad Pro also demonstrate this difference. The 13-inch M4 iPad Pro achieves an average of 3704 points in the single-core test and 13805 points in the multi-core test.

In a direct comparison, this results in a small but measurable advantage for the Pro model. Its single-core performance is approximately 3.6 percent higher than that of the M4 iPad Air. In the multi-core test, the difference is somewhat larger, at around 9.6 percent. The performance gap is therefore present, but not extremely large.

Initial performance analysis: How powerful is the M4 iPad Air really?

The first benchmark results provide an early insight into the performance of the M4 iPad Air. Compared to the M3 model, there is a clear improvement, especially in single-core performance, which increases by more than 17 percent.

At the same time, despite having the same chip name, the iPad Pro remains the more powerful device, as it uses a larger version of the M4 chip with more CPU and GPU cores.

Even though these results are only based on initial Geekbench tests, they already paint a clear picture: The M4 iPad Air is likely to be among the most powerful tablets in its class once again, clearly positioning itself between the entry-level iPad and the iPad Pro. (Image: Apple / Apfelpatient)