Apple iPad Air 2024: Apparently one GPU core less than promised
The iPad Air's M2 chip apparently does without a shader cluster. Meanwhile, there are RAM inconsistencies in the iPad Pro 2024.
(Image: Mac & i)
In an unusual move, Apple has subsequently corrected the technical specifications of the iPad Air 2024: According to the revised specifications, the GPU of the M2 chip now only has 9 shader clusters ("GPU cores") instead of the originally announced 10. Why the integrated GPU is surprisingly missing or deactivated one core remains unclear for now.
The change in the graphics unit has so far only been noted by the manufacturer on its US website; in other countries, there is still talk of a "10-core GPU" in the new iPad Air, for example in Germany. However, the iPads currently available on the market probably have a GPU with 9 instead of 10 shader clusters.
Lower values in 3D benchmarks
In benchmark tests by Mac & i, the value of the 13-inch iPad Air M2 in the 3D Mark test "Wild Life Extreme" was almost 20 percent lower than that of the M2 chip in the iPad Pro 2022, which, according to the manufacturer, counts all 10 shader clusters.
Such "binning" – such as deactivating defective cores – is not uncommon in the industry, for example, to limit waste in chip production and to provide a cheaper variant for entry-level models. The basic versions of the iPad Air M4, for example, have to do without a performance core. However, it is highly unusual that Apple only announces this after the fact or quietly corrects the technical details.
RAM discrepancies in the iPad Pro M4
In addition, a component in the new iPad Pro M4 is also causing confusion: according to several teardowns, the base model with 256 GB of storage space comes with two RAM modules, which, according to a database from the supplier Micron, each have a size of 6 GB and not - as expected - 4 GB, as users noticed. This adds up to 12 GB of RAM, which is significantly more than the 8 GB officially stated by Apple. However, only 8 GB still seem to be available for the operating system, as system tools do not show a higher value for the cheaper basic models.
The costly iPad Pro variants with 1 TByte or more storage space not only have all 10 CPU cores, but also 16 GB of RAM. Here, the integrated RAM modules obviously match Apple's specifications, as two 8 GB modules are used.
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