Early benchmark scores for the soon-to-be-released iPad Air 5 show the tablet has approximately the same performance as the iPad Pro models that cost much more.
That’s not a surprise considering the new Air has the same M1 processor as the Pro.
M1 processor gives iPad Air 5 equal performance as iPad Pro
The fifth-generation iPad Air isn’t out yet, nor are there any hands-on reviews, but benchmarks for the tablet are already available online.
There are quite a few listings for the new tablet — which has product number iPad13,17 — on the Geekbench 5 public database. As is typical for benchmark tests done on a variety of devices and conditions, the Multi-Core scores range quite a bit. They go as high as 7354, but there are many results in the 7200 range.
Compare that to the official Geekbench 5 score for the 11-inch iPad Pro: 7218. And the 12.9-inch version of the Pro pulls in a 7219 score.
These tests just confirm that anyone buying a tablet for processing power doesn’t have to pay extra for the Pro series. The iPad Air 5 is just as quick.
It’s a tie… for now
Apple made headlines when it put the M1 processor in the 2021 iPad Pro. Until then, everyone had though the M-series was only for Macs.
A year later, the same chip is in the the fifth-generation iPad Air. Which makes deciding between the 11-inch iPad Pro and the 10.9-inch iPad Air 5 a challenge.
Temporarily, anyway. The next iPad Pro models supposedly will run on an Apple M2 processor, bringing a jump in performance.
