As is commonly seen when new Apple products are nearing release, preliminary Geekbench benchmark results are already circulating. Here’s how two outcomes attributed to the M4 iPad Air have turned out.
## Up to 22% performance increases, depending on measurement criteria
As noted by MacRumors, two Geekbench test outcomes appeared earlier today claiming to be for the upcoming M4 iPad Air.
Both indicate an iPad model identifier iPad16,11 (which corresponds to the 13” Wi-Fi + Cellular variant), with the first test achieving scores of 3,438 in single-core and 12,885 in multi-core CPU evaluations, while the second test recorded scores of 3,714 and 12,296, respectively.
For context, Geekbench scores for the 13″ M3 iPad Air are 3,048 in single-core and 11,667 in multi-core, indicating that the new device could realize gains between 13% and 22% in single-core, and 5% to 10% in multi-core CPU performance.
That being said, an intriguing detail regarding the M4 iPad Air is that Apple modified the chip’s core count compared to previous M4 chips.
The iPad Air’s M4 chip boasts an 8-core CPU and a 9-core GPU, whereas the M4 chip in the iPad Pro had up to a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU.
On Geekbench, the 13” Wi-Fi + Cellular M4 iPad Pro achieved scores of 3,704 in single-core and 13,805 in multi-core CPU evaluations, indicating that the new M4 chip in the iPad Air is approximately on par or 7% slower in single-core performance and around 7% to 11% slower in multi-core performance.
Naturally, it’s always advisable to remember that Geekbench scores, especially for devices that have yet to be released, should be viewed with some skepticism.
Once the devices become available on March 11, additional benchmark results are likely to arise, alongside reviews and hands-on testing providing a clearer understanding of how the new model stacks up against existing ones in practical use.
Nonetheless, if you wish to examine the two tests that emerged earlier today, they can be found [here](https://browser.geekbench.com/v6/cpu/16841908) and [here](https://browser.geekbench.com/v6/cpu/16841740).