2021 iPad Pro beats every Intel MacBook in early benchmark tests

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2021 iPad Pro with M1 processor
The M1 processor in the 2021 iPad Pro has the tablet running faster than any Intel-based MacBook ever.
Photo: Apple

The first iPad Pro with an M-series processor is apparently going to be as fast as many had hoped. Benchmark tests for the upcoming tablet show that it’s almost as speedy as the Macs released in late 2020. And faster than any Intel-based MacBook ever.

The 2021 model is more than 50% faster than the iPad Pro Apple introduced in 2020.

2021 iPad Pro is easily the fastest ever

Four sets of Geekbench 5 benchmark scores for the upcoming tablet appeared on Primate Labs’ website. They show that the multi-core score for the device is about 7280, and the single-core score is roughly 1720.

That’s just a tiny bit behind the late-2020 versions of the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and Mac mini. These have multi-core scores between 7360 and 7410. Their single-core scores are actually a touch slower than the iPad’s, between 1701 and 1710. Looking farther back, the multi-core score for the fastest Intel-based MacBook ever — the 16-inch model from 2019 — is 6845.

To compare the new tablet to its predecessor, the fourth-generation iPad Pro has Geekbench 5 scores of 4656 on the dual-core test and 1121 on single-core.

The benchmark tests were done early on May 11. The 2021 iPad Pro isn’t scheduled to reach consumers until May 21, but it’s possible lucky reviewers have the device already and are testing it.

Please, get technical with me

It’s not surprising that the fifth-gen iPad Pro unveiled in min-April is as fast the latest Macs as Apple’s upcoming tablet uses the same processor as the late-2020 MacBooks and Mac mini. The iPad has an 8-core M1 processor running at 3.2 GHz. That’s the same specs as the one in Apple’s Macs.

And the unit under study in these Geekbench 5 tests has 16GB of RAM. That’s the maximum available RAM for the 2021 iPad Pro. The base unit has 8GB.

Aside from the upgrade in processor and RAM, the 12.9-inch version will be the first Apple computer with a mini-LED display, giving it better contrast. The 11-inch version will use the M1 chip but a standard LCD. The larger device starts at $1099, the smaller one at $799.

Via: MacRumors

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