Apple introduced the new iPad Air 4 during their September event. The new iPad Air features compatibility with iPad Pro accessories, like the Magic Keyboard, Smart Folio, and Apple Pencil 2. However, there was one feature people were quick to point out: the system on a chip at the heart of the new tablet.
When Apple introduced the fourth generation iPad Air, they also announced the new, more powerful A14 chip. This is likely the chip that will go on to power the iPhone 12 as well as the new Apple TV (if one is coming this fall). However, the iPad Pro, released in March of this year, features an A12z processor. Could a processor based on a 2-year-old architecture compete with the iPad Air? Could the more budget friendly, mid-range iPad actually surpass the pro model?
As it turns out, in some cases, yes, but in everyday use, definitely not. Still, the margin isn’t very large.
In This Article:
iPad Air 4 Benchmarks
I always share the same disclaimer when discussing benchmarks, so I’ll do it here now. Benchmarks give you a hint to performance, but they aren’t the full story. I could create a processor benchmark that would perform beautifully on a machine with very little memory. Then, you’d see incredible benchmark results, but, if you actually tried to use it, you’d find it’s just about useless thanks to having next to no memory. Still, modern benchmarks give a good hint of the performance of our devices.
With that out of the way, the iPad Air 4 is showing up in Geekbench benchmarks online. The app can give single-core and multi-core performance. In the single-core scores, the iPad Air 4 and A14 chip scored an impressive 1583. In the multi-core score, it got a 4198.
Explaining the Results
I just tossed two numbers at you. Some of the more attentive geeks out there may be already formulating their own opinions, but, let’s explain the two results.
First is the single-core performance. This measures intensive single tasks, the power of just one of the cores, rather than the cores working together over multiple threads. A thread is basically a single task. Many tasks are sequential, you can only do one part, then do the next. Think of it like taking out the trash and taking a shower. You can only really do one at a time, and you should probably pick showering after taking out the trash, especially if you’re clumsy or your trash bags are cheap. In your computer, this may be something like processing a frame of video, or loading an app.
Then there’s the multi-core performance. Most intensive tasks can be broken up. On a device, we load up the user interface on one thread while pulling in information from the internet on another thread. This allows us to make apps that are responsive. Most apps use multiple threads. It’s like how I can write this article while also watching videos, or empty the dishwasher while also filling up the cabinet behind me haphazardly.
Okay, humans are mostly single-threaded, but we’re pretty good at switching threads!
Vs Older Devices
So how do the scores compare to other devices, specifically the iPad Air 3? The iPad Air 3 had Apple’s A12 Bionic chip, the same that’s in the iPhone XR and XS. The iPad Air 3, at least in one test, scored a 1117 on the single-core and a 2829 on the multi-core. That’s a significant difference. The new iPad Air 4 is significantly faster than the iPad Air 3, especially on the multi-core benchmark. Benchmarks aren’t the only measure of performance, but Apple may have undersold just how much faster the iPad Air is than the last generation.
In one test, the iPhone 11 Pro with a A13 Bionic processor scored 1330 in single-core and 3457 in multi-core. This is less significant, but the A14 will definitely be faster than the A13, and by enough to really notice. It’s around a 20% improvement. If something takes 5 seconds to load, it can take 4 seconds on the iPad Air.
Vs the iPad Pro
This is the real comparison. The iPad Air 4 is supposed to be under the iPad Pro on the hierarchy. However, let’s look at iPad Pro benchmarks…
Yes, that’s a lower single-core score for the iPad Pro, though the 4728 multi-core performance is a slight boost. Now, there’s variation between benchmarks, none of these values are definitive. However, we can still look at them, considering there may be some wiggle room of a percentage point or two. The iPad Pro’s single-core score of 1123 in this example is significantly slower than the iPad Air. It’s a nearly 30% difference. The multi-core score is faster. However, the older iPad Pro is still about 11% faster in the multi-core score. This is more indicative of everyday tasks. However, in a few cases, the iPad Air 4 will be significantly faster than the more expensive iPad Pro.
It’s worth noting that the iPad Pro will have more memory though, 6GB compared to 4GB in the iPad Air. This means more tasks will stay active in the background, meaning you can jump between apps more quickly. In everyday use, the iPad Pro will certainly be faster than the iPad Air, you just may not notice it all the time.
Buying Advice
If you have to buy an iPad right now, you should examine your needs. In everyday use, the iPad Pro will still feel marginally faster than the iPad Air, but not by much. If you need a 12.9-inch display, then the iPad Pro is your only option. Do you prefer Touch ID over Face ID? The iPad Air is the only one to still feature the security feature that works with a mask. If you think you’ll need only 128GB of storage, the iPad Pro will be only $50 more than the only iPad Air option that has 128GB of storage, the 256GB option. However, if you do believe you can make use of that storage, the iPad Air features it at the lowest cost. Finally, if you need LiDAR or extra cameras on your iPad, the Pro model is the only one to feature additional sensors. Do you need this? Probably not.
Most People? iPad Air
The iPad Air is definitely the better buy right now for most people. The iPad Pro doesn’t have enough going for it to justify its higher price. Grab the 256GB iPad Air if you need more storage than 64GB, and save at least $50-$150 over the iPad Pro. Of course, if you need more than 256GB of storage, perhaps because you frequently use your iPad for video editing, which can sometimes take up hundreds of GB of storage for just one video, then the iPad Pro is your best option. However, if you’re doing that, your best bet would be a large SSD drive and a Mac with an eGPU. Still, as far as bang for your buck, the iPad Pro will give users incredible video processing power at a fraction of the cost of a computer capable of editing video so quickly.
If you use your iPad for notes, games, reading, comics, and internet browsing, the iPad Air will be your best bet. Only the most intensive iPad users should even consider the iPad Pro.
Honestly? While I fall into the “pro” category, as a software engineer, writer, gamer, and photo/video editor, I personally would get the iPad Air right now.
Pros? Perhaps Wait…
If you can wait, Apple will likely release an A14-based iPad Pro in early 2021. This model would crush the current iPad Air in benchmarks and multi-core usage, with extra graphics performance as well. So if you don’t need an iPad right now, and want something truly powerful, wait a few months for the largest leap in iPad performance since, well, since the iPad Air 4.
Sources:
- Hartley Charlton, AppleInsider
- Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac
- Geekbench
- Ed Hardy, Cult of Mac
- Malcom Owen, AppleInsider