New benchmarks show how powerful the new Apple M4 chip is
Recently published benchmarks have shown how capable the brand new Apple M4 chip is in terms of single-core performance, surpassing even the best processors on the market.
As noted by Tom’s hardwarethere is a new champion in the Geekbench 6 CPU benchmarks as the iPad Pro line with the M4 chip actually beat the previously leading Intel Core i9-14900KS in single-core benchmarks. Apple’s latest silicon scored a reliable average of about 3,800, compared to Team Blue’s average of 3,100.
While things aren’t quite as exciting when it comes to multi-core performance, this marks an incredibly rare occasion where mobile hardware can not only compete with the desktop, but surpass it. This is partly thanks to the M4 chip’s new 10-core (4P + 6E) processor, which is supported by a 10-core GPU, and a larger 16-core Neural Engine weighing in at 38 TOPS.
Apple claims the M4 chip is roughly 50% faster than the M2 processor you’ll find in the upcoming Apple iPad Air models and older 2022 MacBooks and iMacs. The M4 silicon specs speak confidently of improved tap prediction , next-gen ML accelerators, and a deeper execution engine according to Apple.
It’s still early days for the new iPad Pro series, which also features what the company describes as a “Tandem OLED” display, and looks to push the form factor in new directions. That means we can’t quite draw a definitive line on whether Apple’s tablets beat the leading desktop models across the board, even though early reports are encouraging.
These strong numbers are partly due to the newly overhauled Neural Engine, the largest yet on Apple Silicon. Considering that many manufacturers like AMD and Intel are going all-in on AI computing with their upcoming CPU generations, it’s good to see Apple making a statement here as the fourth-generation internal chip makes a strong impression .
The beginning of what will come from the AI revolution
It’s still early days for AI computing regardless of form factor, and time will tell exactly how well the iPad OS software is optimized for the new M4 chipset and the more advanced Neural Engine. AMD has thrown its hat into the ring with the upcoming AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 170 flagship with an NPU of up to 77 TOPS according to a recent Asus leak.
Meanwhile, Intel already has a piece on the board with its Core Ultra 100 chips when Meteor Lake debuted in laptops last year. The real test for what the M4 chip can do will emerge when the playing field is level. We expect Intel Arrow Lake later this year, so Team Red and Team Blue can widen the gap again. Until then, though, Apple has proven that its tablets can confidently hold their own against x86.