Benchmark Results Confirm Apple Hasn't Downclocked M1 Chip in New iPad Air

[MacRumors]

Benchmark results for the new iPad Air reveal that Apple has not downclocked the M1 chip to artificially limit the device's performance.

The M1 chip in the fifth-generation iPad Air has the same 3.2GHz operating frequency as it does in the iPad Pro, according to Geekbench 5 results. As such, the M1 iPad Air has virtually identical performance as the M1 iPad Pro.

Specifically, the M1 iPad Air has average single-core and multi-core scores of around 1,700 and 7,200, respectively. These scores confirm that the M1 iPad Air has performance on par with the M1 iPad Pro, while having around 60% to 70% faster CPU performance than the fourth-generation iPad Air with the A14 Bionic chip.

"The breakthrough M1 chip in iPad Air delivers a giant performance boost to even the most demanding apps and workflows, with incredible power efficiency and all-day battery life," said Apple's press release for the new iPad Air.

First introduced in the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini in November 2020, the M1 chip features an 8‑core CPU, 8‑core GPU, and a 16‑core Neural Engine. The chip provides the new iPad Air with access to 8GB of unified memory.

Apple's decision not to downclock the M1 chip in the iPad Air is notable given that the A15 Bionic chip is downclocked to 2.9GHz in the sixth-generation iPad mini, compared to 3.2GHz for other devices like the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro Max. The downclocked chip results in the iPad mini being around 2% to 8% slower than iPhone 13 models.

Beyond the M1 chip, key features of the new iPad Air include an upgraded 12-megapixel front camera with Center Stage support, 5G connectivity on cellular models, up to a 2x faster USB-C port for data transfer, and new color options. Pre-orders began March 11 ahead of a March 18 launch, with pricing starting at $599 in the United States.

Article Link: Benchmark Results Confirm Apple Hasn't Downclocked M1 Chip in New iPad Air

 

[MayaUser]

Very nice from them
The M1 power for the next 3-4 years for many ipad air users

 

[dj458]

what can you do for that M1 performance, does it increase the web loading speed or app open speed? It's like add a V12 in a Honda Civic!

 

[Spike1999]

That’s pretty good

 

[nvmls]

Lol, well the downclock is iPadOS.

 

[lkrupp]

So where did the rumor that it was down-clocked come from?

 

[Graphikos]

what can you do for that M1 performance, does it increase the web loading speed or app open speed? It's like add a V12 in a Honda Civic!

I don't think anyone would ever complain about having too much power. I for one am growing accustomed to Apple devices running buttery smooth and when I get my hands on a device that stutters in some way it's really becoming jarring. Good on apple for leveraging the position and power of their SoCs to create highly capable devices, even at the lower end. Just look at the iPhone SE!

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

what can you do for that M1 performance, does it increase the web loading speed or app open speed? It's like add a V12 in a Honda Civic!

Lol, well the downclock is iPadOS.

That’s a very good point. What Apple needs to do is work on iPad OS software to make it more effective, efficient and introduce some rich features. Perhaps, real multi-tasking integrations.

 

[EmotionalSnow]

So where did the rumor that it was down-clocked come from?

Well, some people probably just wondered whether Apple had to down clock the chip due to cooling reasons in the iPad Air.

 

[johnmarki]

Hopefully all of these M1s in iPads are to prepare for a more advanced iPadOS rollout this summer.

 

[nepalisherpa]

I really hope iPadOS 16 is going to take more advantage of all that M1 power.

 

[EmotionalSnow]

That’s a very good point. What Apple needs to do is work on iPad OS software to make it more effective, efficient and introduce some rich features. Perhaps, real multi-tasking.

I 100% agree. iPadOS currently does not even allow you to manually size the active windows. The only options are to have both at the same width or one smaller and the other bigger. Ridiculous.

 

[radow]

Downclocking on iPad mini 6 is a good decision IMO. It helps battery life on a sustained load. A15 also have more efficient Avalanche and Blizzard cores, so real life battery life on iPad mini might be better than iPad Air and Pro.

 

[torontotim]

All this points to a very tasty update to the 11" iPad Pro.

It will be well worth the $200 price difference for:

• increased storage
• likely a processor update (M1 Pro seems unlikely considering the physical difference, so maybe an M2 or M1X?)
• mini-LED pro-motion screen which has to come to it from the 13" model

I'm holding out for the refreshed 11" Pro as tempting as the Air is at the moment. Also because I hate all these colors - just give me raw silver aluminum thanks.

 

[trifero]

I translate: Apple has reduced the absurd, not useful power of the M1 to gain battery performance.

 

[NightFox]

So where did the rumor that it was down-clocked come from?

I think it was just always a speculated possibility given the down-clocked iPad Mini, and as a key differentiator between the Air and the Pro.

 

[noone]

I translate: Apple has reduced the absurd, not useful power of the M1 to gain battery performance.

You may want to re-read that headline. They have not downclocked the M1 in the new air.

 

[Greenmeenie]

IPad mini never gets the love. There are many photographers like me who travel a lot & would love an iPad Mini Pro to edit photos on while on the road. Perhaps that’ll never happen, but I sure wish it would.

 

[ilikewhey]

even if they did downclock, most users won't even notice since ios limitation ?

 

[FightTheFuture]

I 100% agree. iPadOS currently does not even allow you to manually size the active windows. The only options are to have both at the same width or one smaller and the other bigger. Ridiculous.

This is one of those “are you sure you want that?” moments. Try using ChromeOS for more than 12 minutes and you’ll be happy iPadOS is what it is.

 

[ZipZilla]

M1 iPad needs Mac OS Lite.....iPad OS is a toy

 

[ipedro]

All this points to a very tasty update to the 11" iPad Pro.

It will be well worth the $200 price difference for:

• increased storage
• likely a processor update (M1 Pro seems unlikely considering the physical difference, so maybe an M2 or M1X?)
• mini-LED pro-motion screen which has to come to it from the 13" model

I'm holding out for the refreshed 11" Pro as tempting as the Air is at the moment. Also because I hate all these colors - just give me raw silver aluminum thanks.

If Apple is finally going to release iPadOS versions of its pro apps, then an M1 Pro would not be out of the question. FinalCutPro already looks made for touch so it should be a good transition if the chip can keep up. Teardowns of the M1 Pro MacBookPro show a simple cooling assembly meant to fit in a very thin enclosure. I have an M1 Pro Max and I’ve seriously never heard the fan turn on. I think an iPad could do without the fan and just have a simple passive cooling system.

 

[boak]

All this points to a very tasty update to the 11" iPad Pro.

It will be well worth the $200 price difference for:

• increased storage
• likely a processor update (M1 Pro seems unlikely considering the physical difference, so maybe an M2 or M1X?)
• mini-LED pro-motion screen which has to come to it from the 13" model

I'm holding out for the refreshed 11" Pro as tempting as the Air is at the moment. Also because I hate all these colors - just give me raw silver aluminum thanks.

$300*

Price bump of $100 for mini-LED

 

[JosephAW]

Apple needs to provide a dual boot option so we can plug it in to the new monitor and keyboard and mouse and have a working desktop running MacOS Monterey.
I’m sure they’re already doing this in their secret lab.

 

[dj458]

That’s a very good point. What Apple needs to do is work on iPad OS software to make it more effective, efficient and introduce some rich features. Perhaps, real multi-tasking integrations.

Yeah, the final destination of iPadOS is MacOS, everyone know it but few dear to say it!